# Don't laugh..... it's here.



## Hairy Minotaur

"That sound, it is your stomach. No?" Paquito asks the hill giant Gronar

"No, Gronar not hungry. Gronar scared." The giant replies

"Look!" Benat shouts as the mage guild, a huge edifice that covers a four block square area, sinks into it's foundation. It slowly disappears behind the buildings blocking the view from across the street. 

"Good riddance I tell ye, ne'er did like dem pointy hats much anyways." Books, a dwarf so named because of his all consuming love of the printed word, announces as another rumble shakes the temple of Umtala. Like a child shaking a present, the walls begin to crack and the tiles on the floor shows signs of separating.

The mage guild has been elevated to city overseer, after finding a way to keep the magical mists that plague the surrounding countryside away from the city itself. Seventy-five percent of all constables were on the mage guild payroll, if they couldn't find out what was going on in the city then they forced it from you. All forms of magic were strictly regulated within the city limits, violators usually turned up missing for days only to reappear with memory loss and without the item or spell in question.

Magical explosions erupted from the crater where the guild once stood, sending waves of energy through the streets of Addon. Mass chaos ensued as the people who fled to their homes poured into the streets and those who had not yet made it to their homes, attempted to push themselves through the mass of people. Buildings would melt or turn odd colors, some citizens were turned to stone, others disintegrated outright. 

Benat detested the guild and the humanity it represented. Hunting humans was what she did best, and it's what she lived for. Her elvish blood grew elate at the sight of the arrogant human wizard's downfall. Unwilling to help stop the corruption of the ground beneath the city by an ancient vampire, Benat relish in the knowledge that these humans would become nothing more than prey for the hunter.

"Maybe we should collect Maermon before we make a decision?" Benat asks, referring to the other elf in the party who was currently in the elvish temple on the other side of Addon.

"What decision need made? Korg make it! We fight!" Korg, the hill giant cleric of Umtala, yells and strides toward the street outside.

"Wait Korg, we get other pointy eared one, give us more things vampire has to fight." Gronar explains. Korg knew that he could never compete with the intellectual giant that was Gronar.

"OK, Gronar you come up with plan. Pokey you cast big explosion, clear path for Korg." Korg announces

"My good man, I have already explained I am a renown knight from the marshes to the east. No?" Paquito responds, so called Pokey by the giants as for a minotaur he was short in stature and light on attitude.

Gronar watched as Korg's internal wheel clicked in Korg's head, then came to an abrupt stop. "How much Pokey weigh?" Korg asks

"Now I hardly see how that will influence your ability to effectively come up with a plan that renders the masses ineffectual to our flight from this place. No?" Paquito replies

All Korg heard was flight and he had his plan.

"OK we strap keg of ale on back of Pokey, then Pokey carry keg of mead, then Gronar toss Pokey into street, then elfy shoot keg with flaming stick. Is good plan." Korg stood smiling at the dumbfounded faces surrounding him. 

"What if keg breaks when Pokey hits street?" Gronar asked. Korg sat and deep in thought as he hadn't thought of that outcome. 

"Well, I'm not waiting around while the two of you decide what the best way to serve ox is. I'm heading back to my temple, and then I'm getting out of here." With that Benat heads into the crowed chaotic street.

"Oh please madam, do not leave me here with these brutes. I'll help you reach your temple. No? For I am the great Paquito Flacido ruler of the Mists of Transparency." Paquito exclaims.

Benat didn't even bother refuting Paquito's claim, she headed out with the minotaur and dwarf in tow.

"Where little ones go?" Korg asked

Gronar shrugged his shoulders and the two giants step out into the street and spot the fleeing trio. They hail them and run them down, taking their respective places at point.

"Gronar take elfy to her friend." Gronar tells Benat. 

"Yes, this plan Korg was working on already." Korg announces.

The sound of rushing wind drew their attention back to the mage's guild where they saw a stream of pure darkness shoot from the crater and slash onto the sky like water from a faucet. The darkness coalesced there for a moment and like melting wax, slowly began filling in the horizon. The members of the city watch who were not inside the guild when it collapsed, tried in vain the maintain order within the city. Benat chuckled at the useless attempts by the human constables to restore law, amid all the glorious chaos. Shadows began to fall across the morning streets of Addon, only to be burned away by another careening blast of energy from the destroyed guild. 

Another four blocks and the darkness had erased all signs of daylight, giving the town an appearance of dusk. A sonic boom signaled the collapse of the protective wind dome, it would only be a matter of time before the mists began to creep into the city proper. Along with whatever beasts were drooling at the chance to hunt in a defenseless city. The growing darkness seemed almost palpable, as if the darkness itself held some form of will unto itself. Families raced towards the two gates of Addon, figuring they'd take their chances with whatever was waiting outside, than with whatever would soon be waiting inside the city. Benat had no time for the feeble or elderly, forcing her way past the screaming masses and on towards her own temple.

The party stumbles through the thickly packed streets to the elven temple and as they reach the threshold, an overwhelming sense of dread blankets them. Turning they see a large man, a full twelve feet in height and six feet across at the shoulders. Worms and spider writhe and fall off of his decaying form. The stench of freshly dug earth fills the nostrils of the party.     

"Get inside the temple, it's consecrated ground!" Benat shouts as the party forces their way into the temple.

The party moves in to take up defensive positions, as a low rolling fog licks at the entrance to the open aired temple. The smell of wet earth fills the reception area of the temple. The head priest emerges from the prayer area with two bodyguards, and the temple's justicar emerges from the treasury and assigns two guards to that door. Looking up, Gronar realizes that this is probably the worst defensible place in the whole city. 

Benat hears the footsteps of the creature lumbering to the door, she watches as a large foot wrapped in smoldering filthy cloth, crosses the threshold of the door and steps into the room. A sick sizzling sound of flesh burning erupts from where the foot touches the floor as wisps of black smoke raise off of it's foot. It's huge frame has to turn sideways to get through the door frame. The natural light given off by specially grown moss and cultivated by the elves, grows dim and sickly. The shadows the light gives off seem to take on twisted versions of the people they emanate from. 

The creature makes no sound as it rushes Korg, swinging a large mace. It connects with the giant's body, and sends Korg careening into Gronar knocking both giants prone. 

"Eek! So much for your temple's powerful warding elf. Today is a good day to die. No?" Paquito says to the elf. 

"I'm touched you guys came for me, but did you have to bring that with you?" Maermon asks, moving out from behind an elm tree his was studying under.

Books cowers under a large elm tree, feeling very alone in this elvish place of worship. The elven head priest casts searing light but fails to hit the undead giant. Paquito looks around to see if anyone is paying him any attention, satisfied that he will be unseen, he casts _disrupt undead_ and watches as little pieces of unlife flake off the creature, and dissipate. The beast hardly seems to notice, intent on causing as much destruction as it possibly can. 

The elven justicar charges the beast, and gets swatted away by the undead thing, landing behind the giant and outside the temple.


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## haiiro

Nifty beginning, HM, particularly with the odd party and the very distinct backstory.

Love the hill giants, and Paquito.


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## Spider_Jerusalem

Yeah, I'm with this one too. 

Great sense of characters already, and of course, great to see some giants in action.

Spider


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## Jon Potter

Hmmm... Interesting.

More "Bastards & Bloodlines" goodness, perhaps, HM? Or are these full-blooded giants? Either way, you've got another reader.

It's not Tharhack and company, but we make do with what we have, eh?


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## Hairy Minotaur

Thanks for all the comments! 

One thing I want to add separate from the story is that we use hero points as presented in Arcana Unearthed for the melee classes, but for the divine classes (cleric, druid, paladin) we use divine points. Instead of affecting one action, divine points have a duration and can affect many people. Korg likes to use his divine points and I'll indicate the difference in the story. Divine points are easier to gain than hero points, but it takes more of them to produce an effect. 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.


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## Hairy Minotaur

Gronar crawled away from the vampire and stood up, deftly dodging a blow from the undead giant as he did so. Korg crawled away to the beast's left, and turned over to attempt a turning.

"Korg call upon power of Umtala to send smelly man back to grave." Korg shouted as he held aloft his granite holy symbol.

The beast glared at Korg, with a loathing of life so deep that Korg's holy symbol shook in his grasp. The shaken Korg looked on in disbelief, the vampire had actually reflected the turn attempt back at Korg. The elven high priest rained a _searing light_ down upon the creature, searing it's dead flesh and filling the room with the stench of scorched rot. Benat withdraw an arrow from her quiver, and dipped the head of the arrow into holy water and fired the shaft into the beast's abdomen. The blessed water caused the vampire's rotten flesh to fester and pus. The beasts looked down, and wrenched the arrow from his stomach. Benat watched hopelessly as the festering wound closed over itself, healing what little damage Benat had managed to cause.

Maermon moved up, tumbled towards the beast, and took a swipe with his greatsword into the beast's side. Maermon's movements enabled him to avoid a return blow from the vampire. The elven justicar stood up and avoiding the beast's backhanded swing, charged the rear of the vampire, slamming a return blow to the creature's left leg.  

Benat stopped firing holy water dipped arrows into the giant's torso long enough to cast magic weapon on her bow. Korg decided to stand up and face the beast head on, he was promptly smacked by the undead's mace, only this time Korg held his ground and was not moved by the beast's blow. 

"Hah! Korg is mightier than soulless carcass!" Korg shouted triumphantly

The giant sneered and opened it's jagged tooth filled maw and hundreds of maggots squirmed and writhed, they all twisted to face Korg and laughed in unison at the giant, bringing Korg's courage thundering back to reality. The elven high priest missed with another searing light, and Books decided cast _spiritual weapon_ on the undead giant, then moved next to Korg. The justicar slammed into the undead giant's legs again, out of the corner of his eye, the shape of a large bony creature moved silently towards him from across the street. 

Books cast a _cure light wounds_ on Korg but the effect wasn't anywhere close to what Books was trying to achieve. 

"Pathetic little hairy man, your small body must be lacking in healing space. Maybe you grow bigger and then heal better?" Korg said insulted by the puny relief the dwarf gave him. 

Exhausted of _searing light_ spells, the elven high priest resorted to _spiritual weapon_ as well. Once Gronar got to his feet he never missed the chance to bury the Godblade (a gift from the temple of Umtala) into the hide of the undead giant. Paquito kept up the disrupt undead for as long as he could, then switched to magic missile.

The justicar watched as the new creature approached the temple, but stayed well outside the temple's consecrated area. Thinking that the creature couldn't enter sanctified ground, the justicar turned to beat some more on the undead giant. The justicar landed another bruising blow to the vampire's back, the justicar noticed that with each successive blow dealt the wounds were staying longer and healing slower. 

"We're winning the fight double your efforts, we cannot fai......" ten bony claws ripped through the justicar's elven chain hauberk. Skewering the elf's lungs, heart, and liver at the same time. The justicar looked down and watched as the claws hooked themselves, and then he was airborne. The bony creature had extended the claws on it's hands a good ten feet to snare the elf. Benat watched in horror as the new creature yanked the dying justicar to it's salivating jaws.  

Prey in hand, the new creature signaled the vampire and they broke off the attack. The party could hear the chattering of the creature's teeth as it bore into the spine of the justicar. Soon there was nothing left but darkness and mists.

"We leave now!" Gronar yelled before anyone could catch their breath.

The party hurried through the streets heading towards the docks. Gronar carried books under his arm rear first. Magical explosions rocked the city every couple of minutes, Gronar and Books were affected by the blasts and Maermon was knocked unconscious by the eldritch blasts. Gronar grabbed the elf's hauberk and dragged him with his free arm. All around them, the party witnessed dark shapes and twisted things feeding on the bodies of terrified citizens. Benat hoped that the temple could stand long enough for the elves to escape, she cared nothing for the human's fate. Feeling neither pity nor sorrow for the decrepit humans, Benat isn't even nauseated by the sights. 

The footing grew treacherous as the streets filled with the blood of innocents. The screams of the fleeing populace were dying off. The sun's light had been completely blotted out, only the enhanced vision of the party members kept them from being completely blinded. 

Four blocks later, Benat noticed a human commoner seemingly tracking the party. Not taking any chances, Benat fires an arrow off at the man who was just over 100' away. The arrow lands true into the right shoulder of the human. Benat however was not impressed with the way the man tore out the arrow and then in one fluid motion, proceeded to close the gap between her and him, moving 100' in seconds. Books who watched the whole thing from Gronar's hip shouted out an alarm to the rest of the party. 

"The stupid elf done gone and pee'd off another human again!" Books announces as he tries to wiggle free of Gronar's grip.

Gronar drops Books and Maermon and turns to face this new threat. Benat turns fires another arrow into the man, and then backs away retreating behind Korg. The man spits a dark viscous blood smelling substance into Korg's face, blocking off his airway and making speech impossible. Gronar moves to flank the man, but misses with his swing. Paquito moves to Maermon's position and begins slapping him in the face, trying to get the unconscious elf to wake.

"My attempts at waking the dainty one are not working. No?" Paquito calls out

"Ya hafta get 'em in the groin, really make 'em feel it." Books responds in a commanding voice.

The man's form seems to melt away in front of Gronar. Gronar looks up and then feels the pain of flesh being torn from his hip. A blue light streams from the wound into the man's hands as Gronar feels his life-force slipping away. 

"What manner of human are you?" Benat shouts, planting another arrow into the foe, this one into the man's chest.

"I want to play, come play with me, I know many fun games." The man replies in an accent unfamiliar to anyone in the party.

"I'm not likin' yer games there mate." Books calls out

Paquito repeatedly nails Maermon in the groin with knee shots. "My short fellow, this does appear to be counterproductive. No?" Paquito says near breathless from the continuous exertion.

The man melts in and out of the shadows surrounding the party, managing to stay one step ahead of the return blows. He manages to drain Korg's life-force twice in the resulting chaos.

"A little help over here!" Gronar calls to Paquito and Books

Benat sensing this may be another vampire takes out her holy symbol and holds it aloft, activating the power of her deity, the symbol gives off a low light that highlights her face. The man turns towards Benat and snarls at the symbol, the wooden symbol turns ice cold in Benat's hand. Lowering the symbol Benat sees that the patterns in the wood begin to move, suddenly the symbol cracks and shatters, sending hundreds of splinters into Benat and knocking her prone. 

Paquito tired of beating the heck out of an unconscious elf, stands up and kicks the prone Maermon who awakens in severe pain.

"Hah! The great Paquito hath saved the day. Look the elf rouses from slumber. No?" Paquito announces proudly

Books decides to charge the man and wades into combat. Now surrounded the man melts into the shadows and seems to have disappeared, a half minuet goes by with nothing. The party moves back to back with each other, and then the vampire rises from the shadows beneath Korg. Korg instinctively looks down at the rising vampire. The vampire catches Korg's gaze and stares intently at the hill giant. Korg's attention seems riveted to the man, as the vampire's consciousness enters Korg's mind and implants a specific set of instructions to the hill giant. The vampire's attention momentarily distracted, Gronar uses this chance to land a mighty blow with the Godblade, which causes the man's form to dissolve into a thick fog that drifts away on an unseen breeze. 

"Run! No stop til we hit docks!" Gronar shouts. Looking over at Korg who seems to be alright. "Korg ok?" 

"Huh? Korg fine, where did human go?" Korg responds


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## Hairy Minotaur

Reaching the docks, the party finds mass chaos. Five ships have already left the docks, one is burning and still moored, and two others and being boarded. The two giants make for the nearest boat, easily pushing there girth through the mass of people. Paquito manages as well to attain the ship's rigging, his show of strength impresses the giants. Hundreds of people have fallen into the water surrounding the docks, this appears to be the last safe haven for living beings within the city. 

The constables who have given up hope of retaking the town, have fled here, weapons in hand and begin mowing down pedestrians as they try to make their way to one of the boats. The two elves and Books the dwarf aren't physically imposing enough to muscle their way to the ship, they each get jammed up well before the pier. Another blast from the annihilated mage guild, levels Paquito unconscious as he reaches the ship's deck, the blast also renders Books blind as well as most of the commoners. Fed up with having to deal with all these worthless humans in front of her, Benat unsheathes her longsword and begins hacking away at anyone left standing in her way. Maermon however does not share her bloodlust for humans, and he continues trying to force his way through the crowd.

Gronar leaves Books with Korg, and wades into the onrush of commoners and merchants to try and locate the two elves. Spotting Benat easily, Gronar slowly lowers his greatsword splitting the crowd into two halves, he then shoves the left side of the crowd off the pier and into the freezing waters of the bay. This causes a panic among the remaining people on the pier and third of them fall into the bay on the right side as they try to squeeze past the imposing giant. The sudden loss of bodies ahead of them, causes the people whom were just beyond Gronar's reach to fall over themselves. This gives Benat and Maermon the break they need, and they use their agility to run over the backs of the fallen in front of them. Gronar watches to make sure they are not impeded as they reach his position.

Meanwhile Books and Paquito are scooped up by the mob of people on the ship's deck and are heading for the side of the ship to be thrown overboard. Slow thinking Korg smacks the front of the crowd holding the unconscious Paquito with the flat side of his greatsword, and the crowd crumples under the assault, dropping Paquito to the deck. Books however tries to fight off the swarming crowd, but blinded, has a difficult time doing so and he is unceremoniously dumped overboard into the cold water of the bay. The great number of people already in the water trying their best to stay a float or swim to safety, causes Books to have a difficult time keeping his head above water.

Gronar returns to the ship's deck with the two elves in tow, the two elves are swept up by the mob and are headed for the side of the vessel as well. Gronar lacking the patience of Korg starts swinging to kill. The mob decides the two giants can stay on board and release the two elves.

"Where short hairy man?" Gronar asks

"Uh, oh Korg remember. He flew over side of boat." Korg says proud that he remembered where the dwarf went


 Benat grabs a mug out of Korg's back pack and ties a rope around the handle and then to an arrow shaft. Benat lets fly an arrow that lands close to where Books is struggling to remain afloat. 

"Grab the mug, and we'll pull you up!" Benat shouts over the din. Her words however fall on deaf ears as Books has slipped under the water. 

Maermon dives in after the dwarf, but he too succumbs to the chaos of falling bodies and debris from the ship, and has a hard time staying above water. Eventually he realizes that Books is lost and returns to the ship. Gronar fishes Maermon out of the water and then cuts the ship's moorings loose.

The ship drifts for about five miles out to sea where it floats aimlessly. Gronar and Benat decide to round up some sailors to get this vessel moving again.

"I've found 4 rats that I've heard could operate this ship." Benat tells Gronar referring to the four humans she scrounged up.

"You know how to sail?" Gronar points to the first man.

"Um, no. I've got no clue." The man responds

"Fine I hold you over for next interview." Gronar replies

"You know how to sail?" Gronar points to the second man.

"Maybe, but I ain't going nowhere with you." The man responds

Gronar fetches the first human and guts him in front of the second man, making sure the most blood is splattered onto the sailor. "Head clearer now?" Gronar asks

"Yes, much, thanks. Where would you like to go?" Comes the quivering reply.

Benat searches the ships hold and finds that anything of usefulness was thrown overboard. Reluctant to stay on a ship with two hundred starving, whining, humans, Benat shows any who'll watch how to catch fish. She also prepares purify food and water spells for the party each day. Korg however lasts only three days on fish before he casts _create food and water_ on a daily basis for him and Gronar to keep their bellies full.

The giants decide to let Benat pick the destination and she chooses Mirwood, hoping to find more wood, less stone there and no humans in charge. While Benat's spirits are raised at the thought of going to a more rustic settlement, Maermon thinks often about Books and how if he had just been a little quicker into the water, maybe the dwarf would be with them now. 

"Brine, it clears the sinuses. No?" Paquito asks the moping Maermon

"Heh, death is never something I wish to witness. I can't help but think of all those men and women who drowned or worse, made it back to shore." Maermon answers

"Well, here's another way to think about it. Books is probably following us along the sea floor as we speak. Turned into a zombie by necromantic magic, one night when you're watching the stars over head, the visage of a diseased rotten piece of fish food will silently pummel you into joining him among the unliving. No?" Paquito replies

Maermon gives the minotaur a half shocked, half disbelief look, then peers out at the open sea again. 

*Blech* "Korg not like rocking boat. Gronar go tell human to stop making Korg sick!" Korg asks Gronar who heads for the ship's steering human.

"Boat driver, stop making ship make Korg sick. Korg no cast feast spell if he throwing up all day." Gronar explains

"Captain, (a designation Gronar demanded after instilling this human as the "boat driver") I have no control over the tossing of the ship." comes the reply

"You tell Gronar who is in charge of that, and Gronar go smack them around." Gronar said excitedly at the prospect of an impending fight.

"The bad weather is to blame, the wind has shifted and we're picking up some rough seas." The human replies

"Gronar think human not know how to steer, maybe Gronar go get third choice for boat driver?" Gronar responded.

The journey takes fifteen days, before the lone dock of Mirwood comes into view. Of the two-hundred and fifty humans on board when the trip started, only fifty-seven are left. Most having abandoned ship when a coastline came into view, or due to the gruff nature of the imposing giants. Some died of starvation, as no one shared food if you didn't fish, you didn't eat.

A lone elf greets the ship on a warped dock. He moors the ship himself impressing the giants, and greets the two elves as they disembark the ship.

"Greetings brother and sister, welcome to Mirwood. I see your journey has been wrought with humans." The elf remarks

"Yes, but after I taught them fire and to come in from the rain, they left me alone." Benat replies

"Say no more I'm sure you are hungry and fatigued from your journey. You will find our hospitality more than adequate." The elf says with a smile.

"We brought some friends with us as well, two giants and a lying cow that you should really keep three eyes on." Benat tells the elf.


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## Hairy Minotaur

*What the characters are*

Korg is a cleric of Umtala. Umtala can be found in AEG's "Monster" book.

Gronar is a fighter, with the minor bloodline of stone giant (from Unearthed Arcana by WOTC) 

Maermon is a fighter/wizard in training, with a major bloodline of titan (also from Unearthed Arcana). His goal is to attain the spellsword prestige class. (Deceased)

Benat is a ranger/cleric/bard. With humans as her favored enemy (I realize that's obvious from the story   ), she aspires to be a member of the Order of the Bow Initiate. (currently training to become an OotBI)

Paquito is a minotaur (using Dawnforge's rules for minotaurs) sorcorer, with a major bloodline of devil (also from UA). As his heritage plays a major role in his persona, he tries to hide his tainted side, maybe he'll succeed   .

Nameroc is an elven druid with a wolf companion. He is infatuated with Benat and most of his actions revolve around trying to impress her. (killed by a rock thrown by a frost giant)

Finrod is an elven fighter, with a major bloodline of storm giant. This is Maermon's player's replacement in the party. The player intends for Finrod to also go into the spellsword prestige class.

Luciann is an elven wizard. 

Omar Forgewarden is a dwarven Paragon/cleric. Just starting on his pious path, Omar may not have a lot of spells, but he's all dwarf. 

Ratchet is a gnome cleric (of a homebrew deity), the gnomes are a mysterious race to most of the surface dwellers, as they possess unusual powers. (Dawnforge gnome)

Lothred is a tiefling magister (of Arcana Unearthed fame) with a major bloodline of vampire.


These last 4 additions have really upped the spell power of the party.


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## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Korg is a cleric of Umtala. Umtala can be found in AEG's "Monster" book.
> 
> Gronar is a fighter, with the minor bloodline of stone giant (from Unearthed Arcana by WOTC)
> 
> Maermon is a fighter/wizard in training, with a major bloodline of titan (also from Unearthed Arcana). His goal is to attain the spellsword prestige class.
> 
> Benat is a ranger/cleric/bard. With humans as her favored enemy (I realize that's obvious from the story   ), she aspires to be a member of the Order of the Bow Initiate.
> 
> Paquito is a minotaur (using Dawnforge's rules for minotaurs) sorcorer, with a major bloodline of devil (also from UA). As his heritage plays a major role in his persona, he tries to hide his tainted side, maybe he'll succeed   .





Thanks for posting this. I had logged onto your thread with the intent to ask for just such a run-down. I see that your precognative ESP is up and running. 

And it's good to see that someone else likes UA as much as I do. That book has really changed my own games for the better!

Just one more question: Boots. Was he an NPC or just the first casualty of the SH. And does this write-up start at the beginning of the game or are we somewhere in the middle?


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## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Thanks for posting this. I had logged onto your thread with the intent to ask for just such a run-down. I see that your precognative ESP is up and running.
> 
> And it's good to see that someone else likes UA as much as I do. That book has really changed my own games for the better!
> 
> Just one more question: Boots. Was he an NPC or just the first casualty of the SH. And does this write-up start at the beginning of the game or are we somewhere in the middle?




Boots was a PC, he was actually an Eldlorn (from Hammer & Helm) but he only made it through two sessions, this one being the last one. The player had a half-orc rogue that died in his initial session, so now the player is on his third PC. (I don't seem to be able to kill anyone else   ) 

The story starts near the beginning as the party worked through their new races (some got their RP style down quick, others took a little longer). I felt this spot would be the best as the players were comfortable with their characters, and they had just left a city destroyed and I thought this would be the best place to start at (kind of explaining the circumstances around why they left.) there will be more explainantions as the party interacts with NPCs.

The giants, while short on INT (Korg has a 5) they are good on WIS, (Korg has a 16) so we had to figure out the best way to RP that in the game. Paquito will be the most fun to watch "grow up"     If you have Dawnforge then that'll be evident.


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## Hairy Minotaur

"I am Helion, governor of Mirwood. Please, enjoy the fineries of our second home." The elf says with a smile.

"Do you teach the arcane art here? I have need of a teacher." Maermon asks excitedly

"Do not mind him, been around humans far too long." Benat replies

"Well, then maybe a return to his nature roots will help him?" Helion remarks

"Maermon does a wonderful job dyeing his roots. No?" Paquito nudges Korg

Korg recognized the language as common, but for the life of him, had no clue what the minotaur was talking about. 

The party is ushered through a line of tree that completely blocks the view of the village. Benat kisses the ground once the wooden houses with thatch roofs come into sight. 

Maermon inquires as to the location of the elven mage guild, and is told they have a fine school just for the sort of thing he's looking for. 

"Head north to the first elm, then head east until you come to the pine with the moss covered roots, the school will be above you, in that tree. Can't miss it." Helion says with a smile. 

Maermon stands confused for a moment, having no idea what an elm looks like as he never took the survival classes his friends took growing up. Maermon watches the party head off to the west, so he turns and heads east hoping to run into the tree accidentally.


"I sense the touch of arcane in you my bullheaded friend." Helion remarks as the party moves ahead towards the festival hall.

Paquito stares back blankly at the elf, not seeming to hear his remarks.

"Ah someone who wishes it not to be known they are one with the spark?" Helion says to Paquito

"Surely you jest. No?" Paquito replies "I am but a merchant of the waterways, I see many things in my time. Maybe it's virus. No? I have been feeling ill. Perhaps I should see a priest about that." 

The elf shrugs his shoulders and walks Benat to the festival hall. Paquito trails Maermon as the elf wanders around the trees blatantly showing his lack of direction skills. Two hours later Maermon finally wanders into the correct pine. Paquito almost gives himself away as he wonders how this elvish town could stand by and watch a minotaur stalk another elf through their town. Not only that but how can Maermon be so oblivious, these elves are extremely nonchalant. 

Maermon greets the headmaster, and after negotiating a tuition, Maermon enrolls in meditation. Paquito waits until Maermon has left, before scaling the rode ladder up to the thatch building. 

"Paquito Flacido, the man with many a background but no forethought. Have you come to study with the great elven teachers?" The headmaster asks

"Um, possibly that is certainly one way of looking at things through your eyes. For surely you have seen many a people traveling through on their way to this or that, from one port or another that carries with them that which may or may not bear the mark of something which may be construed as having a property similar to that of arcane. No?" Comes Paquito's long winded reply

The headmaster motions to a bookshelf next to Paquito. Paquito studies the bookshelf and  decides to enroll in herbalism and draconic at the school.

As he leaves however Paquito arranges to not have any classes with Maermon and leaves happily on his way.

Benat brings the giants, who are much too large to enter the festival hall, elven ale in-between stories of her adventures. She ends up telling the short story of Books many times to the elven children, before calling it a night and telling the giants they'll have to sleep outside.

"First you bring Gronar diarrhea in a bottle, now you say I have to sleep under all the trees? Gronar think you plan this." Gronar complains

Morning comes and Benat inquires as to whether anyone in town might be interested in purchasing a ship. She is told the ship they came in on has been confiscated, returned to it's component parts, and returned to nature.

"What did you do with all the humans?" Benat asks

"They are of no concern to us. I do not care what happened to them." Helion replies, "Perhaps they're foraging for nuts?" 

Benat finds the elf's views refreshing and drops the subject, she returns to the festival hall and learns that the village is having problems with some kobolds near the north side of the village. The elves believe the kobolds have them outnumbered but of course the kobolds couldn't hit the base of a tree if they ran at it. Benat also learns of a druidic conclave the village has just recently opened diplomatic ties with. The conclave is overseen by an ogre shaman and so talks are going slow, but as of now there appears to be no hostility.

Gronar watches as Korg sits along the shore staring back to the north.

"What Korg see?" Gronar asks

"Korg not see temple of Umtala." Korg replies his voice breaking

Gronar puts his arm around his friend, completely forgetting to tell him that the Godblade has grown dull and black.


----------



## pogre

> she returns to the festival hall and learns that the village is having problems with some kobolds near the north side of the village.




Ah yes, a few kobolds - what could be simpler...


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Paquito found a nice quiet spot to stretch out on the ground, he takes out the books he garnered from the elven mages, and begins to skim the chapters looking for something interesting. His mind began to daydream about how pretty the school would look on fire, and how puny the giants would be once he fulfilled his physical destiny. He shuddered and broke himself off of the waking dream. Paquito often found his dreams became twisted whenever he allowed himself to relax. His knew he was different, his father never failed to point that fact out. Never content to play 'gore the human' or 'chicken' with his siblings, his fathered had always commented that Paquito was not sired by him.

Once after Paquito had taken the test of maturity, Paquito had a vision of a huge minotaur it's horns dripped blood. It's hair coarse and black, but the eyes, Paquito would never forget the eyes that looked on Paquito with approval. It snorted a brown noxious cloud of filth at Paquito, and told him one day, when he was ready, his real father would show him the maze of all beginning. Paquito left that day, and has never stopped searching for his real lineage. 

Benat and Maermon go to sell the magical plate armor they gained back in Addon, after agreeing to sell for 3,000gp the elves leave to find the giants and Paquito to divvy up the gold. Maermon takes the giant's shares and Benat takes Paquito's and they split up. Benat finds Paquito beneath a wide oak tree with an open book in his lap and his attention on a particular vine tracing it's way up the oak's bark. 

Upon noticing the elf's approach, Paquito quickly hides the book and turns his attention to Benat.

"Reading anything good?" Benat asks

"It is good to understand one's surroundings. No?" Paquito answers

"Yes, very wise. Anyway here is your take of the plate armor." Benat holds out a leather purse for Paquito.

"No" Paquito replies shaking his head and putting his hand up, "I was not present when you obtained it, it would not be right for me to partake of the spoils. No?" 

"Very well, more for me." Benat answers and walks off singing an elven song of victory.

Paquito watched the female elf traipse off and a wry smile formed on his bovine lips, almost a sneer. "Wealth is only measured by the want of others, that makes me far wealthier than you'll ever be fey." Paquito whispers to himself.

"You sell pile of metal junk for that much?" Gronar asks Maermon, who nods affirmatively. "Gronar think there more junk in one of these pouches." Gronar says as he searches through his numerous sacks and pouches. 

"Here, you sell this. It metal junk too." Gronar says handing the useless Godblade to Maermon.

"What the heck is this? It looks like you pulled this out of the back end of a vampire. I wouldn't touch it, let alone try to sell it." Maermon responds.

Gronar's brow furls and he decides to put it back it the sack he pulled it out of. 

"What elves want to do now? Gronar ready to kill something!" Gronar shouts

"I think Benat was going to ply the tavern one last night, I'm going to try and get this ring identified." Maermon answers

"Ughhh, fine Gronar wait one last night, then start killing elfs out of boredom." Gronar replied

Maermon learns that the bone ring, that the group procured from the dead body of an assassin, allows for the maker of the ring to remote sense through the wearer's eyes. Benat takes her cloak to the elven temple, they tell her that the cloth is of an ancient drow make, and is well over ten generations old (elven generations being 250 years), and that it is a cloak of resistance +3.  That night Benat returns to the tavern and once again is begged to tell her short dwarven story, this time however a young elf approaches her after the story and asks for all kinds of specifics on the dwarf's anatomy, beard length, attitude, combat prowess. The two elves discuss the dwarf in length through most of the night. Benat learns the elf's name is Nameroc and he is a druid, she inquires as to the nature of the kobold problem the town is having. 

"They're a nuisance to be sure, however the real problem is that the forest moves." Nameroc tells Benat

"What? I know it's late and all but I think you must be drinking something other than water." Benat replies.

"It's true, the trees are never in the same place they were from the day before, we think most of our scouting parties get lost and then get picked off one by one." Nameroc explains

"Hmm, I've got a couple of dumb giants in tow. These trees, am I correct in assuming they're pretty big?" Benat asks. "Perhaps you should explain this to them." Benat hoped that after hearing about this problem, the giants will want to remain here for a while longer instead of moving on to more civilized lands. 

"I'd love to." Nameroc agrees. "By the way, you're not.... you know.... bonded are you?" 

"I've been on a ship for thirteen out of seventeen weeks do you think I've had any time to meet any elves?" Benat replies

"Well, I only assumed you were since you traveled with the other clan brother, I believe Maermon is his name?" Nameroc asks

"Bah, I think he's been around humans too long, Helion gave him directions to the elven magic school and the guy squirmed trying to figure out which tree was an oak, it was pathetic to watch." Benat answers

The two make their way to the antsy giants, and explain what Nameroc knows of the kobolds. 

"Heh, kobolds easy to kill, Gronar agree to squish them." Gronar announces

"Moving trees eh? Mayhaps you elves aren't really that survival savvy after all. No?" Paquito interjects "I think I should like to see these magical pillars of moving wood. I agree to let the giants squish the kobolds. No?" 

"I too agree to let the giants squish the kobolds" Maermon chimes in

"What about you Nameroc, you up for the challenge?" Benat asks

"I go where ever your lovely form graces the ground where I was raised." Nameroc replies

"Wait, Korg not like this adding elf. That make two elfs in group and that more than giants." Korg protests, holding up four fingers as Benat rolls her eyes at Nameroc.

"No, it's good Korg, more ammunition for Gronar if we run out of rocks." Gronar says

"You so smart Gronar, ok Korg agree." Korg answers

"Sir Nameroc, surely you have heard of the great beastmaster Paquito. No?" Paquito inquires 

"Why no, I have not. Please tell me of your exploits." Nameroc pleaded

"Ignore him, he's full of bull." Benat says

"Maybe Nameroc you know of a minotaur enclave nearby?" Paquito asks

"Why?" Benat interrupts

"Because the great Paquito is not yet full of bull. That is why he needs to find some minotrices. No?" Paquito responds

"You're disgusting!" Benat protests

"Or maybe your tribe would like some sheep sheared. No?" Paquito asks Nameroc

"Maybe, I can check." Nameroc responds

"No no no no! Come along, we're leaving now!" Benat announces

"Psst, hey pokey if you shave sheep, Korg need new boots." Korg nudges Paquito and gives him a thumbs up.

"Sure, whatever the giant wants. No?" Paquito smiles


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> "Because the great Paquito is not yet full of bull. That is why he needs to find some minotrices. No?" Paquito responds
> 
> "You're disgusting!" Benat protests
> 
> "Or maybe your tribe would like some sheep sheared. No?" Paquito asks Nameroc
> 
> "Maybe, I can check." Nameroc responds
> 
> "No no no no! Come along, we're leaving now!" Benat announces
> 
> "Psst, hey pokey if you shave sheep, Korg need new boots." Korg nudges Paquito and gives him a thumbs up.
> 
> "Sure, whatever the giant wants. No?" Paquito smiles




You gotta love these guys.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

The party heads out, getting about four miles north of Mirwood and stepping into a waiting ambush.

Four kobolds fire from partial cover behind trees 90' in front of the party, while two worgs charge the rear of the party. Maermon's backside has a chunk removed by a worg, while Paquito deftly dodges the snapping jaws of the other worg. The kobolds manage to pepper everyone in their respective line of sights, while Maermon's worg drags his body down and chews out a gaping wound in his shoulder. Korg moves to the first kobold's position and squishes it into the tree, he then begins wiping off his sword of kobold goo before hiding as best he can behind the tree. 

"Korg, what are you doing?" Benat asks

"Korg not want to get stuck with little sticks, hide behind tree so little doggie men can't see me." Korg replies

"But, your gut hangs out beyond the tree's girth, you're going to get hit regardless." Benat protests to the giant.

"Fine, Korg move to other side of tree so elfy can't see him." Korg responds and moves around the tree and out of cover. A kobold arrow easily finds it's place in Korg's abdomen

"Aahh, tree not help Korg!" Korg exclaims as he removes the arrow and proceeds to chop the tree into toothpicks.

Gronar manages to divide a worg, while Paquito sends a magic missile into the worg behind him, Paquito then takes a step back to allow someone else to fill the gap. Benat fed up with trying to shoot at the kobolds, casts entangle and snares two kobolds. Nameroc moves to Maermon and helps tend to his wounds, while Gronar takes down the other worg. 

"Korg! focus, watch Gronar play marbles with little doggie men." Korg says as he advances to the edge of the entangle spell and takes out a four foot rock from a pouch on his waist. He then whips it into the tree of a non-entangled kobold. The rock grazes the kobold, but causes it to lose it's balance and fall to it's death.

Korg moves up and nails a kobold that had escaped the entangle and was climbing down the tree to escape. "Haha, Korg get one too. This fun game!" 

Benat ends the entangle spell, and both Korg and Gronar charge the tree in an attempt to squish the last kobold. Benat couldn't tell who ended up killing it as she was disgusted at the way the giants turned the tree the kobold was in, into a branchless wooden pillar. 

The party loots the bodies, and Benat manages to save enough of the worg's pelts to make a pouch and a cape once she returns to Mirwood. 

The party travels another 2.5 miles to the north and Paquito and Korg both spot a pit trap being covered up out of the corner of their eyes. The party goes to investigate and gets ambushed by four worgs and a kobold this time. 

The worgs take down Maermon and the kobold*,swinging a war mace, takes down Korg in one swing. Gronar attempts to bull rush the little critter, but the kobold is more than up to the challenge even being 9' smaller than the giant. Dismayed, Gronar steps back and pokes the kobold with his spear, causing a sucking wound to the kobold's chest. The rest of the party deals with the worgs and Nameroc moves in to heal Korg. 

The kobold now fearful of it's life, throws down darkness, covering the entire battlefield, and takes off running to the north. Benat races outside the edge of the field, but is unable to locate the fleeing kobold. Nameroc has no difficultly in locating Maermon's bleeding body, and after apply his healing skill, begins force feeding him goodberries.

"You did try kicking him in the crotch? No?" Paquito shouts to Nameroc through the darkness.

"Why would I do that?" Nameroc shouts back

"Someone told me that is the way to wake up a sleeping elf. No?" Paquito replies

"Status check. How's everyone doing?" Benat shouts out as the darkness lifts

"Korg have big owee, need lots of rest." Korg answers and gets the same reply from Maermon

"Are you carrying a slab of meat in your backpack or something? Those things were all over you." Benat asks Maermon

"Once again the Paquito Flacido shines through like a beacon of stalwartness through the din of battle! No?" Paquito proudly announces

"Nameroc, do you know of any safe places we could camp for the night?" Benat asks

"Sure but we have to backtrack about 3.5 miles southeast." Nameroc answers

"Let's get moving." Benat replies

Nameroc leads them to a secluded cave big enough for the giants to squeeze into and still allow room for everyone else. The night passes uneventfully, with Nameroc making odd yipping noises all night long causing the group to sleep restlessly until around 3 am when Korg whips a rock into the back of Nameroc's head knocking him unconscious.  Drawing a gasp from the other elves in the party.
"What? Korg thought doggie men were back." Korg explains as he closes his eyes to return to sleep.

The party heads back to the site of the first ambush and Benat begins tracking the kobolds steps, she tracks for a mile before the trail is interrupted by a presence of a good sized oak tree. 

"I think we're in the moving woods part." Benat announces to which Nameroc nods in agreement

"Gronar think elf not know how to track." Gronar replies 

"No there's a tree in the way." Benat says as she walks around the tree and picks up the trail again. "Odd it's like this tree just grew overnight." 

Benat leads the party another mile where another tree has appeared in the tracks, this time however she finds a deliberate attempt to cover the tracks behind this tree.

"Well, I've lost the trail. Something has covered the tracks after this tree." Benat states

"You did look on the other side this time? No?" Paquito asks

"Maybe my wolf could track?" Nameroc chimes in

"You have a wolf? You've had it this whole time?! And you never said anything the whole time I was tracking!!" Benat says getting increasingly agitated

"Is it a female wolf?" Paquito asks, and gets the back of Benat's hand as a reply.

Nameroc calls for his animal companion and the wolf picks up the scent of the person who covered the tracks, but stops at the base of the tree and indicates the scent stops there. Looking up the party finds no indication there was anyone or anything in the tree. Nameroc then asks the wolf to follow the scent back to it's source. The party follows the wolf for about a mile to the east before the wolf indicates it's reached it's destination, which appears to be a bare patch of ground. Benat confirms that there are tracks similar in size to a kobold's but shaped different (a kobold's being clawed, while these definitely were from a toed foot).

The party decides to head north as that's where the nasty hitting kobold ran off to. They travel for about four hours before coming upon a hill rising out of the forest floor, with a knob of dirt on the top of the hill. Benat and Maermon move up darting behind trees and pausing to listen for any sounds as they make their way up to the base of the hill. Nameroc makes a note that his wolf appears calm even thought there appears to be no sounds of any wildlife in the immediate area. Benat makes her way to the base of the knob and hears a rushing river behind the hill. Peering over the back edge of the hill, she sees a forty foot drop into a swiftly moving river. 

Gronar moves up and climbs to the top of the knob, and surveys the surrounding area, while proclaiming himself "King of the Mountain". Meanwhile the elves scour the base of the knob and Benat discovers a hidden door. The party regroups at the base of the knob, and Maermon opens the door. Two crossbow bolts come whizzing out from somewhere behind the door. Peering in the group sees a 30' long passage that's only 5' wide, it travels at a 60 degree decline and ends in a room from which two kobolds are firing at the party behind an overturned table.

Gronar throws a rock into the table, while Maermon does a controlled tumble down the passageway, getting 15' in the floor falls away into a pit, but Maermon manages to collect himself and activate the titan blood within him, levitating near the top of the passage. Unable to hit the kobolds now, Benat casts spiritual weapon and ends the kobold threat. 

"Thank goodness I was here, you would've been mincemeat again, Maermon." Benat announces

"Hey, Gronar kill table." Gronar interjects

"What? The table wasn't trying to kill us." Benat replies

"Its not moving now." Gronar says proudly

"It wasn't moving before." Benat answers

"Fine job my pituitary engorged fellow, you can never be too sure about tables, sometimes they get up and charge you. I for one could've easily been killed, or at least severely splintered. I appreciate your preemptive tactical awareness, it saved my life. No?" Paquito tells Gronar

"Argh! Get over yourself, you're not even funny anymore." Benat decrees

"Gronar think pokey OK for short man with cow head." The giant replies putting a hand on the minotaur's shoulder.

Maermon pushes himself down the passageway and gets hit by two arrows from kobolds who have entered the room beyond the trapped hallway. Maermon pushes himself down the pit and out of harms way as Benat fires arrows into the attackers and Gronar throws another rock ending the threat.

Korg and Gronar chop down a tree so that the party can get across the pit, as the giants ask the party to scout ahead to see if it gets any wider below before they enter the mound.

_* this kobold created with the dreadnaught template from "The Book of Templates-Deluxe Edition" (Silverthorne Games) _


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

The party, minus the giants, works their way further into the kobold burrow. Benat leads and comes to a four-way, to the south is a pile of refuse, to the north a dark passage, and to the east is a door with kobold voices apparently arguing clearly heard from Benat's vantage point. 

Maermon moves up o search the refuse pile in the south passage.

"Disgusting, smells like feces and rotting feces piled upon rotten feces. Can someone give me a hand with this?" Maermon asks

"I do not wish to get my hands dirty, cleanliness is next to godliness. No?" Paquito responds

"If my wolf won't go near it, then I see no reason why I should." Nameroc answers

"I'm scouting and I'm up wind, so no, I'm not going to assist you in your toilet fetish." Benat replies, leaving Maermon knee deep in kobold waste.

Benat moves around to the east passage and looks back to the northern passage, she sees that something is rooting around in the trash near the end of that passage. She waves Paquito and Nameroc forward and shows them where to watch the northern passage at. Benat then casts _comprehend languages_ and goes to the eastern door to listen in on the kobolds.

"It's mine, I found it first, give it back" 

"Too bad I've got it now."

"No, give to me!" 

Benat returns to the group, "It appears the kobolds are arguing over something." 

"Well I could've told you that." Nameroc answers "I speak kobold." He says proudly with a smile.

"Then why did I waste a spell to understand them, if you already could?!" Benat says agitated

"You never asked me if I knew what they were saying." Nameroc replies as Maermon rejoins the group

"Ugh! you smell worse than the minotaur. You go first, open that door down there." Benat tells him "And you," Benat points out Nameroc "For further reference, if you understand what someone is saying let the group know ok?!" 

"Sure thing your beautifulness." Nameroc says with a bow

Maermon goes up to the door, and opens it. A group of kobold children are fighting over a dirty and abused doll, they appear to be oblivious to the infiltrating party. Benat notches an arrow, and kills the nearest kobold, causing panic within the room. Maermon rushes into the room and slices down the kobold closest to the only other exit. The kobold children all rush past Maermon, trying to escape down the tunnel. Maermon cuts one of them down as they race past him. Nameroc sends his animal after the throat of another one, ending it's retreat. Benat shoots through another one, as Maermon runs ahead of the fleeing kobolds and cuts down to furthest one, then another one as it runs past him leaving just one left. Nameroc takes aim and ends it's life as well. 

"You elves are brave and tactically sound when you are fighting children. No?" Paquito says sarcastically

"What are you talking for? You didn't even help." Nameroc says

Paquito walks over to the body of a kobold and pointing out it's two halves that Maermon cleaved. "My help was definitely needed. No?"

Benat hushes the men and orders them down the east tunnel to another 4-way with a door to the east. Benat looks over the recent tracks in the room and determines that most of them travel from the south to the door to the east and then back south again. She leads the group south, they hear sounds of a kitchen (banging pots, boiling water, a crackling fire). The party inches up to where they can see the handful of kobold women and then open fire. Nameroc's wolf leaps at the cook and gets a pot of boiling acid dumped on it for it's troubles. The party cuts down all the female kobolds in short order, and notes the only exit to the south. 

Heading down the southern tunnel, the party encounters another door. Listening, Benat hears loud snoring, to which Maermon just kicks it in, emboldened by the ease with which the party is mowing down the kobolds without the aid of the giants. The party finds a chamber that has a naturally occurring optical illusion, making the room appear smaller than it actually is, and offering good hiding spots if someone wanted to ambush in this room. Benat locates the source of the snoring, as a huddled mass on the floor near the center of the room laying next to a small campfire. Benat notches an arrow and lets it fly into the sleeping body. 

"Ow! Tat hurt, you pay for tat!" came a gravely kobold voice.

Maermon took aim and buried another arrow into the kobold, followed by another arrow from Benat which sends the kobold, who had yet to stand, into the afterlife. 

"Now, it appears you can handle the juveniles, the women, and the infirm. I applaud your valiant efforts. No?" Paquito announces sarcastically

Benat points out that if they hadn't killed every kobold they've come across, then there would've been an ambush waiting for them in this room. Paquito waves off Benat's explanation and walks around the circumference of the room. The elves go to investigate the body, while Paquito finds a hastily dug area near the north wall. Digging, he uncovers an iron pot with some copper and an amulet in it. Paquito quickly places the amulet in a pouch.

"Hey, guys! I found something of interest. No?" Paquito shouts "Appears to be an iron pot with some copper." 

"Well grab it all, I'll add it to the copper we've already found." Maermon replies. 

Benat notices that the ceiling in this room appears to be twenty feet high, also that the exit tunnel to the south is also just as high. 

"You guys wait here, I'm going back to get the giants." Benat tells the men

90 minuets later, the giants have wiggled their way into the room. 

"Gronar likes this much better. But sad that pointy ears not leave any kobold squishing for Gronar." Gronar complains

"I wonder why this chamber is so much bigger than the rest of the complex, it makes no sense. I am confounded. No?" Paquito asks aloud to no one in particular

"Who cares, they're kobolds, not titans." Benat replies

The party heads south and come to another door, opening this one, the party is confronted by seven kobolds, one of which is the kobold that put a hurting on Korg yesterday. A lizardman and a brown bear round out the room which is also twenty feet high. 

Benat lets an arrow fly, killing the kobold nearest the door. However the kobold* in the back of the room sends a large _mudball_ into Gronar who is in the doorway, the force of the mud causes Gronar's head to whip back, blinding him as he tries to wipe the mud out of his eyes. Benat then casts sound burst on the back of the room, but fails to stun anyone. Maermon and Korg enter the room, and both cut down two of three remaining koblods up front. The mighty kobold charges Korg and slams his war mace into the hill giant. Nameroc send his wolf into the room to try and chomp down on kobold meat, then he enters the room moving off to the upper right corner. 

The kobold shaman shakes his staff at the party and encourages bravery in his clan. Paquito enters the room and fires a bolt at the shaman, it flies true but about halfway it turns and flies back at Paquito, landing into his neck and nearly dropping the minotaur. 

"The shaman is using some kind of odd magic, I can't tell if it's arcane or divine." Benat announces

Gronar clears his eyes, and enters the room. He spies the mighty kobold, and slices him down to putty. Upon seeing this, the lizardman retreats through a secret door on the south wall, the grizzly moves up and chomps down on Nameroc, it then wrenches his body and tosses it aside like a used rag.

Paquito fleas back down the tunnel they entered from. "Help I am losing blood, I will die from blood loss. No?" 

Korg skewers the two remaining warrior kobolds in the room, as the kobold shaman points his staff at Korg, sending a violet beam of energy at the giant. Korg's hair begins to fall out, as pustules form and erupt all over his body. Benat fires an arrow into the hide of the bear. Gronar turns and charges the kobold shaman, expending a hero point to strike a killing blow on the shaman. Entrails are splattered all across the room, as the staff falls to the floor and the beam turns off. 

Maermon charges the bear, and just as quickly is knocked unconscious by the massive paws of the grizzly. Nameroc's wolf also attacks and is flung away from the bear, landing motionless next to Maermon. 

"Paquito, get your cowardly butt out here and fight dammit!" Benat shouts 

Paquito sticks his head out of the tunnel, pointing at the bleeding wound on his neck.

"I'll heal you once this creature is down, get out here an help!" Benat shouts back

Paquito shoots off two _magic missiles_ at the bear, then gives Benat a thumbs up and a smile.

Korg heals himself as best he can, as Gronar charges the back of the grizzly, but swings wildly and misses his mark. The bear turns on Gronar but only lands a paw swipe on Gronar's left leg. Korg then moves in behind the bear to give himself and Gronar flanking positions, and Korg cuts the bear deep. Another arrow from Benat, and two more _magic missiles_ from Paquito has the bear reeling, Gronar takes a step back and puts all his might behind his next blow which ends the grizzly threat.

_* this kobold is a magister from Arcana Unearthed_


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> A group of kobold children are fighting over a dirty and abused doll...




Well, this certainly seems familiar.   

What levels are these guys anyway? When you start mentioning giants and feindish minotaurs I automatically start pegging character level at 10 minimum. But they're fighting kobolds (granted, some of them are pretty suped-up template-wise), and with Racial Levels they could be much lower than I'm imagining them to be.

And what's the story with the Godblade?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Well, this certainly seems familiar.
> 
> What levels are these guys anyway? When you start mentioning giants and feindish minotaurs I automatically start pegging character level at 10 minimum. But they're fighting kobolds (granted, some of them are pretty suped-up template-wise), and with Racial Levels they could be much lower than I'm imagining them to be.
> 
> And what's the story with the Godblade?




Yep, I specifically picked the kobold burrow in _The Hamlet of Thumble_ because of the space restrictions, I intentionally kept the giants back until the end fight. 

There are 2 6th levels (Benat and Gronar if I'm not mistaken) 3 5th levels (Maermon, Korg, and Paquito) and Nameroc is 4th. The kobolds would seem a lot nastier if I actually rolled a hit!   

The only templates are the bloodlines, so Maermon and Paquito, while 5th level are actually behind the group powerwise as they give up class levels to their bloodline (Maermon took his bloodline levels at 2nd and 3rd level, Paquito has taken 1 at 2nd level and still has 1 more to go). The party has been selective in their missions, and when they do run across spellcasters, they target them first as the WILL save on Gronar is only +2 and they don't want him charmed or held. 

The Godblade was a gift from Korg's temple to try and kill a vampire that manifested within his church (and which ultimately caused the destruction of the city they just left). It could "crit" undead but with the apparent demise of the temple, it's powers have disappeared. 

The party has little money and only 2 magic items (Benat's cloak, and a sword Korg has that he bought from his temple that damages him everytime he uses it). The battle the players just crawled away from this past Monday, showed that even the giants aren't invincible when facing something that can look them in the eye.   

I plan on writting up a little campaign background in a few days which will help explain somethings as well. Hopefully this has been as entertaining for people to read, as it has been watching the characters play out their parts.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Yep, I specifically picked the kobold burrow in _The Hamlet of Thumble_ because of the space restrictions, I intentionally kept the giants back until the end fight.




I thought that might be it. I certainly had a tough time imagining a hill giant being of any use in a kobold burrow when the group first went in.



> kobolds would seem a lot nastier if I actually rolled a hit!




Ah... the capricious whims of the dice. Don't ya just hate it!



> The only templates are the bloodlines, so Maermon and Paquito, while 5th level are actually behind the group powerwise as they give up class levels to their bloodline




You forgot Gronar, I think. You said previously that he had a stone giant bloodline.



> I plan on writting up a little campaign background in a few days which will help explain somethings as well. Hopefully this has been as entertaining for people to read, as it has been watching the characters play out their parts.




I've enjoyed it so far. I'm sure I'll enjoy it more once I read the background.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

The clerics bring everyone back to consciousness, then Benat casts _detect magic_. She finds an object radiating as magical in the wall next to where Gronar happens to be standing. Searching the wall she finds a hidden panel and opens it to reveal a crude metal safe, grasping the handle Benat's hand is pierced by a sharp needle. Benat waits a few seconds for a poison that never kicks in. She then opens the safe to find coins and an arcane scroll, she then turns towards the chest on the floor near where the lizardman stood. Alas it does not radiate as holding anything magical.

Benat scours the chest and is confident that it does not hold any traps, she opens the lid to find it full of gold, along with a note she cannot read. She hands it to Maermon and Nameroc who also cannot discern it's meaning. Paquito asks to see the note, Nameroc hands it over expecting the minotaur to say that he too cannot read it. However Paquito seems to study it intently almost mouthing some words.

"You can read that?" Maermon asks

Paquito stops studying the document and gives Maermon a puzzled look.

"Well can you or can't you?'" Benat questions

Paquito opens his mouth but stammers over the words and seems to be shaken by the question. 

"What it say pokey?" Korg asks moving next to the minotaur.

Paquito sighs deeply then proceeds to read the letter: 

Your payment of 8 slaves has been accepted; please leave the elves in the old fort on the eastern overlooking hoof lake. Grievous has agreed to join us; he plans to send one of his shamans to your tribe by next moon. He told me to tell you it will be of the scaly variety. Please accept our payment enclosed within the chest as agreed upon. 



The burial grounds have yielded a number of interesting finds; we believe that there may yet be enough riches to buy us the victory we seek. We have also infiltrated the elvish community our shifters have begun to funnel the slaves to you as of this writing. I’m sure you will find these more than adequate. 



Ss’Sthain was dispatched a ten day ago; let me know if he is up to your expectations. I meet with the elven elders in a fortnight; all is in place from our end. Tauranous please have your men ready three days prior, we need to know where they intend to strike from, so as to not get in the way of the entangle spells. Victory is certain!



We have a problem here, last night a party of elves, giants, and one of your men Tauranous, attacked us. The forestkith managed to cover my tracks, but I believe they will most certainly return. I may have to abandon this place if they get too close, I will meet you at the predetermined time either way. Tauranous if this turns out to be some kind of double-cross, my blade will find a new home between your shoulders! 


The letter is written in a giant dialect most closely resembling Paquito's own language. Paquito notes that the 2nd and 4th entries are penned by the same hand, and relays that info to the party as well.

"Mularky! You're making that up, no way some lowly, dirty, goblinoid creature can imitate an elf good enough to live amongst them!" Benat shouts argumentatively

"If you doubt my sincerity, then perhaps you would like to have story time with the group? No?" Paquito responds, his eyes getting blacker as his heart pumps faster with the adrenalin rush the question of his honesty has brought. 

"I told you I can't read it, at least not today." Benat replies, snatching the paper from Paquito's hand. "But you can be sure I'll triple read this first thing in the morning." 

"Wait, Korg wants to hear part about other giants." Korg says

"It was talking about us." Benat replies

"But you not giant, Korg and Gronar giants. Paquito say giant party, Korg wants to hear about party." Korg says smiling

"Gronar want to talk to cow man about part where he attacked." Gronar says

"What are you referring to my large friend. Perhaps you would like me to reread it to you? No?" Paquito says

"No, Gronar want cow man to tell about why he know people in letter." Gronar says

"No, tell Korg about party!" Korg shouts

"It says one of his men, not Paquito. Surely you remember my brave actions during the fight with that kobold yesterday. No?" Paquito says pointing to the mighty kobold's body in the center of the room. 

"Don't worry I'll read it in the morning and we'll get it straight." Benat says trying to get the party moving again

"Gronar not so sure elf can be trusted either." The giant remarks

"Aw, Korg want to hear about giant party." Korg says dismissively

The party moves to the secret door, and opens it to find a long corridor that leads outside. 

"Elfy you track upright lizard." Gronar tells Benat

"I'll track him once we get out of this place, it's starting to get a little claustrophobic in here." Benat replies

Gronar sighs and steps forward right into a glue trap, which holds the giant in place as a low buzzing sound erupts from the far end of the corridor. Gronar is soon swarmed by stirges. Stuck in place Gronar elects to fight off the overgrown mosquitoes instead of freeing himself.

Benat and Maermon move into the corridor and start firing at the stirges, Benat takes one down with each arrow, while Maermon's shots just seem to graze the stirges. 

"Are you trying to fire warning shots or what?" Benat snaps at the lack of prowess with a bow that Maermon is showing.

"Watch out, Korg throw rock." Korg announces from within the room

"Wait, you're not even looking at what you're throwing at. Are you going to throw blind?" Nameroc (who is in the room with Korg) shouts.

"Korg not blind, Korg see elfy just fine. Korg aim high." Korg says with a knowing smile

"Won't that hit Gronar?" Nameroc says trying to dissuade the giant

"Gronar! Duck!" Korg yells

"No, big mosquitoes, not ducks. Although Gronar would not mind duck for dinner." Comes the response from the besieged giant.

Gronar and Benat manage to kill all but one stirge before they attach and drain blood, but Gronar manages to squish that one while it was pre-occupied. 

"Gronar say elfy track, but noooo elfy not want to track." Gronar says pulling himself free from the glue.

"How are we going to get past this trap?" Maermon asks

"Gronar have idea." Gronar says as he asks Korg to gather all of the dead kobolds, and he stacks them onto the glue. The party then walks across the backs of the defeated.

"Great idea Gronar." Benat says commending the giant inflating his already huge ego.

The party emerges from the cave opening to find themselves at the bottom of a 75' cliff Nameroc informs them that are about 7 miles further east from the entrance to the burrow. The party decides to head for the spacious cave Nameroc found for them yesterday. 

As the party trudges through the forest at dusk, an arrow whizzes out from the trees and strikes Nameroc laying the elf low. A half dozen goblins melt from the trees and attack with shortbows, Korg and Gronar charge at one apiece as another arrow finds it's way into Maermon's back and he is felled. Nameroc's wolf charges the nearest one to him and begins to gnaw into a leg. 

"Fire off some more of those _magic missiles_!" Benat shouts to Paquito

"Surely you jest, I am but a poor dirt farmer from the west. No?" Paquito responds as an arrow lands into his chest piercing a lung and dropping the minotaur

Outnumber and out maneuvered Gronar cleaves through two goblins and watches as the dead goblins transform into trees before his eyes. The goblins turn Korg's back into a pincushion but it is not enough to bring the giant down.  

Korg and Benat handle 3 others before Gronar finishes off the last one, all of them turn into trees once they have been slain. 

"I think we've discovered the secret of the moving forest." Benat announces

"Gronar discover reason elfs don't rule the world." The giant says prodding the bleeding bodies of Nameroc and Maermon. "Skin is like down pillow, easy to tear."

Korg applies bandages to halt the bleeding on their fallen comrades, and the giants carry the unconscious bodies back to the cave where the night passes uneventfully.


----------



## hwoolsey

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> You forgot Gronar, I think. You said previously that he had a stone giant bloodline.




Ahh, but you see, Gronar is special.   

All kidding aside, Robert gave out earnable "perks" during character creation. I got a choice of perks that included one free level adjustment for use toward a bloodline. So I took a minor Stone Giant and it costs me nothing.

Hank


----------



## spacehulkster

My good friend, I was wondering how Gronar got soo smart.  You are right, no?  And soooo strong.  It is obvious that Paquito too, would be stronger if he had showed up for character creation, no?  Although he is already smarter than both giants put together, no?     It is interesting to watch giants follow elf maiden around, no?


----------



## pogre

spacehulkster said:
			
		

> My good friend, I was wondering how Gronar got soo smart.  You are right, no?  And soooo strong.  It is obvious that Paquito too, would be stronger if he had showed up for character creation, no?  Although he is already smarter than both giants put together, no?     It is interesting to watch giants follow elf maiden around, no?




I do hope someone is slapping spacehulkster around at the table  



			
				hwoolsey said:
			
		

> Ahh, but you see, Gronar is special.




Odd, that's exactly the term we would use for him around school too.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Rain falls all evening as the party licks their wounds in the cave. Morning comes and the rain has yet to let up, it makes everything damp and a cool chill runs through the cave. Benat goes to the cave's mouth and looking out through the rain, she thinks she spots movement in the trees surrounding the cave. Nameroc sends his wolf up alongside of Benat and it smells something foul and not animal.

"Rolf smells something disgusting, I think we're about to get guests." Nameroc alerts the group

"No, that stench is just the minotaur, have Paquito sit downwind of you, and you should be alright." Benat tells Nameroc


Benat decides to be proactive and casts _detect evil_, getting 1 moderate aura and 5 faint auras. She alerts the rest of the party that they have visitors. Gronar moves up behind Benat and Paquito moves closer to the wall of the cave giving him complete cover from whatever might come up to the cave's mouth.

"You of course are aware of the strong pheromone capability of a minotaur. No?" Paquito announces "Perhaps it is a female come-a-calling? No?" 

"You smell like ass to me, I highly doubt anything would find that captivating." Benat answers

*sniff* *sniff* Korg smells his fingers, "Pokey not smell like that, Pokey smell like.." Korg's comment is interrupted by a large snap outside of the cave. The party gets quiet awaiting their guests.

Soon an owlbear and a troll emerge from behind the trees. The troll throws a rock at Benat but it sails into the roof of the cave, dislodging some small pebbles onto Benat's head. Gronar Decides to show up the troll, and launches his own rock sailing it into the head of the troll.

"Hah! That how you throw rock!" Gronar gloats

Benat fires an arrow into the flank of the beast. "And that is how you fire an arrow!" 

"Gronar not impressed with little pointy stick, here try rock." Gronar tells Benat while digging out a rock from his pouch.

Benat waves off the offer of the large stone. Nameroc moves up to get line of sight on the troll, and casts _flaming sphere_ at the troll. The troll however seems unimpressed by the ball of fire and makes no attempt at dodging it. The party then spots a lizardman as it appears from around a tree, it casts a spell and Nameroc listens intently.

"It sounded like _create water_." Nameroc tells his companions

"Really? let the great Paquito know if it gets any wetter outside. I might need a drink soon. No?" Paquito tells Nameroc who realizes too late that he guessed the wrong spell.

The troll lobs another rock into the cave, this time hitting Maermon on the shoulder. Benat and Maermon fire arrows into the trolls hide, as Gronar stands his ground. Nameroc's wolf who had been sitting patiently at the rear of the cave, lets out a yelp as a large spider sinks it's teeth into the wolf's back.

"Spider!" Paquito yells, and runs behind Korg and takes cover from the arachnid.

"Where'd that come from?" Nameroc inquires

Nameroc moves the _flaming sphere_ onto the lizardman who also doesn't seem to react to the burning globe. Nameroc then backs up towards his wolf. Korg and Gronar tag team on the spider, but it stands it's ground. With the giants away from the cave's entrance, the owlbear charges Maermon but misses the elf. The troll follows, standing behind the owlbear and wielding a longspear, it pokes at Maermon and jabs the tip into the elf's thigh. 

"Aee, I am surrounded. Time for Paquito to save the day. No?" Paquito comments, and sends two _magic missiles_ into the owlbear.

The spider leaps at Korg, but is halved by Gronar in midair before it could reach Korg. Benat takes a step back and fires an arrow into the owlbear's chest. The lizardman shaman upon feeling the destruction of his animal companion, casts spider swarm next to Maermon. Gronar moves up and dumps a pint of oil onto the spiders. Maermon faced with enemies on three sides and no retreat options, goes into full defense. The owlbear is unable to penetrate Maermon's defenses, however the troll gets in a jab from it's spear causing a nasty bleeding wound to Maermon's shoulder. 

Paquito sends two more _magic missiles_ into the owlbear, While Nameroc tends to his weak wolf. 

Korg moves in behind Maermon. "Move out of way elfy, Korg kill bear with feathers." Korg then casts _soundburst_, destroying the spider swarm. 

The lizardman shaman now enraged at the party, grasps a charm around his neck and throws it to the ground, an instant later the spider swarm is brought back to unlife. Korg dumps another pint of oil onto the dead spiders, and Maermon grabs his flint and retreats away from the owlbear. The owlbear misses as Maermon moves, and the elf lights the spiders on fire, sending the stench of burning rotten carcasses through the cave.

"Blech, who's responsible for that? It seems like burning hair that's been marinating in feces. No?" Paquito proclaims

"Still smells better than you." Benat retorts

"Your words they hurt me. No? I have not done anything to you, that would precipitate such a response. Yet. No?" Paquito replies

Gronar moves up and slices the owlbear's left arm off at the shoulder, sending the brute down to the cave's floor. The lizardman feels the weight of defeat approaching, and calls for the troll to back up. The party also gives ground as they retreat deeper inside the cave. The lizardman invokes a spell, and touches the mouth of the cave. The party watches in horror as the opening closes up and darkness prevails within the cave as the _stone shape_ spell finishes it's work.

"Korg think we need to find place to rest." Korg announces

"What's wrong with resting now?" Nameroc responds

"Oh no, Korg not staying here. Elf like to pick bad places for Korg to fight in." Korg replies

Benat and Maermon move up and try to find a weak spot in the stone wall now enclosing the cave's entrance. 

"We think the quickest way is going to be digging up at about a 45 degree angle and getting out that way." Benat tells the party

"Ok, pokey come here." Gronar calls out

"I am called into action. No?" Paquito replies

"Gronar watch farmers back home, Gronar think Pokey's head make good tiller." Gronar says while flicking the minotaur's horns with his finger, to test the strength of them.

"What! My horns are sexy, they are not to be used to get you out of your claustrophobic nightmare. Maybe you should use your head, after all it is hollow. No?" Paquito replies backing away from the giant.

"Hold still Pokey, Gronar grab both legs at knees, then twist. Gronar dig through rock in no time!" Gronar says smiling

"No, don't nub up his horns, I've got dibs on them once he kicks off to hell." Benat tells Gronar

"We go on another boat? Korg not like lots of water, can we walk to hell?" Korg asks the elf

"The elves are already there." Maermon answers under his breath


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Something new, yet strangely familiar*

It takes Gronar 6 hours to dig a hole wide enough for the giants to squeeze through. The party wastes no time and returns to Mirwood. Benat goes to see her primarch at the elven temple, with the letter implying enemy infiltration.

"My lord, I have an urgent issue that needs your attention." Benat states

"Certainly my child what is troubling you?" The primarch replies

Benat shows him the letter.

"Where did you get this?" The primarch asks

Benat relates yesterday's underground adventure. "Have you noticed anyone acting strangely lately?" Benat asks

"No, I have not. I will need to consult with my priests on this matter. I thank you for bringing it to my attention, return tomorrow and I shall have news for you." The primarch replies

Benat feels as though the primarch is not being forthcoming with some kind of information, however further prodding on her part does not garner anymore insight into what that might be. 

Maermon goes to the elven mage school and announces his readiness to begin spellcasting. The school gives him copies of whatever cantrips he would like, and Maermon selects his 1st level spells. He then is ushered into the summoning room where two other elven mages help Maermon summon his familiar, a mongoose. Maermon exits the school, and notices Paquito standing at the base of the tree.

"What brings you out here?" Maermon asks

"I have come to see what wondrous beast you have garnered for your arcane destiny. You do have it with you. No?" Paquito inquires

"Yes, yes I do." Maermon says proudly, retrieving the mongoose from an inside pouch from his cloak.

"A weasel? I could not have picked a better representation of your eclectic racial profession than that with which the gods have graced your pocket with. No?" Paquito covertly slanders Maermon. "So what was the summoning like? Did they blind-fold you and make you drink the blood of innocents? You paid attention. No?" 

Maermon relays most of the summoning rite with Paquito, then begs off his company as he wishes to show Benat and Nameroc his triumphant beginning to the load road of spellcasting. 

"Yes. Please go show the hill giants to their next meal, I am sure they are hungry. No?" Paquito says as Maermon leaves bewildered as to what Paquito is referring to.

Paquito walks out about half a mile from the mage school, waiting and , making sure no one has followed him. He tries to recreate, as best to his memory, the summoning ritual and after saying the final incantations he opens his eyes. He sees nothing amiss, no animal in his lap, no bird on his shoulder.

"Perhaps I have performed the ceremony erroneously? No?" Paquito says to himself

"Master, I am here." A voice rings in the minotaur's head

Paquito looks around again but still sees no signs of fauna.

"Master you are sitting on me." The voices chimes in Paquito's head

Paquito jumps up and looks down upon a small rock resting flush with the ground cover Paquito was sitting on. Paquito squints expecting something invisible to be present. The small stone changes it's shape into a vaguely humanoid shape, two arms, two legs, and a small head resting on top like that of a minotaur's head. 

"You have summoned me, I have come to serve you." The elemental bows

"Wha... The great Paquito has summoned a pet rock? No?" The minotaur says in disbelief

"I am not a pet, nor am I a rock. I simply am that with which you find yourself closest to. Your blood does not run pure, yet you choose to hide it from others. Perhaps together we can bring the whole of you out into the open." The elemental responds

"The great Paquito cannot simply show up with a rock and proclaim he has found the hidden sorcery within himself. No?" Paquito replies

"Oh but as I have said, I am much more than a simple geological formation. Observe." The elemental tells Paquito.

Suddenly Paquito's point of view changes from his eyes to that of the elemental's. Paquito is staring back at himself through the "eyes" of the elemental.

"Wow." Paquito watches himself say.

"That is not all." The elemental tells him. Paquito watches through the elemental's sight as the small earth spirit dives into the ground beneath Paquito's feet.

Paquito watches as dirt, worms, insects, and small pebbles all seem to float by as if Paquito was swimming through the ground. Then Paquito's vision goes black and Paquito feels the rubbing of the ground on his arms, face, and legs as the elemental travels. Then the smell of dirt replaces the sensations of it, finally the sound of shifting dirt fills Paquito's ears as the elemental returns to the surface and Paquito regains control over his own senses. 

"Amazing, you can travel through any kind of earth. No?" Paquito asks

"That is correct." comes the reply

Paquito excitedly picks up his familiar, which rolls itself into a tight ball, making it appear that Paquito in fact is carrying a large rock with him. Seeing Gronar, Nameroc, and Benat, Paquito waves them down and hurries to their location.

"Gronar already have enough rocks to throw. But Gronar like that pokey was thinking about him." Gronar says

"My cerebrum deficient fellow, this is not a throwing rock. It is my good luck charm, it is a fine looking stone. No?" Paquito replies

"Looks like you passed a kidney stone. Why would you want to carry that around with you?" Benat asks

"I can see through it's eyes, smell what is around it, even feel what is against it's surface. It is like your wolf. No?" Paquito says to Nameroc

"Really? So what does the colon of a minotaur look and feel like?" Benat asks amid a chorus of laughter

Benat walks off still laughing. As Gronar announces he's off to find Korg.

"I can't see through my wolf's eyes. Does your pet rock have eyes?" Nameroc asks trying to maintain a straight face.

"I can see you are unimpressed. Perhaps when your village is ablaze with the damned souls of your brothers, you will see the folly of your ways." Paquito tells him and goes off to study up on his herbalism, leaving Nameroc confused and alone.

Benat makes her way to the elders tree, and asks for an audience with the elder. She only waits a few moments before being ushered in. Benat relates the story of the letter and of showing it to the primarch. She also relates her uneasy senses that the primarch wasn't telling her the whole truth.

"That is because he knew not of this meeting." The elder replies a little perturbed at the finding out the primarch now has this information.

"Oh. Yes. Ahem. Uh when was this meeting to have occurred?" Benat asks 

"Tomorrow." The elder replies "I think I shall send out my scouts this day to ambush the ambushers. Eluthrial, see to it this elf is properly rewarded for this information." The elder says as Benat is lead out of the elder's chambers and back down the tree. 

"Ah, a Belasarda* disciple I sense in you. Return in two days hence and your reward shall be ready." Eluthrial tells Benat and scampers away, transforming into a squirrel.

Gronar finds Korg coming out of the blacksmiths having just agreed to a price for a large chain shirt made to his specifications. The party meets back up and agree to wait the night and then see what the elder may want from them in the morning. 


_* Belasarda is the deity Benat follows_


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*A death in the familiy*

Morning comes, and Benat heads back to the temple to see if the primarch has found anything. She learns that the primarch is not there, he left in the middle of the night to see the elder. Benat asks the bishop if he thinks the primarch is acting in a strange manner, or anyone else in the temple. He tells her no, and Benat leaves to head to the Elder's. Once there she hears a shouting match between the elder and the primarch. The guards greet Benat who asks to see the elder, they stick their head in and advise the elder that the elf with the letter has returned. The primarch leaves in a huff as Benat is led into the elder's chamber.

"What was that all about?" Benat asks

"Nothing to concern yourself with maiden." The elder replies

"Have you any need of our services in protecting the village or killing the ambushers?" Benat asks

"I sent twelve of my finest to scout out the site and take out anyone they could. Through sendings we were kept updated. Turns out they were ready for us, ten of our elven brothers have begun their final journey. The enemy had two treants, the ogre shaman, and a lot of spell power that we simply could not overcome. The last two elves are currently leading their pursuers away form the village, while we prepare for the ogre's next move." The elder explains

"Sounds like something a dirty human would do, turn nature onto it's very protectors." Benat spits

"There was no confirmation on any of the other races." The elder replies

"Would you like us to retrieve our fallen brothers, or hunt down and kill the ambushers who are harassing the two brave elves still fighting?" Benat asks with hatred in her voice

"I believe we have a good plan for dealing with things on that end. I do however have something you could do for us." The elder states

"Anything, anything to end their foul existence!" Benat shakes

"This part in the letter about the old fort. We believe we know where that is, if you would like to take your team there and see what is going on, we would be grateful." The elder tells Benat

"Done. We'll leave within the hour." Benat replies, bows, and exits the elder's chamber.

Benat races back to the party and breathlessly tells then all that the elder said. Paquito gets a knot in his gut, he realizes that he may have to face down the first minotaur he's seen in ten years.

"Hey, Paquito. Snap out of it. Are you coming or not?" Benat demands

"Paquito will most assuredly assist you in finding more children and elderly that you can skewer. No?" Paquito replies

"If the death of the weak is going to bother you so much, maybe you should become a priest?" Benat snaps back

"Who says I am not already a priest? I have much knowledge on the anatomy of various races, do you think one could acquire such a vast catalog of information simply by listening to you? I think not. No?" Paquito retorts

"Korg head hurt from all the talking, Korg say elfy leads us to thingys Korg can smite!" Korg roars

"Smite?" Nameroc says

"Korg learn new word today, Korg smite words. Then Korg smite praying." Korg replies

The party heads out and after 8 hours over rough terrain, they reach the edge of the tree line facing a large hilly area. The trees have been cut down in a 500' radius around the central hill, on top of which rests the crumbling remains of a stone structure.

"Found the fort." Benat points out to the giants

"Missed the griffon." Maermon points out to Benat, as the large creature takes to fight from a neighboring hill, closing to within 100' feet within seconds.

"Wolf riders!" Nameroc points out as the kobold cavalry crests the central hill and begins to descend it, while blowing horns as an alert to whomever was hiding in the fort.

Paquito calls forth his familiar, and gives it instructions to find out what lies within the fort. The small elemental leaps from Paquito's hands and melts into the ground, speeding along as fast as it can towards the central hill.

"Wow, Pokey is priest. Pokey priest of Umtala?" Korg says with a huge smile "Pokey show Korg how to do that with rocks." The hill giant finishes by digging out a couple of rocks from his belt pouch.

"Perhaps if you pray harder like the great vizier Paquito, you too can accomplish great feats of geology. No?" Paquito responds.

Benat fires an arrow into the griffon, while Gronar throws a rock into it almost knocking it from the sky. Nameroc steps up and casts entangle on the wolf riders, stopping them in their tracks. The griffon circles behind the group, just above the tree tops. Benat and Gronar both hit with their missile fire, and Maermon moves out and begins to pepper the kobold cavalry with missile fire. Paquito draws forth the power to cast a new spell he has learned, and sends a ray of enfeeblement into the griffon. The beast dips a bit in the sky, but manages to save itself from crashing into the trees. 

Two bugbears appear on top of a partially collapsed outer wall of the fort and stare down the party with their clubs raised high. A human female appears on a hill in front of, and to the left of the fort's hill. Dressed in a flowing lavender robe, she takes something from a pouch around her waist. 

"Spellcaster!" Benat points out

"OK Korg, time to do new trick." Gronar says

"Korg smite trick!" Korg replies

Korg moves up and mouths the words to a spell, then touches the back of Gronar and instantly the giant doubles in size, his weapon lengthens.

"Charge!" Gronar runs headlong towards the human, pulling up just to the left of the hill but easily within his new reach.

The human, unfazed by Gronar's charge, throws what she got from her pouch into the air. A handful of ashes and cinder coalesce in front of the human, and a rolling ball of flame erupts into existence and speeds towards the rest of the party, crashing into the tree line and enveloping all but Nameroc in it's flames. Paquito, Benat, and Nameroc's wolf are blasted to the ground and badly burned. Maermon is singed but is still on his feet. Korg shakes off the blast and quickly assess the situation, determining that Paquito's labored breathing will spell death extremely soon. 

The human stands laughing at the heroes she's downed, then laughs at the huge form of Gronar as she readies a new spell.

"Human not think Gronar funny after Gronar chews off her head!" The giant's voice reverberates off the surrounding trees and hills.

Gronar tightens his grip on his greatsword, and slams the blade through the human, half of her is sprayed over the hill she stands on, the other half is driven ten feet into the hill as Gronar cleaves through the top layer of the mound of earth.

Korg saves Paquito's life, and Nameroc moves up to save Benat's with a healing check. Korg then casts cure wounds over Benat and Paquito, and leaves Nameroc to tend to his own wolf. Gronar charges the bugbear's location but swings wildly and misses, although the sight of the huge hill giant causes the bugbear to lose control of it's bodily functions.

Korg races up to where the human was splattered, and casts detect magic on her. She lights up like a Christmas tree, but Korg has trouble keeping track of all the auras, and asks for some assistance.

"I shall assist you in the collection of booty. No?" Paquito says and takes off running.

"No! Dammit, Nameroc hurry up with the healing! I don't want the thief getting anymore of our spoils." Benat yells at Nameroc

Gronar swings again but misses again as the bugbears retreat down a open staircase near the back of the fort. Paquito makes it to Korg.

"How can I be of assistance my large friend? You need the great and awe inspiring Paquito to carry your treasure? No?" Paquito asks

"No, you count thingys Korg pulls from gooey mess of puny human." Korg says as he hands Paquito a blood dripping set of boots, along with a ring with the finger still in it.

Gronar and Maermon then pummel the kobold cavalry with their respective ranged weapons.

"Korg hurry up! We go after ugly hairy guys." Gronar yells, referring to the bugbears, " and turn Gronar back to regular size, so Gronar can fit in hole."

Gronar waits for the rest of the party except for Paquito who remains on the split hill.

"Pokey! You coming?" Gronar yells

"Who cares. You got all the magic off her right?" Benat asks Korg, who nods in agreement. "Well then, down we go."

Paquito stands above the body not of a human but of a minotrice, or female minotaur. After Gronar shattered her body, it made it difficult to tell exactly what had been standing there, but after watching the remaining skin and bones revert to their unaltered state; Paquito knew exactly what he was looking at. Paquito ran his hands through the blood matted hair of the minotrice, his senses recalled a happier time with his mother. A tears well up in his eyes, a decade of isolation from his own race has brought him to a place where his allies will wipe out the whole clan. Paquito knew Benat would not stop until the entire tribe was wiped out, Paquito wondered just how much participation the elf was going to want out of him.  He sat down next to where Korg had discarded the females legs, and concentrated on seeing through his familiar's eyes.

Paquito watched as the party went down 50' of steps and came to a "T" they took the left passage and it worked it's way around in a snaking pattern. As the party turned a corner, Benat announced that she had detected a secret door, searching the floor she indicated that the bugbears had continued on past the secret door. Gronar motioned for the party to clear back, and he pushed in the wall. The form of a large Minotaur emerged from the other side of the wall, and lashed out at Gronar. It swung a huge greataxe that cut deep into Gronar's chest, sending the hill giant down to one knee. Paquito had seen enough, and returned his sight to his own body, and raced towards the stairs.

Maermon watched as Gronar fell to one knee, not waiting to see how bad the giant was hurt, the elf leapt over the hunched giant, and forced his blade deep into the minotaur's chest. The minotaur bellowed in pain, and struck back at Maermon, slicing with it's greataxe, the minotaur nearly decapitated the elf. As Maermon's body spun around from the blow, the minotaur sliced again, this time severing the spine of the elf and lifting the elf into the air. Then to add further insult, the minotaur lowered it's head and gored the rest of Maermon's life from him.

Benat and Korg helped Gronar to his feet and both sent healing spells into his wracked body, Gronar moved to the side of the secret door which opened Korg up to a charge from the minotaur. The beast sent both of it's horns deep into Korg's gut, blood gushed from the fist sized holes in Korg's belly. The minotaur dislodged himself and gasped in pain as Gronar's blade sunk deep into it's back. Korg fought off the urge to collapse, reached out with his left hand, and grabbed the minotaur by the throat.

"If Korg die today, You coming with." And Korg plunges his greatsword into the abdomen of the minotaur. 

Paquito rounds the corner and watches as the minotaur slides off of Korg's blade and sinks to the floor lifeless. 

"Korg smite big Pokey!" Korg shouts at the returning Paquito


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

"What do you make of this Valriand?" Celeior the elven elder asked, handing his Minister of City Defenses, the letter brought in earlier by Benat. 

"Either is true and we have spies among us, or someone wants us to believe that it's true. I do not believe it to be a joke." Valriand replies 

"Hmm, yes, and what do you think of this group of freelancers?" Celeior asks "Very odd for elves to be associated with giants don't you think?" 

"I agree, although they have behaved themselves thus far, it's the minotaur I am most worried about. He shows up and three days later we receive this news of a minotaur clan close to us. Seems a little too convenient." Valriand replies 

"What are your recommendations?" the elder asks 

"Well, you excellency, the advance scouts should be arriving at the meeting spot within the hour, the initial report is that the forest seems apprehensive. We suspect to find something, and we expect it to be dealt with. A plan of this magnitude would show a level of organization that is just not present in ogres or goblins. If there is an ambush force, then I will be most concerned with finding the driving force behind it, for it certainly is not the ogre." Valriand replies 

"I agree, hopefully we will find it to be some minor distraction." Celeior 
responds looking out at the party and watching Benat and Paquito get into an argument. The elder's eyes then fall upon Maermon, "This one, the tall elf. He is more than fey, his appearance is more chiseled than any elf I've ever seen." 

"The mages are almost certain it's giant's blood, which may help to explain the presence of the giants themselves." Valriand replies 

"They planned on looking into that abandoned human fort northwest of us, perhaps we should see what they bring back?" Celeior inquires 

"I would feel a lot safer knowing their intentions before it gets over their head. I don't want them thrown in the water only to find out they knew how to swim all along." Valriand replies 

"Then Elreth has agreed?" The elder asks 

"No, and neither did Silaior. The job rests with Finrod, but I believe any of them would have made a fine choice." Valriand answers 

"Finrod? I thought he had given up on returning to the wandering ways?" Says the elder 

"It was not an easy choice, but I do think his added heritage will fit in nicely with the group." Valriand replies 

"That may come back to bite us, you're giving an outcast the chance to be with people he would most fit in with." Celeior comments 

"Finrod will be an outcast either way, he has the manners of the giants and the grace of an elf. I should say that he will grate on both races." The minister responds "He will be ready by their return, if such a thing occurs." 

"Don't you find it odd that Master Luinphayl has taken on the minotaur as his pupil? Especially in light of the revelation that the minotaurs are in league with the ogre?" Celeior asks

"I am also told that he has forsaken all other students, excepting the minotaur of course. I do think that is a most unwise decision during this time." Valriand answers

"I do too, please pay our esteemed sage a visit and state our concerns. I'm sure Luinphayl will adjust as needed." Celeior says with a smile as Valriand bows and exits.

The following day the party returns with the body of Maermon and the head of the minotaur they killed. Benat takes the minotaur head to the temple and asks that they converse with it's spirit to see if it is named Tauranous. Nameroc takes Maermon's body to the temple to inquire as to the cost of a resurrection. 

The priests perform an augury and relate to Nameroc that the spirit of Maermon has joined with that of the world. He is now free to fulfill his destiny. Saddened at the loss of life yet pleased that Maermon's soul is now one with nature, Nameroc tells the party that, while the priests could perform the ceremony, Maermon has elected to move on. Benat learns that the minotaur's name was Boventius, not Tauranous. 

Valriand comes and takes possession of Mearmon's corpse. He tells the party that his elven made gifts will be returned from whence they came, but his foreign possessions the party may have. 

"His chain shirt, longsword and bow along with most of his arrows, shall be returned to the world, for it is with the world's blessing that these gifts were received." Valriand explains 

"What about his sword?" Benat asks 

"You may take that, it is not of elven make. As are all of his coins, they too are not of elven make. Take them if you wish." Valriand states 

Benat divvies up the coins, and accepts possession of Maermon's greatsword, and the party turns to take their leave of Valriand. 

"There is one other piece of business I would like to discuss." Valriand says, as he motions for a middle-aged elf dressed in armor made from leaves to step forward.

*********************************************************************************

"Master this note has arrived from Valriand, it was addressed as urgent." 

"Thank you. You may return to your studies child." Luinphayl takes the letter from the student and walks back behind his desk.

The elderly elf steadies himself with a weathered staff as he slowly lowers himself down into his chair made from an old cherry tree. Luinphayl studies the wax seal for any irregularities as a habit of precaution, satisfied that it is authentic, the elf breaks the seal and folds open the letter. 

Luinphayl studies the note intently, a look of astonishment appears on his face. Setting the letter down on his desk, Luinphayl leans back in his chair, the creaking of the wood startles some hummingbirds who were feeding on nectarine blossoms on the far corner of the sage's desk. Luinphayl stared blankly as the hummingbirds returned to the small fruit tree, lost in thought Luinphayl contemplated the difficult decision that would come next. 

The minotaur was definitely talented in arcane arts, but had yet to master herbalism failing miserably both times he had taken the test. Luinphayl wondered if he had been wrong about the minotaur, he had seen talented elven sorcerers throw away their careers because they could not grasp this concept or that concept, some even failed because they simply would not practice. The arrogance of the elven race showing through as those students simply wanted the power but not the control. 

The elven sage sat back upright in his chair, the creaking disturbing the hummingbirds once again. Luinphayl retrieved a parchment from a drawer and placed it on his desk. He took the letter form Valriand and crumpled it up in his hands, and fed it to a special pitcher plant that fed on plant material, ensuring a natural cycle of things. Luinphayl stretched and flexed his tired fingers, then begin to pen a letter of his own. As he did so, Luinphayl became wrapped up in the emotions of his letter. His hands took on a grayish tint and his fingernails became more like claws than nails, his once green eyes glossed over a dull red. 

He caught himself, and smiled with a dagger filled maw. With nary a thought he reversed the transformation and replaced Luinphayl's features. 

*knock* *knock* 

"Enter." Luinphayl announced

"Sir, today's dues." a lithe young elven male presented Luinphayl a satchel filled with the dues of students who had paid them that day.

"Yes, very well." Luinphayl said as the messenger took his leave. "Oh, one more thing if you would be so kind." 

"Of course Master Luinphayl." 

"Please have this letter delivered to Paquito when he arrives back in the town." Luinphayl hands over the letter and the elf bows and exits.

Luinphayl walked over to a window that faced back towards the town, he pondered whether he would let Celeior see his true form before Luinphayl cut the elder's life from him, or whether he would wait until the elder's last breath was leaving and then reveal the grayish alien features of the doppelganger to him then. Decisions to make and preparations to complete, Luinphayl grabbed his walking staff and headed out to give Valriand his reply personally.


----------



## Look_a_Unicorn

Great storyhour- do the players talk in the manner that you have ascribed to their characters? That would be a very fun group to play with.


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## Hairy Minotaur

Look_a_Unicorn said:
			
		

> Great storyhour- do the players talk in the manner that you have ascribed to their characters? That would be a very fun group to play with.




Paquito, Korg, and Gronar pretty much speak like this during the game. Paquito's conversation is a tweak on how the player plays his character, the "No?" at the end of each statement I added and it has been picked up by the player now. Korg and Gronar's players pretty much spoke like this for them the whole time, they have fun with it and it reflects in the story. 

Benat is about 50/50, her player is usually much more diplomatic in game than how she comes across in the story.

Nameroc and Maermon (now Finrod) pretty much stay quiet during the games so their conversations have had to be ad libbed. 

As far as campaign background, Paquito and I are going to flesh out where he's been for the past 10 years or so. So, I think I'll write the campaign background into the histories of the PCs and do 1 at a time.


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## pogre

HM,

I'm a little behind on updates and you have been a busy man! I am slowly catching up and it looks like everyone is having a blast. Keep up the great work!


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## Hairy Minotaur

*Paquito's background*

Paquito learned at an early age just how different he was from others of his own race. Born into slavery, Paquito heard all the stories about the minotaur's fall from power. He heard about the great migration spurred by the promise of wealth and power from the titans, many minotaurs tribes crossed the great sea to be in service to the titans. The minotaurs were given the task of policing the lesser races of humans, orcs, ogres, and giants. For hundreds of years the minotaurs faithfully upheld their end of the bargain, and they were paid handsomely for it. 

Then the minotaurs awoke one morning finding the titans had abandoned them, no information, no warning. Unable to unlock the titan's own fortress and possessing no spellcasters themselves, Battalaxe the only bullord on the continent decided that the minotaurs would go on like there was nothing wrong. The slaves just required direction nothing more, and if the minotaurs kept up the charade of daily life, then the minotaurs could easily slide into the place of the titans until they came back. This charade went on for a few years, no race the wiser of the deception. 

Then the elves and halflings returned from their hiding place, the minotaurs having had centuries of never having to fight against magic were ill prepared for the arcane onslaught the fey races brought against the minotaurs. This in turn incited the slave races to rebel as well. Soon the minotaurs were out numbered and facing extinction. Battalaxe turned on his own race and surrendered his company, and in exchange for his and his company's life, Battalaxe divulged the location of every minotaur safe place. 

But, while Battalaxe may have secured a future for a select minotaurs, it was a brutal future, for the minotaurs became the slaves of those they had themselves enslaved. It has been thus for four generations of minotaur, the once brave Battalaxe revered as a great leader, brings about a look of disgust and a spit on the ground whenever a minotaur hears his name. 

The tales of mazes, and bullords never ceased however, and the displaced minotaurs constantly strive to break their bonds and flee back to their ancestral homes. The freest a minotaur can become nowadays is to work the mines with the giants. Some minotaurs have had their freedom bought by stone giants who viewed the minotaur's woes far worse than their own. 

The new "master" races made sure that after Battalaxe's death that no other minotaur would rise to the level of bullord again. They split the tribes and kept them warring amongst themselves each tribe was allowed to have a leader whose voice would speak for that tribe in matters of social-economic issues. The tribes adopted a glorified ritual of manhood, these were traditionally won by the best trained, who were often the tribe chief's sons or close advisor's sons. To the losers went death, the tribes way of thinning the herd so to speak. An unexpected (yet delighted as far as the elves and humans were concerned) result from the lack of a bullord was there were no spellcasters reared from minotaur ranks. Apparently only a bullord could sire a maze mage*, and without them minotaur magic died off on the continent. 

Paquito however saw things a different way, he saw a race too arrogant to change, and too arrogant to accept any other way of fighting except for "charge in, hit what's still standing." Paquito was told early on by his "father" that he was not sired by him. Paquito's mother never spoke to Paquito about the accusations, she would always tell him "your father can't find his way out of his house when he's drunk, how do you expect him to remember any of his wives." and she would leave it at that. 

On his tenth birthday, Paquito entered the test of manhood for a minotaur. Placed in a maze unknown to him and the other six participants that month, the juvenile minotaurs were instructed to race to the center of the maze, retrieve the greataxe hanging there and strike down the other six until there was only one. The prospective adult's families watched from above as the small minotaurs raced through the winding corridors and neared the center. Paquito who was already a little on the light side as far as physical attributes went, lagged behind the rest of the field. When he reached the center he found five dead or critically wounded minotaurs and the sixth one waiting for Paquito with a greataxe in his hands and blood in his eyes. 

The other minotaur charged Paquito, who threw up his hands in protest. Paquito's heart raced and panic filled his head, his mother turned away unable to watch and his "father" cheered on the other child. Through the din of cheers, Paquito heard his mother crying and his "father" cheering for the wrong boy. Anger, hate, and spite roared up from a place Paquito didn't know he had. All that rage focused on the child charging Paquito and something flew from Paquito's hands and struck the charging opponent square in the face. The minotaur tripped and tumbled over himself, he landed near Paquito's feet and died there just as bewildered as Paquito. 

The assembled minotaurs roared in protest, cries of "cheat" were thrown down at Paquito. An investigation ensued, however no thrown weapon was found, just a hole blasted into the other child's skull. Then the interrogations started, Paquito was kept from his family for weeks as the tribal leaders tried to get Paquito to admit to something he knew nothing about. After three weeks of repeated assaults on Paquito's sanity, he decided enough was enough. He demanded to be set free, and his request was denied as the interrogating minotaur pushed Paquito back into his chair. Rage filled Paquito's heart, and he focused he hate on the interrogator. The torches in the room dimmed to a smolder, as Paquito's eyes burned as coal in hell. Smoke, the stench of brimstone leaked out of Paquito's nostrils.

The once steel facades of the interrogator wither to that of a helpless baby, Paquito again demanded that he be set free and this time the interrogator couldn't oblige quick enough. Now free, Paquito realized that he would soon face a manhunt, he fled back to his home, where his mother held and cried with him, as his "father" called out to the guards. His father tore Paquito from his mother's arms and then began beating her, she yelled at Paquito to run. Paquito tried to ignite the same hate and rage that had served him before, but this time only fear erupted from his pores, as the guards knocked on the door. Paquito took a last look back at his mother, then fled his home and raced to the docks. 

Paquito managed to bluff his way onto a ship by telling the crew he was a sound fisherman and arcane specialist. It wasn't until Paquito overheard two humans trying to figure out a map, Paquito walked over and read it to them. Unbeknownst to Paquito the map was written in magic which the human sailors could not read, Paquito did not know he had done anything spectacular and assumed it was his fabulous bluff that got him aboard the ship. For ten years Paquito sailed with the crew as they visited island after island, plundering the riches hidden on it, Paquito didn't care as long as they never returned "home". 

Years went by, and Paquito was mostly relegated to the lower deck. Only visiting the surface when his "friends" thought it safest. Not wanting to get their meal ticket and guide to fame and fortunes killed, they kept Paquito well guarded and well fed. No longer enjoying the physical routines that kept his race strong and hardy, Paquito's physical growth was stunted, his metal capacities however now far exceeded even the must cunning of his former tribe members. In his spare time, Paquito learned to control the arcane energies within himself, and he mastered the most basic forms of magic. 

Then one night while passing the city of Killdon, the ship was stuck in a thick fog and slammed into a reef.  The ship's hold was ripped open and the ship's treasures spilled forth unto the reef. Paquito watched as sailors jumped into the water, trying to retrieve as much gold as possible. Then he saw the dark shapes in the water, strange water creatures with hideous faces rose up out of the water and began to slaughter all who had jumped. Then the dragon came, what at first appeared to be a huge turtle turned out to be a dragon in disguise as it's draconic head lashed out of the water and battered the ship with it's head, tearing rigging and masts down with one bite. The ship finally broke in two from the constant assault of the dragon turtle, and Paquito was thrown into the water. 

He awoke then next morning laying face up on the beach of a large city, the sun blazing overhead, no other crew members in sight. He stood up and was met with a small contingent of armed spellswords, who cast hold person and brought him back to a gigantic structure in the center of town that reached taller than any building Paquito had ever seen. Paquito was led into a dark room, where his mind was probed by an unseen force. His memories were plucked one by one going back all through his childhood, back to a memory his had no knowledge of as the visage of a devilish minotaur stared back at whomever was looking through Paquito's mind. Paquito heard a bone chilling scream and all of his memories flooded back into him, along with those of the prober. Paquito "remembered" that he had a sorcerous arcane talent and that he was not a full blooded minotaur. Paquito "remembered" how to call forth the power within him and how to accept the new power that would be granted to him. 

Paquito was allowed to go free from the place, he wandered this new city, begging for food from children by telling outlandish tales of his own deeds. To hear Paquito tell it, the dragon turtle bowed to his greatness and gave Paquito a lift to shore. Paquito then found his way to the temple of Umtala where the priests determined that while the minotaur was not evil, he definitely was not all good either. While Paquito did nothing suspicious while at the temple, Erna the head priestess of Umtala could feel the ever present infernal presence of Paquito's blood. Paquito enjoyed the temple, free food and the giants treated him as an oddity, which was better than a slave. Then these two peculiar giants and their entourage  walked in.

_* maze mages, and bullords are from Behemoth3's "Maze of the Minotaur"  I recommend it! _


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## Tav_Behemoth

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> _* maze mages, and bullords are from Behemoth3's "Maze of the Minotaur"  I recommend it! _




Thanks for the props, HM -- it's been really cool seeing what mighty oaks have grown from these seeds, and I'm proud to recommend this story hour to everyone I know in return!


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## Hairy Minotaur

Valriand introduces Finrod to the party, under the auspices of adding firepower to the party.

"Wait, wait, hold on. Korg definitely not like every time weak elfy die, it gets replaced with another elfy. Elfy man in grass armor never hear of giants? Korg would take more Pokeys over elfs." Korg asks Valriand

"I assure you I am more than capable of holding my own, in whatever dangers you face." Finrod interjects

"You look old enough to be my father, are you sure you can even draw that thing grandpa?" Benat asks pointing to the bow on Finrod's back

"Hey Pokey, what you make of elf?" Gronar asks the minotaur

"Well, I can make a nice rug, a stew, shin splints, a mage hand, a wig, elf jerky, cloak of elvenkind, boots of the woodlands. The great tanner Paquito can make lots of things from elf. No?" Paquito replies

"Mmm, jerky. Korg order four pounds of elf jerky." Korg says

"Calm down, liar over there is making up more crud. He couldn't make a campfire with a torch, lamp oil, and tinder." Benat states

"Yes, well the outfitters have been ordered to grant you a little discount on any purchases you might make there. Please feel free to peruse their wares prior to your next grand adventure." Valriand says as he takes his leave of the party, as Benat, Nameroc, and Finrod all bow.

"Hey, they sell elf jerky?!" Korg shouts

"Want to see an elf jerk?" Paquito whispers to Korg, then walks up behind Benat and smacks her on the rear.

"Ah" Benat shouts as she leaps to her feet, draws her bow and turns towards Paquito, arrow tip inches from his bovine face. "Touch me again and your pathetic brain will have company." 

"Ha, ha, ha. Pokey wrong, elfy get jumpy." Korg laughs

Benat's anger slowly abates, "I swear more training in my woodland skills to find easier ways of killing you is looking more and more likely." 

"But, you would not take care of Chip for me. No?" Paquito asks

"What?" Benat answers

"Chip, my stone of awesome wonder and empowerment. Here hold it and feel the earth move, good vibrations. No?" Paquito replies

"You named your kidney stone Chip? Oh no, I refuse to call that thing bullchip." Benat states exasperated at the minotaur

Finrod holds his tongue silently cursing Valriand for giving him this babysitting job. Another couple of minutes of arguing and the party agrees to do a little shopping once the stores open in an hour. Paquito instead heads to the mage school and sees his tutor Luinphayl, Paquito is handed a spiked collar*.

"Paquito is not into this sort of thing master, I must decline the offer. No?" Paquito tells Luinphayl

"This collar will grant your natural attacks an additional poisoning effect, however you can not turn it's effects off without removing the collar. So please be careful." Luinphayl hands over the collar and informs Paquito that he has once again failed his herbalism test. 

"I have trouble understanding the concept of agriculture, perhaps herding is more my speed. No?" Paquito replies

"I think you'll find that herbalism will come in quite handy in your future, I suggest you try smarter. Trying harder is getting you nowhere." Luinphayl replies

Benat reports to the elder's tree, and receives a bow of radiance. It constantly sheds daylight in a 60' radius and all arrows fired from it shine for 10 minutes as if a light spell had been cast upon them. Nameroc stops by the elven temple and purchases every scroll and potion of cure light wounds the temple currently has available. The party then heads out for the not-so-abandoned fort. 

The party approaches the tree line again, coming to the edge of cover. They see the main hill has two bugbears on the highest point, while two minotaurs with partial cover stand behind a beaten and weathered stone wall halfway up the hill. A griffon flanks both sides of the main hill, they appear however to not have noticed the party yet. Two large bonfires rage in front of the main hill.

Benat shoots the griffon on the left, the arrow shining brightly in the afternoon sun. Nameroc then casts entangle on the hill, ensnaring both bugbears. Korg casts enlarge on Gronar again, and Gronar moves around the circumference of the tree line, getting within 100' of the left griffon's position. Nameroc sends his wolf out into the open, and the griffon's swoop in for the attack. one griffon lands a vicious bite to the wolf's hind quarters, the wolf retaliates by tripping the uninjured griffon. Benat fires another arrow into the same one she shot earlier. Nameroc casts _flaming sphere_ and sends it rolling towards the injured griffon. Finrod then pierces the griffon's side with an arrow from his own bow, then makes an arm pumping gesture to Benat, showing her that he in fact can draw his own bow.

Korg charges the prone griffon and cuts the beast in half. Gronar moves up to the hill the griffon just left, and takes cover from the bugbears and minotaurs on the main hill. His cover however offers him no protection from the large bonfire that charges the giant from left. The elemental burns Gronar's arms and gives his face a nasty singe. The last griffon tears into the wolf's body, slicing open it's stomach as the wolf's entrails spill out unto the ground. 

The minotaurs fire at Korg who is now out from cover, they fire almost branch sized arrows from a huge bow they each wield. The arrows hit home and cause Korg to retreat to the tree line. Paquito fires two _magic missiles_ into the griffin, as Benat and Finrod both hit with arrows. Nameroc forgoes saving his wolf companion, and goes to Korg and begins reading from a _cure light wounds_ scroll. Gronar backs away from the large pillar of flame and turns to run back to the party, the elemental manages to slap the back of Gronar's head with it's ignited fists. Gronar stumbles out into the open and is shot by a minotaur's arrow.

"Korg, Gronar need healing bad!" Gronar yells as he drops to one knee.

Nameroc then tells the group that his entangle spell has been cancelled, and that the bugbears are now free. Korg charges the last griffin and cuts a wing off, sending blood spurting all over the immediate area. Paquito moves over and fires a crossbow bolt at the griffin and ends it's suffering. The elemental then charges Korg, frying the hill giant's legs an abdomen. The smell of scalded flesh fills the area, as arrows from the bugbears whiz by Korg and land harmlessly behind him. Nameroc moves up and heals Korg again with a cure light wounds, Gronar moves up behind the elemental to flank it, and swings his blade at the creature which crackles in pain.

Paquito fires two _magic missiles_ into the fire being, while Finrod's arrows seem to burn up before ever reaching the elemental. Benat's arrows however, stick into the elemental for a moment before also erupting into flames. Gronar gets hit by another arrow, which drops the huge giant to both knees. Now in a compromising position, the elemental charges the downed Gronar, and burns his face badly. The giant teeters and collapses, landing on his side, back to the enemy archers. Finrod drops his bow and charges the creature, his blow dissipates the flames into nothingness just after the elf's hands are badly burned from the living fire. 

Benat activates her winged boots and fires at the highest bugbear, landing a good strike into the shoulder of the beast. Korg moves up to Gronar and crouches behind him, using the fallen giant as cover. Korg then casts cure moderate wounds on the giant. Gronar then begins to crawl away, and is shot by a bugbear for his trouble but, is not knocked out by it. Nameroc goes out and helps Korg heal Gronar, as the bugbear celebrates it's first hit of the engagement. It's celebration is cut short however as Benat sends an arrow into, through, and out of the bugbear's open mouth. The bugbear collapses in a heap, and the rest of the enemies flee back down the stairs below.

"What the heck have you guys ticked off out here? I've seen many things in my life, but death has not been one of them. I fear you will lead me there soon." Finrod complains

"Hey, if you want to go back and rock your grandchildren feel free. The elves, including you, were nowhere near death. That is why we have the giants." Benat says to Finrod, the last sentence in an almost whisper to the elf. 

The party regroups within the tree line and contemplates their next move. Paquito sends Chip out for another scouting mission, it reaches the stairs where Paquito then peers through the small elemental's eyes. Paquito becomes weak kneed and drops to the forest floor, his mouth goes slack.

"What?! What is it?" Benat asks

"She's so beautiful. Yes?" Paquito mutters totally lost in the moment.

Paquito's eyes see standing halfway down the stone stairs is an albino female minotaur, hairless except for long full raven black hair that cascades down her back. Blood red tattoos cover most of her visible skin, her white eyes peer up at the ceiling, her hands ready with a spell for an enemy that never comes. 

"Snap out of it! What do you see?" Benat shouts, slapping the minotaur

"There's a minotrice unlike I've ever seen, she seems lonely. I should go talk to her. Yes?" Paquito says

Paquito begins to rise, but Gronar pushes him back down, and runs out towards the hill. The giant grabs the bugbear's body, as Korg drags the griffins' bodies back inside the tree line. Paquito's sight returns as soon as he hits the ground, he quickly re-establishes sight with his familiar, but the minotrice is gone. Only an empty stairwell remains. The party decides to head back to town and restock on healing magic before assaulting the fort again. 


_* collar of venom from "Book of Vile Darkness"_


----------



## Look_a_Unicorn

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Nameroc and Maermon (now Finrod) pretty much stay quiet during the games so their conversations have had to be ad libbed.




I guess there's only so much crazy jabbering a party can have before it starts getting too far off track. I think it takes nearly as much effort to keep quiet and not tell that joke, letting the DM advance the story, as it does to speak up. With a lively group at least 

Kudos to the quiet ones!!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

The party returns to Mirwood, and gets in a good night's rest. Nameroc returns to the elven temple and buys up all their healing scrolls and one potion, while Finrod buys a potion as well, and tries to convince the elven temple that his services as weaponsmith would be greatly needed for the church and they should look into giving him a nice discount for his services. The church declines and Finrod leaves dejected with his one potion.

The party returns to the old fort, and finds it seemingly abandoned, Paquito sends chip to scout out the interior stairwell. Paquito reports that the left turn the party took earlier is no longer there, there is only a right turn now.

"Gronar think Pokey's bullchip lost, maybe not even in right tunnel." Gronar states

Paquito urges his familiar through the left wall and it emerges into a small empty room, "It appears they have moved the maze around. No?" Paquito ascertains

"So, you admit it is a maze? Doesn't that mean you won't get lost if we threw you down there?" Benat snipes

"The great Paquito would not get lost because his has the intellect of Erzor the Sage! He studied so long, he died while doing it, turned into a ghost and studied for an eon longer. Until some uppity cleric type destroyed him. That is why Paquito the Vizer will not get lost. No?" Paquito spouts

"Fine you go first." Benat says while pushing Paquito forward.

"Great, Paquito the explorer will lead. Follow the great Paquito. No?" Paquito responds

"How about we just follow the bull you're leaving behind you, it'll takes us right to you." Benat retorts

The party ascends the central hill, and comes to the stairs carved into the hill itself. Peering down Paquito dreams the minotrice is there with open arms waiting for him, the minotaur opens his arms in response and gets kicked down the stairs by Benat.

"Anything down there?" Benat yells

Paquito rights himself and brushes off the dust from the floor. He gets to his feet and begins to trek around the corner to the right ignoring the elf.

"If he never gets lost, shouldn't we catch up to him?" Finrod asks

The giants look at each other and push forward past the elves in a race to catch up with Paquito.

"Korg go with Pokey, Korg not want to stay here longer than needed to smash things, and praise Umtala." Korg says catching up to the minotaur

"Gronar go with Korg, and remind Korg to pray." Gronar says with a smile and a slap on the back of Korg

The elves soon follow.

The right turn is 180 degrees and the passage follows alongside of the entry hall, after 40' Benat's elf sense dings and he alerts the party to the presence of a secret door on the left wall just before the hallway turns to the left. Gronar slides the wall out of the way, and a long closet like room appears 10' wide but 40' long, a large sack sits on the floor near the south wall. 

"The great Paquito shall investigate. No?" Paquito says, having cast _detect magic_ while Gronar moved away so Benat could enter the room. Paquito saw that something was radiating magic from the sack. Paquito stood near the north end of the room for several seconds studying the sack.

"Well, are you waiting for, it to get up and walk to you?" Benat asked

"Sack is attacking? Clear way for Gronar!" The hill giant shouts, trying to push past Benat. 

"Korg will cast smite on sack." Korg says, offering his services in defending the party from the aggressive bag of cloth. 

Paquito gathers that whatever magical item is in the sack, it has a minor aura of necromancy. Paquito walks over and lifts the sack, Paquito notices the hole in the floor that the sack was covering, at the same time a gas erupts from the hole. It fills Paquito's immediate area instantly and Paquito feels his muscles tighten almost to the point of paralysis. 

"Trap! Benat yells and she quickly exits the room.

Paquito follows with a stiff zombie like walk, as the gas has robbed him of nearly all his dexterity. As soon as Paquito clears the exit, Gronar slams it shut again.

"Pokey OK? Korg asks, remarking about the minotaur's new gait.

"Why yes, this is a new exercise technique from the wayward islands. Pokey is now a stiffy. No?" Paquito replies

"I wish that trap had killed you, get me out of my misery and your bad jokes." Benat says

Gronar steps around the corner and gets pierced by two arrows, he sounds the alarm and the party goes into action.

Benat moves out and fires into one of the arrow slits at the end of the hallway, Gronar charges the holes and stabs at a minotaur behind the slits. Korg also charges the arrow slits and skewers a minotaur on the end of his spear. Nameroc moves up to asses the situation, but holds his action awaiting an opening. He sees it in the form of a large bull behind the party down the hallway they just traveled. 

"Rear attack!" Nameroc shouts, Finrod and Paquito both turn to face this new threat, as the secret door slides open and the form of a bugbear emerges next to Finrod. 

"Eiee, I am under assault. No?" Paquito attempts to cast _magic missile_ but his stiff arms and fingers make it next to impossible. Paquito manages to get off two missiles which strike unerroringly into the bugbear's legs. "Even severely weakend, the greatness of Paquito shines through. No?' 

Benat activates her winged boots and floats near the ceiling of the hallway, then flies down positioning herself between the bull and Finrod. Gronar moves back to the group but cannot get around the corner to hit anything yet. Korg moves back behind Gronar and heals him, but takes two arrows from the slits for his efforts. The bull charges Finrod and gores him into Paquito who is standing behind him. The bugbear then swings it's battle axe down onto Finrod's shoulder, bleeding and badly wounded, Finrod retreats to the corner of the hallway opposite Paquito. Nameroc takes this chance to send a _flaming sphere_ at the bull, but the animal deftly dodges the small ball of fire. 

"For a nature lover such as yourself, Paquito has noticed you have this unnatural fetish with fire. No?" Paquito comments to Nameroc


"Aren't you going to help?" Nameroc shouts to Paquito

"I am not done working out, it is a bad idea to not have a cool down period. No?" Paquito answers, his stiff legs trying to pivot around away from the bull and bugbear.

Pinned down in the corner of intersecting hallways, Korg charges the arrow slits again and sinks his spear deep into a minotaur behind the wall. The bull moves up to Finrod and takes a good sized bite on his right leg, this however opens up an opportunity for Gronar who slices the bull in two. Paquito manages to get off two _magic missiles_ at the bugbear, while Benat fires arrows into it. Korg keeps the minotaur archers occupied while Gronar finishes off the bugbear then charges back down the hallway where he hears the minotaurs retreating from their posts. The hill giant turns to face Korg, and sees another bull at the end of a new hallway around the corner where the minotaur archers were. He steadies himself and waits for the charge, it comes, but Gronar makes sure he does not miss. Gronar slashes the bull's innards over the adjacent walls.

Benat moves up to Gronar's position and along the way discovers another secret door, opening it she finds a small empty chamber beyond. It looks as though this was carved from the hill, as opposed to cut stone like the walls of the maze are. Benat enters to search the small room and a feeling of hopelessness thrusts itself into her heart, and she is a little less sure of herself now. The party regroups there and heals up as best they can before deciding what to do next.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

The party decides to exit the maze and head back to Mirwood to rest up, heal, and change some spell selections for the divine casters. Nameroc spends the day in prayer for another animal companion and ends up with a skunk which he declines to accept. 

Returning to the maze, the party finds that it has changed once again, this time only the left turn is available. Winding their way around the turns, Benat tells the party that she's located a secret door. Paquito sends Chip through the stone wall where the small elemental sees the albino minotrice waiting for the party in the empty room. Paquito recalls Chip, and the party readies themselves. Gronar forces open the secret door, revealing an empty room with an exit to the south.

Benat and Gronar race down the south passage, it takes a left turn, and then "T's". Benat looks out into the hallway and sees a minotaur positioned at both ends of the hallway in the corner. Benat casts _message_ and tells Gronar of this news. Nameroc enters the room and casts _summon nature's ally I_, and sends the wolf into the south passage after Gronar and Benat. Korg and Paquito also enter the room, Finrod remains outside the room as the secret door closes in front of him. The south passage also closes off separating Gronar, Benat, and the summoned wolf with the rest of the party. A secret door then opens in the room and the maze mage emerges. Korg spins towards the minotaur and slices into her, the minotaur responds by casting _charm person_ on the hill giant. 

"Korg sorry he hit Pokey's sister, Korg scared when wall opened." Korg says to his new friend

"Uh oh, I'm toast. No?" Paquito thinks to himself, "wait, I think I have just the thing." Paquito grabs his amulet and points it at the maze mage. 

"Feel the power of Paquito as your flesh burns away in hell!" Paquito shouts at the maze mage trying to intimidate her as well as fry her to a crisp. A roiling cone of hellfire bursts forth from the mouth of the dragon on the amulet. The maze mage cowers in fear as the flames overtake her, choking out her breath as the oxygen is burned away in her lungs.

Nameroc follows Paquito's impressive display with a fire spell of his own, sending a _flaming sphere_ at the albino minotaur. The maze mage manages to twist away from the small ball of flame. 

"More fire from the woodland's protector. No?" Paquito says to the elf


Gasping for breath, the maze mage looks at Korg, and points out Paquito "Protect me from that!" and then the maze mage disappears behind the secret door. 

Finrod examines the spot where the secret door was, but cannot locate the mechanism that will open it for him. The elf then begins to bang on the wall, shouting for someone on the other side to let him in. When that fails, he tries to use his weight to force the door open. 

Benat fire arrows into the minotaur on the right end of the "T". Both of them hit the minotaur hard, and it retreats back beyond the corner. The minotaur to the left then charges down the hallway, appearing mere feet away from Finrod. Finrod ceases his search for the secret door, and flees from the minotaur retracing the party's steps back around a corner. 

"Pokey, where sister go?" Korg asks

"She is of no relation to anyone in my family, maybe she is Benat's sister? No?" Paquito responds

"I am behind the door friend, have the elf open it. It appears stuck on my side." The maze mage responds to Korg

"Elfy! Open door for friend." Korg demands of Nameroc

"No way, I'm not going anywhere near that door. I'm going to make a new exit." Nameroc replies

"Elfy, won't open door." Korg tells the maze mage

"Then I cannot escape, please don't let me die in here." The maze mage replies attempting to sound sincere

Nameroc goes to the north wall and casts ^soften stone^, turning a 10' area into soft clay. "Here dig through this and we can escape." 

Paquito goes to the wall and begins to dig out the clay.

"Here Elfy, you open door for friend." Korg says as he grabs Nameroc by the head and pushes him against the secret door. "Korg help Pokey dig."

"Let go of me! I can't look for anything pressed up against a wall." Nameroc protests

"No! I can't allow you to escape me that easily!" The maze mage shouts as the secret door flies open, pushing Nameroc to the floor out of the way of the secret door. 

"Pokey's sister! You got door open." Korg says happy to see his new friend.

Korg watches in amazement as the maze mage contorts her fingers and gestures at Korg, sending a blinding blue beams from the palms of her hands. The beams join together and arc out at Korg, sending a shock of electricity and blistering heat into his chest, the bolt sears tissue as it zigzags it's way through the hill giant's body, then exits Korg's back and arcs into Paquito. The bolt short circuits Paquito's brain and he drops to the floor.

Benat activates her winged shoes and heads down the north passage. Just before she reaches the corner, she spots more arrow slots in the wall. She lays flat against the ceiling to avoid the archers, and fires into the minotaur that charged towards Finrod. Gronar follows her and attacks through an arrow slot, killing a minotaur with his spear. The other archer sends an arrow deep into the chest of Gronar, piercing the left lung. 

The remaining minotaur moves up to the first secret door, and gives a signal by stomping a hoof and snorting. The secret door is raised, and the minotaur enters the room with Korg, Paquito, Nameroc, and the maze mage. Finrod listens closely, for an attempt to follow the minotaur. Korg turns and with a wicked swing decapitates the newly entered minotaur, as Nameroc moves up and stops Paquito's descent into death.

Korg turns back to the maze mage, "Now! you're next!" 

"Just look at what you've done." The maze mage says to Korg, while holding up her right hand. Korg's vision is drawn towards the hand and then the world goes black for Korg.

"Ah! Korg is blind" Korg screams from the effects of the blindness spell as he wanders helplessly around the room

Gronar hears Korg's scream and turns to shove his spear into an archer behind the arrow slots, then turns and runs to the clay wall between the hallway and the room Korg is in. Benat lowers herself down and fires into the arrow slot, killing the second archer. She too advances to the clay wall where Gronar forces his way through the soft clay and into the room.

"Korg, Gronar need healing now!" Gronar coughs and wheezes, blood dripping from his lips. 

Benat flies into the room and fires at the maze mage but misses. Korg casts cure serious wounds, and feels out for Gronar, finally finding Gronar's head. With a hand on Gronar's ear and another in his mouth, Gronar is healed. The hill giant then turns his attentions to the maze mage, who casts phantasmal killer at the giant. A huge pus ridden giant, it's back slowly burning, it's eyes falling from their sockets and dripping onto the floor in front of Gronar, it's claws dance independently of the things fingers, it's hair twists and turns on a breeze only it can feel, emerges from the darkness and grabs the chest of Gronar who screams in terrified agony. 

The rest of the party not able to see the illusion take a step back expecting Gronar to fall. The giant however fights off the death touch, and is only suffers a fractured rib for his trouble. The illusion dissipates, and Gronar moves to the side of the secret door where the maze mage is, and slams his spear tip into her thigh. Blood showers the door frame as the albino minotaur disengages her leg from the weapon and retreats through the secret door closing it behind her.

Gronar rushes the door and forces it open, an empty room lies beyond. Nameroc casts cure light wounds on Paquito bringing him back to consciousness. Benat follows Gronar into the room, and finds a trap door in the floor at the corner opposite the secret door. Gronar, in a fit of rage tears off the covering and jumps down the 10' to floor below, the hill giant is confronted with the biggest minotaur he's even seen. The maze mage stands near the back of the 70' x 70' room, a fountain bubbles softly next to her against the far wall, where two other minotaurs stand. The bullord sizes up Gronar and waits for the hill giant to make his move. Gronar however realizes the futility of his situation, and climbs back up the secret door, and runs through the rest of the party.

"Gronar getting the hell out of here!" Gronar shouts the retreat

"Well I'm not staying if the giant's not." Nameroc replies and follows the giant out through the hole in the wall.

Finrod, who has been trying to emulate the noises the minotaur made in order to gain access to the room the minotaur went into, has not had any luck getting the door to open. He watches as Gronar charges around the corner.

"Out of way elfy!" Gronar shouts as he passes Finrod.

Paquito ties his and Korg's waists' together and leads the hill giant through the hole in the wall with Benat behind them looking out for any pursuers. Gronar turns the corner past Finrod and runs into a dead end, confused the giant stands there scratching his head. The rest of the party catches up to Gronar and they fill up the 20' hallway. Nameroc and Finrod begin searching for secret doors, but they find none. Finrod then relates what he heard the minotaur do earlier in order to gain access to the room. 

"Maybe Paquito can get the wall moved?" Benat suggests

Paquito however takes out Chip and asks it to confirm that there is indeed a hallway on the other side of the south wall. Chip merges with the wall and comes out on the other side into a hallway. Paquito then has Chip move to the middle of the wall looking for obvious mechanical structures that would indicate a lever or some kind of trigger for the wall. Chip finds none and returns to Paquito. Paquito mulls over trying to make the sounds Finrod described.

"Get the hell on with it! We're going to get picked off one by one, waiting for you to grow some testicular fortitude!" Benat shouts at the minotaur

Paquito moves up and replicates Finrod's description and the wall rises for a few seconds and then closes. 

"We'll have to go through one at a time." Nameroc announces

Paquito performs the routine 4 more times as Gronar, Korg, Nameroc, and Finrod go through the moving wall. Benat tells Paquito to get through so she can keep watch on this side. Paquito goes through as the rest of the party moves up to the entry hallway. 

"OK Paquito, let me through." Benat yells through the stone. No reply is forthcoming, and the wall does not move. "Paquito!" still nothing. "Paquito, quit screwing around and get this wall up now!" 

Paquito intentionally messes up the routine.

"What wrong Pokey? Why elfy not get through?" Korg asks

"Nothing is wrong, I am trying but I think they are on to me, we may have to abandon Benat here while we retreat. No?" Paquito answers

"No, you putrid piece of cow's rear. I will spill your entrails for miles when I get my hands on you!" Benat shouts

"Well, insults certainly aren't going to get you anywhere. I hope you have more arrows than things that will come looking for you. No?" Paquito says as he walks away form the wall.

"Open wall." Gronar demands

"She insulted the Great Paquito Flacido, then she verbally assualted me. I fear for my life if she is freed. No?" Paquito answers

"Pokey fear for life if elfy not freed." Gronar grits through his teeth

"You are badly injured, how many more minotaurs could you take down before you fall? Mayhaps you should ask your fellow lawn ornament what happens to the great Paquito when he is angered. No?" Paquito responds

"Pokey shout fire out of his mouth!" Korg says excitedly. Nameroc affirms this is the case as well, this backs off Gronar a bit as he assesses this new information. 

Paquito walks back to the wall and activates the code sounds that allow Benat to move to this side of the corridor.

"You're dead!" Benat shouts as she raises her bow

"No, Gronar think Pokey should lead. Gronar not want Pokey mad." Gronar says

Benat looks on dumbfounded "I don't know what you did, but your days are numbered." Benat states as she flies past the minotaur

"All of our days are numbered elf. I wager however, that my number is far higher than yours. No?" Paquito responds under his breath

The party moves to the entry hallway and is confronted by two minotaurs guarding the exit. The lead one charges and slams it's greatsword into the gut of Finrod, who has the wind knocked out of him as his body is thrust against the stone wall behind him. Benat unloads two arrows into the beast while Gronar skewers it through the heart. Gronar then moves into the hallway and sets his spear for a charge, daring the minotaur to attack. After a few seconds it becomes apparent that the minotaur isn't going to move, so Gronar charges it. The hill giant's spear forcibly removes the minotaur's liver through it's back, a moment later the beast is dead. 

The party limps their way back to Mirwood.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

As the party enters Mirwood, Paquito is approached by Valriand and given a note. He tells Paquito it is from Luinphayl the headmaster at the elven mage school. Valriand then asks that Finrod follow him, as he has a few things to discuss with the elf. 

"What's the note say?" Benat asks

"It says that Master Luinphayl can no longer instruct me at the mage school. No?" Paquito says mentioning only half the letter, and saying nothing about a key waxed to the bottom of the letter.

"I see you've finally grated on another elf." Benat says as she leaves to go to the festival hall.

"I shall need to think on this. No?" Paquito says as he returns to his room at the school. 

Once there he finds another note on his pillow, this one however appears to be penned by a minotaur. 


Great Horned One,
Your exploits here yesterday have left a distinct impression upon me. My name is Corridorian, and my tribe is dying. Tauranous is week! He lets those infiltrators wander our halls, learn our secrets, dwindle our already small numbers. I sense great power lies within you, untapped yearning to rise above your meager beginnings. My tribe was strong, we needed no one to defend us, no one to ally with. Yet Tauranous seeks help from the ogres and the cursed one, I am sure your blood boils upon hearing of this news. It is time Tauranous is replaced, with our combined arcane might we could lord over these tree huggers! Think of the power my abilities would grant a leader such as yourself. We number but a dozen of us now eight of those are minotrices, wouldn't that be a strong foundation for your wives! 

Tauranous is far too arrogant to see his own failings, challenge him for control of the tribe. Become the bullord you want to be. I know who your father is I know it haunts you, I know my visage haunts your dreams as well. You cannot deny that which you are. The time of elven reckoning is a hand, there are allies all around you. Did you not think it odd that you were even allowed into the elven mage school, let alone allowed to study at it! It has been foretold that the blood of our creator will return, you carry within you that very blood! Let it show you the way to lordship, let it show you the way to me. 

Your giant friends will have to be brought low before the battle, Tauranous is too paranoid to accept your challenge if he thinks he won't have the upper hand. The elf with the stinging twigs is like the fly that refuses to get swatted, if you wish, I will gladly destroy this pest myself. The other two elves are so pathetic, I think a good trip on their faces will put them out of their misery. 

If this is acceptable to you, then the next time you enter my home, find your way to the northwest trap door. You have already seen it through your little rock. I look forward to long years in your powerful service. 

Corridorian




Paquito digests the letter's content, and decides he needs to speak with Gronar. He finds Gronar sitting with Korg drinking kegs of thin elvish wine. Paquito manages to get Gronar to join him a fair distance away from Korg so he could speak privately with the giant. 

"What Pokey want? Gronar not yet drunk enough." Gronar says, his alcohol tinged breath reeking through each word.

"I need you to teach me how to fight. No?" Paquito answers

"Huh? Gronar not understand. You wish to fight Gronar? OK, let me get sword." Gronar answers

"No! I want YOU to TEACH ME how to fight. No?" Paquito replies 

"Wait, Gronar confused. Pokey wants me to not teach how to fight?" Gronar answers, the wine dulling the already dim light in his head. 

"I wish to fight like a giant, you can teach me. No?" Paquito answers

"No, Gronar not teach Pokey how to fight like Gronar. Gronar is giant, Pokey is small. Pokey not a giant." The hill giant answers

"Soon I will be as tall as you, I should begin my training as soon as possible. No?" Paquito replies

"No, Gronar chop off knees if that happens. Ha!" Gronar says laughing

"Please, I need to know the proper technique to swing a greatsword such as your own. No?" Paquito pleads

"Wait a minute, Pokey not trying to steal from Gronar?" Gronar ask misinterpreting Paquito's response

"I would not dream of such a elvish thing as that. No?" Paquito replies

"Hmm, ok. But Gronar keep two eyes on you." Gronar answers holding up three fingers

"I am in your debt. No?" Paquito responds

"First thing Pokey have to do, is look like giant." Gronar says while pulling out a large mirror from his backpack "Like giant in painting. See?"

Gronar hands Paquito the mirror.

"I see myself. No?" Paquito tells the giant

"What? Pokey break painting?" Gronar says snatching the mirror from Paquito's hands. Gronar looks into the mirror again. "Ah, Gronar sees handsome giant. See?" Gronar asks Paquito while turning the mirror around so that it faces the minotaur

"It's a mirror, it shows my reflection. This concept, it is lost on you. No?" Paquito answers

Gronar quickly turns the mirror to face him. "Gronar think Pokey blind, Gronar sees handsome hill giant in painting. Look handsome giant even smile at Gronar." 

Gronar turns the mirror back to Paquito. "Ah yes, I see your visage perfectly now. I do not understand how I could have missed such a blatantly obvious thing such as this. Perhaps it is a magical mirror. No?" Paquito says sarcastically

"Pokey think painting is magic? Ha! That funny cow man." Gronar replies and puts the mirror away. 

"First lesson is called catch rock." Gronar says while digging a rock out of his pouch

"W.w.w. What? Did you say catch rock. Surely you misspoke. No?" Paquito asks

"No, Gronar throw rock at Pokey, if Pokey catch it, then Pokey learn first lesson. Ready?" Gronar asks

Actually *yawn* I'm getting tired, perhaps we should initiate this when I am more rested, and you are no so drunk. No?" Paquito replies

"Gronar be here all night, when Pokey ready to play catch, Pokey know where to find Gronar." The hill giants answers

Paquito flees the inebriated giant, and runs to the festival hall where he locates Benat and asks to have a word with her. 

"Hey, I found out some news for you, turns out Luinphayl is needed to shore up the magical defenses of the village. So you shouldn't feel so dejected about him no longer tutoring you, although I have my doubts about his sanity letting you learn there to begin with." Benat tells Paquito as they sit at a corner table.

"I need your help. No?" Paquito tells the elf

"What? The great, magnificent, awe inspiring, second coming of Belesarda, divine inspiring, kingdom leveling, fabulous dressing, Paquito the mighty needs help?" Benat replies incredulously

"It is true I am all of those things, but sometimes one must get their own hands dirty. No?" Paquito responds

"Absolutely not, I will not fetch another kidney stone for you." Benat remarks

"No, it is not that. I have heard you speak of dark elves, ones that did not embrace an edict of peace and harmony with nature. No?" Paquito asks

"I don't like where this is headed, but yes that is correct." Benat answers

"And killing them, you felt no remorse towards this? What if the only race you ever knew were these dark elves of which you speak? You would find it difficult killing them then. No?" Paquito asks

"What are you trying to say? I may have felt a twinge on the moral reader, but all was righted after I spilled the blood of some lowly humans." Benat answers

"Well, perhaps not all the minotaurs are evil. Perhaps there are some allies to be found among the decrepit. No?" Paquito inquires

"And you know who that could be?" Benat presses Paquito for info

"Perhaps, I may have a contact within the maze." Paquito replies

"I knew it! You've been yanking our chain the whole time." Benat accuses Paquito

"No, I assure you. If I was yanking your chain, I would not be telling you now. No?" Paquito replies

"Hmm, unless that's what you want me to think." Benat responds

"I do not want you to think, apparently that activity causes your brain to become overworked. No? I merely want you to listen to my plan. No?" Paquito tells the elf

Paquito then goes into his grand plan of avoiding attacking the minotaurs in favor of wiping out their support base of goblinoid creatures.

"I'll think on it, but I still think wiping out the minotaurs is our best option, but feel free to bring this up with the giants." Benat says with a smile a returns to the bar.

Dejected, Paquito returns to his room and sleeps restlessly through the night.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*I've got a plan.*

Pauito tries valiantly, but is out voted. The party elects to return to the maze and wipe out the minotaur threat. 

"Do we wait for Finrod?" Nameroc asks

"No, he knows where we'll be. I think that last battle scared him off." Benat answers

The party heads out to the maze, they arrive to find that instead of a long corridor at the base of the entry stairs, they find an immediate turn to the left. The party collects at the base and Benat finds a secret door on the right wall. Paquito sends his familiar through the wall and discovers a donut shaped room with an empty table in the northwest corner of the room. Paquito sends Chip through the enclosed middle section of the room, and it finds an empty space. 

Paquito has Chip return, and sends it through the south wall of the corridor. Chip sees a huge space devoid of any walls or creatures for that matter. It sees that the corridor continues for 100' then turns south for 80' before ending in a small room about 30' x 30'. Paquito relays this information back to the group. 

"Table! Where? Gronar will smash!" Gronar says as he takes out a rock from his pouch

"Perhaps I should investigate it first? No?" Paquito says. Benat nods to him and follows the minotaur into the room. Gronar enters next to give the elf some cover in case the table attacks.

Paquito investigates the table and finds some words carved into the top, Benat sees Paquito mouthing some words, and casts _comprehend languages_ and advances next to Paquito. 

_All is as is expected Paquito_ written in giant.

Benat and Paquito lock eyes and for a few tense moments silence reigns in the room. Then a panel in the ceiling outside of the room opens and a clear gel like substance begins to ooze from the opening. Nameroc narrowly escapes being engulfed by the enveloping gel. 

"Trap!" Nameroc yells as he runs past Korg and casts _soften stone_ on the south wall of the corridor just beyond Korg.

Korg begins to dig away at the clay, as Gronar stabs at the gel which now takes up 15' of hallway space from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall. Benat fires arrows into the gelatinous cube as Paquito fidgets with his hands nervously.

Nameroc helps Korg dig into the clay as well, but before Korg can clear the space, a tidal wave of jelly pours over him and engulfs the giant. Acid juices begin to eat away at Korg's flesh as the giant holds his breath. Nameroc flees down the corridor to the far corner and turns to fire a bolt at the cube. 

Benat fires flame arrows into the gel, the flame gets extinguished but the light of the arrow shines through, suspended in midair in the transparent ooze. 

"Korg's in trouble are you going to let him die!" Benat shouts at Paquito

"I think they mean for all of you to die. No?" Paquito responds to the elf

Unable to pull himself free of the cube, Korg calls to his diety and melts into the earth*. Nameroc watches in horror as Korg appears to be dissolved inside of the cube. Nameroc fires another bolt, and this one causes the cube to burst apart like sieve. 

"Where Korg?" Gronar asks sloshing through the goo that's drained on the floor

"The ooze ate him, he's gone." Nameroc replies

Benat moves up to inspect the area, "Oozes eat only organic material, had it digested Korg his weapons and rocks would be here. I think Korg used his divine ability to meld with the earth."

"Korg not dead?" Gronar asks

"No, I don't believe so. However it's put us in quite the quandary as we are now forced to wait until morning before we can leave." Benat replies

"What did you find in the other room?" Nameroc asks. 

Paquito and Benat look at each other. "We found a table. No?" Paquito replies

"And what was on the table?" Benat asks 

"Nothing. Surely anyone can see that. No?" Paquito asks

"It said all is as is expected PAQUITO! They're expecting you, you've led us into a trap." Benat says drawing an arrow

"No, I have not. They want me to kill someone, but I am not ready. I tried to get you to move on from this place but you had to come back. I think we're all doomed now. No?" Paquito replies

"All but you, I'm going to make you suffer long for this." Benat answers

"I have not done anything to you, I am as powerless as you are right now. No?" Paquito answers

"Do you even know which side you are on?" Benat asks

"Why ours of course, the company of good friends is far more enriching than the life of an exile. No?" Paquito answers

Benat decides to reserve judgment until a later time, as the party waits out Korg's return, they hear stone moving around above them, hooves walking across the ceiling, and finally the entrance slams shut. Chip confirms that three walls have been slid over to block the exit with 12' of solid stone. 

"Looks like they don't want us to leave." Nameroc says

"They don't want us to live. No?" Paquito responds

"No, they don't want US to live, you'll be fine." Benat remarks

Gronar goes to confirm the panel the gelatinous cube came from is still open and empty, he verifies this as Chip confirms that the level above them contains many discarded walls and chains but no sign of any minotaurs. The rest of the night goes by and Korg rises from the earth completely healed. 

The party investigates the room to the south and finds a trap door in the floor. Paquito sends Chip through the door, but there is only darkness beyond. 

"I do not think this is the way we should be going. No?" Paquito says

"Why? What are you not telling us?" Benat asks

"I was told there would be a way down in the northwest corner, that's back up in the table room. No?" Paquito answers

The party returns to the donut shaped room and begins to search the walls for secret doors. After forty-five minutes of searching the party calls it off.

"Looks like your information was wrong." Benat says

"I do not understand, it clearly said to go through the secret entrance, and they would be waiting below. No?" Paquito answers

"Gronar know!" The giant speaks up and removes the table from the corner, beneath it is the plain outline of a trap door. "Elfs and Pokey are dumb." 

"Korg knew that. Korg smite dumb!" Korg shouts

"Please, someone get him a new word." Nameroc pleads

Paquito sends Chip through the trap door to find a room below that has a corridor exiting it to the south. The party opens the trap door and Gronar begins to descend.

"Wait, what if it's a trap and they want us to go this way, and not the overtly scary darkness way, and that's the way we should be taking?" Benat asks the giant

"Elfy think it over while Gronar go kill pokeys for hurting Korg." Gronar replies

The party descend with an apprehensive Benat in tow. The party learns that the southern corridor ends in a door 30' down the hallway. Chip informs Paquito that beyond the stone wall of the room, the area is empty except for a fountain and a sarcophagus. Nameroc casts soften stone again and the party digs a hole through the all into a huge open area. The party's hears soft weeping coming from the space beyond. Gronar makes his way to the fountain with Benat following. Benat casts detect magic and gets a very strong reading coming from the sarcophagus, she then determines that the water in the fountain is an ingested poison. 

Gronar backs away from the water, and the party listens to the weeping and determines that it's coming from the sarcophagus. 

"Hey bullchiper, send in your flunky and see what's causing that sound." Benat tells Paquito

Paquito hesitates for a second as he realizes his standing with the party is on shaky ground. Chip sees a desiccated human form in the sarcophagus. Benat asks for quiet as she listens intently to the weeping. She determines it is not like any undead with sound abilities that she knows of. 

"I've got a plan." Benat states



_* this was Korg using some of his divine points to meld with the earth. He rises in 8 hours or sunrise which ever occurs last, and is completly healed._


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The death of a giant*

"Gronar and Korg, could you slide off the sarcophagus lid, while Paquito you throw these two vials of holy water onto whatever is in there?" Benat asks


"OK" comes the unified giant response 


"Um, I am not so good at throwing things, perhaps the druid would be a better choice. No?" Paquito replies 


"Leave me out of this. I'm going to be standing way over here, so I couldn't possibly be able to reach it on a throw." Nameroc says while moving away from Paquito


The giants take their positions and force the lid off of the sarcophagus. The weeping sound instantly fills the ears of everyone save for Benat, who shrugs off the effects of the demoralizing cry. 


"What is it? Can you turn it off?" Nameroc shouts 


"Throw the vial!" Benat yells at Paquito 


Paquito cocks his arm and watches in horror as the visage of a desiccated head appears. It's shriveled eyes are on short stalks that protrude from the sockets. A thin greenish tinged liquid constantly seeps from it's eye sockets and runs down the length of it's arms ending in the palms of it's hands where a toothy maw slowly drinks up the fluid. 


Paquito drops the first vial in fright, the blessed water within ruined as it seeps into the dirt floor. 


"Fool!" Benat yells at Paquito, while firing an arrow into the leathery skin of the undead thing. Gronar and Korg both miss as they take wild swings at the creature while trying to back away from it. 


The wheep's eyes lock onto Korg, and slash out with it's biting hands. It's claws rake a path across the giant's abdomen. Gronar watches as Korg's face seems to wither just a little after the blow. Paquito throws the other vial, but overthrows it and it smashes against the wall of the room they just left. 


Benat moves to get a better line of sight, but still misses with an arrow, "All you had to do was pour the stuff on the creature. That's it!" Benat shouts to Paquito, who shrugs his shoulders in an "I told you so" manner.


Gronar moves behind the thing so as to flank it with Korg. Korg raises his holy symbol and attempts a turning, but the beast presses on. It rolls out of it's former prison and advances on Korg, missing with it's hands but biting a chunk of flesh from Korg's arm. His arm withers to near skin and bones from the virulent poison pumped into his Korg's body. Paquito decides to try his new spell out, and sends a _scorching ray_ into the floor below the sarcophagus. 


"Moron! Is this the part where you turn traitor?" Benat shouts to Paquito
"I am trying. No?" Paquito responds with a smile. 


Nameroc moves up and casts _cure light wounds_ on Korg. Gronar and Korg both give up 5' to the wheep, but maintain the flanking advantage. Nameroc moves up and casts _soften stone_ on the floor beneath the wheep. The undead creature ignores the ground change, and presses the attack to Korg. The wheep grabs the throat of Korg, and slowly squeezes. The teeth on it's palm bite into the soft flesh of the hill giant, and pump his dying body with more poison. Korg's body looks like an undead creature itself, his heart goes into shock as the poison works it's way through Korg's system and the giant falls limp in the hand of the wheep. The wheep tosses the dead giant off to it's right and awaits it's next victim.


Paquito blasts another scorching ray at the wheep, and this one sears past the undead's head and burns into the damp earth of the wall behind it. Benat sends two more arrows into the wheep, as Gronar pounds away on the back of the beast. Nameroc moves up and takes Korg's place in front of the wheep. The beast apparently liking to try some elf meat, slashes it's talons across Nameroc's chest sending it's wasting poison into a new body. Nameroc's chest tightens as his health rapidly deteriorates. 


Paquito tries another scorching ray, this time using two hands and focusing with one eye, Paquito sends the flaming beam crashing into the back of the wheep.


"Yes, I did it. I am the greatest. No?" Paquito announces


Gronar takes advantage of Nameroc's presence to slam another flanking blow into the wheep. Benat nails the undead with two arrows, and Nameroc stands hoping the end comes quickly. The wheep however only manages a scratch on Nameroc, not enough to put the elf down. Paquito uses both hands to send his next scorching ray careening into the ceiling.


"Crud! No?" Paquito curses to himself


"Yes, yes that was." Benat assures the minotaur


Gronar however does not miss, and his blow ends the undead's threat. 


"Heal, Korg!" Gronar shouts to Benat and Nameroc


"He's passed, no amount of healing can help him now." Benat answers, as Nameroc barely has the fortitude to stand on his own.


Gronar, goes to his friend and cradles the giant's desiccated head in his large hands. Tears of loss erupt from the giant's eyes. Paquito wished he had been strong enough to make Benat see the folly of returning to the maze.


Benat goes to the sarcophagus and retrieves a greatsword that was the source of the strong magic he detected earlier. Arcane runes and an inscription are engraved in the blade, casting comprehend languages, Benat reads the inscriptions as "to the eater of wills, there is nothing sweeter than the heart of an angel"


"Angelkiller." Paquito says aloud


"What?" Benat asks


"Angelkiller, that is the name of this blade. No?" Paquito answers


Gronar grabs the blade from the elf's hands. "Elfy say this has lots of magic?" 


"Yes, but I don't think it's the kind of magic you want to be wielding." Benat answers


"Gronar not care what elfy think, Gronar getting out of here with Korg. Then go to elfy temple and get Korg back." The hill giant announces.


Grasping the hilt, Gronar feels a wave of stomach churning numbness flow over him. The giant battles through the sickened feeling and grabs Korg's body and heads back up to the entry level. The rest of the party follows and decides to camp out near the closed off exit until morning so that Nameroc could ask for 3 _soften stone_ spells in order to get through the three walls blocking the exit. 


Within an hour, two bulls appear at the far end of the corridor. Benat shoots one and Gronar moves up and cleaves through them. A minotaur appears behind the party, and Paquito and Nameroc both race to get behind Gronar. Benat fires two arrows into the minotaur, as another minotaur appears where the bulls had been. Paquito sends _magic missiles_ into the Minotaur Benat hit, and Gronar moves back and kills that minotaur. The other minotaur fires an arrow into the back of Gronar, sending a yelp out from the giant's mouth. Benat fires two arrows into that minotaur.


An albino female minotaur appears where the last minotaur fell, causing the party to shift again to get behind Gronar. The maze mage sends a crackling _lightning bolt_ through Gronar, Nameroc, and Benat, the bolt then travels down the corridor and fries the minotaur standing at the far end of the hallway. Gronar puts away the "evil" greatsword and takes out his spear, he then permanently attaches the maze mage's spine to the wall behind her. The party lets out a sigh hoping that they've weathered the last of the assaults.


Another hour passes, and the party hears thundering crashes like huge stones slamming into stone. A moment later several pieces of the floor around the party begin to fall away opening gaping holes in the corridor floor. The party spots a minotaur climbing up out of a hole by the exit, Gronar quickly ends it's thoughts of drawing blood. Another minotaur appears at the far end of the hallway firing an arrow into Benat's back.


Nameroc and Paquito decide to let the fighters do the fighting, and they retreat through the hole in the south wall that Nameroc had created when they arrived. Gronar jumps down the hole the minotaur was climbing up from, and he finds four minotrices removing the floor at the far end of the hallway. He charges the nearest one but misses with his spear. 


Collecting themselves on the other side of the wall, Paquito and Nameroc realize they are not alone, as a minotaur grabs Paquito in a bear hug, and another one slams a greataxe into the head of Nameroc. Nameroc crumples to the ground bleeding profusely, unconscious. Paquito tries to fight back but is nowhere near strong enough to break the hold, as the minotaur begins to squeeze the fight from Paquito. Paquito seizes on his one chance and bites into the arm of his opponent. The power of his collar is activated and poison enters the bloodstream of enemy, it's deadliness was not nearly enough however as the minotaur squeezes Paquito into blissful unconsciousness. 


Two of the minotrices below charge Gronar with spears. Gronar however was ready and spears both of them before they get close, the other two minotrices charge Gronar and one manages to slip a spear tip under the defense of Gronar. Benat, who has flown down to assist Gronar, fires a killing shot into the nearest minotrice, and Gronar ends the threat of the other one. 


Benat and Gronar both return to the corridor above, Gronar charges down after the remaining minotaur, he clears the first 5' jump, but misses the next one and falls 20' below into a small shaft barely big enough to hold his massive girth. Benat fires into the minotaur, and scares it off. 


Benat goes off to look for Paquito and Nameroc, Gronar grabs the greataxes of the minotaurs, and begins to beat into the north wall of the corridor. Gronar breaks both greataxes, but he manages to reach the dirt beyond the wall, and begins to dig.


"I can't find Paquito or Nameroc. There's no tracks anywhere, I think they found a way out and didn't tell us, they left us for dead." Benat tells Gronar

"Gronar not die here with elfy, Gronar getting out even if have to join minotaurs and kill you." Gronar states. The seriousness of his comment is not lost on Benat as she helps the giant by clearing away the accumulated dirt from his digging.


Two more minotaurs appear to harass Benat and Gronar but they are easily dispatched, and Gronar returns to digging Benat and he out. He breaks through, grabs the body of Korg, and doesn't look back.


----------



## pogre

A _wheep_? Is that a contraction of "WHat the bEEP?"

What is that thing from? - yes, I only own the core books.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

pogre said:
			
		

> A _wheep_? Is that a contraction of "WHat the bEEP?"
> 
> What is that thing from? - yes, I only own the core books.




It's from MM III, it was meant as a PC killer (not a TPK, but close). They should've left well enough alone.   

They got greedy, and in the end 5 walked in but only 2 made it out.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> 5 walked in but only 2 made it out.




It's good to shake things up once in a while.   

Pity, though. I liked some of those characters. Let's hope Gronar can talk the elves into a little True Res for Korg.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> It's good to shake things up once in a while.
> 
> Pity, though. I liked some of those characters. Let's hope Gronar can talk the elves into a little True Res for Korg.




Oh Nameroc and Paquito aren't dead..... yet.   

What happens next is the best gaming session we've had thus far.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Duplicity*

Gronar and Benat are met by Finrod as they return to Mirwood with the dead giant Korg. 

"What happened?" Finrod asks

"Elfy had plan, too bad it was bad plan." Gronar answers not bothering to slow he pace any.

"Where's Nameroc and Paquito?" Finrod asks turning to keep up with Gronar

"We lost track of them in the maze, I assumed they got out and headed back here." Benat replies

"I haven't see either of them. What happened to Korg? He looks like a mummy." Finrod asks

"Elfy's plan killed Korg." Gronar explains

"I already apologized for that, how was I to know there would be some ultra-powerful undead creature in there?" Benat asks

"Where are you going?" Finrod asks following behind the elf and giant

"Gronar go make Korg better, give elf temple big magic sword." Gronar tells the elf



Finrod tags along as the two remaining party members reach the elven temple. Benat offers up the "Angelkiller" as payment to his church in order to resurrect Korg. The church accepts and gives Korg a True Resurrection. Gronar elects to stay with Korg and fill in the missing time from his death to resurrection. Finrod listens as Gronar describes the cube of jelly, then the undead thing in a stone box. Then losing Nameroc and Paquito, and finally breaking out of the maze and returning here.

Benat stays to assist the temple in whatever needs they may require as additional payment for Korg's return to the living. Finrod goes to see the elder about his take on the situation.

"Your excellency, I feel that we are woefully under equipped to deal with this minotaur threat." Finrod explains

"You base this on what knowledge?" Celeior replies

"Half of the group did not return and one of the giants is dead." Finrod answers

"Yes, I am aware of that. You can't miss the giants when they come into town. Still, that does not mean taking away resources from the front lines and giving it to you would have resulted in a different outcome." Celeior replies

"I think it's obvious that this minotaur threat is greater than anyone predicted." Finrod explains

"How many minotaurs did it take to take down the giant?" Celeior asks

"Well, erm. None he was laid low by some kind of undead thing." Finrod answers

"Some kind of undead thing? I thought you were talking about minotaurs?" Celeior answers

"It was in the maze. They shift the maze around making it almost impossible to come up with a good tactic." Finrod answers

"Are you faulting yourself for not having the foresight to think the minotaurs would let you walk in and kill them all in their sleep?" Celeior says running out of patience

"No. But, this mission can not be completed without some kind of assistance from the town." Finrod explains

"So, you presume to tell me that you can not possibly defeat this foe without artifacts, a mobile armory, and at least ten thousand gold? Are you insane, or so terrified at your own mortality that you feel the need to demand I grant you keys to the treasury so that you can fund the eradication of a small group of minotaurs?" Celeior answers

"I would think the elder would want assurances that they have been exterminated." Finrod answers

"Is that not why you are going there to begin with?" Celeior replies

"Well, yes." Finrod answers

"How many minotaurs remain?" Celeior questions the elf

"I do not know." Finrod answers

"Then how can you possibly begin to accurately suggest a course of action for this town? Return to me when you have this information. I will have to speak with Valriand about his choices in agents. You are free to go." Celeior waves off Finrod, who returns to the elven temple to wait with the giants.

The night goes by quietly, until about 4 am. Calls of "infiltrator" and "intruder" pierce through the silence. Benat jumps to her feet and runs outside the temple, to the entry garden, bow in hand with an arrow notched. Finrod is a little slower, but gets there as the rest of the elves in the temple begin to fill the garden space. The giants bring up the rear, wading through the sea of elven heads and hair, to make their way into the garden. Peering out with her exceptional vision, Benat spies a lone figure quickly approaching. She takes careful aim as the alert is called off, Benat lowers her bow and tries to get a better look at the figure. Running at them full speed, and panting as if he'd just escaped death, was Nameroc.

"We.... have... to .... help..... Paquito." Nameroc gets out between gasps for air

"Calm down, and catch your breath." Benat instructs the young elf

"Paquito is trapped under a cave-in, he won't last long if we don't hurry." Nameroc explains.

"What happen to Pokey?" Gronar asks

"Well we woke up on the alter of some demonic figure, we were laying in it's hands. The biggest minotaur I've ever seen walked in and told us we were going to be sacrificed. Next thing I know Paquito charges the beast and they fall back. The big guy takes out a horn of some kind and blows on it. Next, the ceiling is collapsing and I'm sprinting for my life back here, throwing every summoning spell I had to try and slow down any pursuers." Nameroc relates

"Why don't you get some rest, and we'll head out in the morning." Benat says

"I think we need to get him now, he won't live if we just leave him there." Nameroc says

"But I th..." Benat is cut off by Gronar

"Gronar think it take you five hours to get here, Pokey likely dead already. Gronar wait until not so hung over to go get Pokey's body and bring back to elfys." Gronar tells Nameroc

"Fine. But, I'm not going to rest. I'll be waiting for you at the north trail out of the village." Nameroc says as he walks away from the group.

"Persistent guy, I didn't think he and Paquito were all that close." Finrod offers

"I didn't detect any attempt to cover up or mislead us in any way. Maybe he was touched by Paquito's apparent lack of selflessness?" Benat replies


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> "Maybe he was touched by Paquito's apparent lack of selflessness?" Benat replies




Or maybe he's a DOPPLEGANGER!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Paquito's torment*

I awoke beaten and bloodied but breathing, taking account of my senses I realize that I am blindfolded, gagged, and my wrists and ankles have been restrained. All is quiet except for the labored breathing of someone laying on the floor behind me. I smell the iron of my own blood and not much else. I feel as though I'm laying on stone as opposed to some other material like dirt. My head aches, but that is to be expected, my right shoulder also aches, though I have no idea from what injury it occurred from. 

Straining against my bonds, I find them to give no quarter. I run my fingers over the material and it feels like thick leather. A feeling of despair rains down upon me like an unforgiving hammer striking an anvil. My blood senses an evil old and powerful, like a famished vampire it longs to drink of the power. The sensation nauseates me and I fight the urge to retch, as doing so would surely suffocate me. 

A stray thought enters my head, and I realize that I have no concept of the passage of time. I could've been unconscious for days and not have known it. I wonder what has become of my traveling companions. I wonder if they're even alive to come looking for me, not that I would even be able to help them in that regards. I wonder what fate holds for me, am I to be viciously beaten in formal combat? Am I to be dismantled for spell components? Will I be brainwashed into turning against my friends and bringing about a reign of fire upon them all!? Ahem, got a little carried away there. 


Time passes slowly as I count away the seconds in my head, I shift a little on my left side and I head metal scraping against stone. Methodically repeating the same movement I ascertain that my collar is still around my neck. Rolling onto my stomach, and back again, I believe that the dragon amulet has been removed from my neck however. My fingers are numb from the circulation depriving restraints around my wrists. Surely it will only be a matter of time before they fall off dead, then what good would I be as a sorcerer?

The sound of a heavy lock being moved echoes through the room, the lock grates across stone, then the lock is raised and a door is opened. I hear the wooden frame of the door as it traces a beaten path across the floor, only to become lodged as the floor must be raised a little at the end of the door's journey. The sounds of heavy hoofs, followed by several lighter ones signaling the arrival of my captors, cascade through my ears. I wince in anticipation of what is to come next.

*snort* "Awake are you? I don't know what clan you are from, but they must be sickly indeed." a low reverberating voices echoes through the chamber

Cold claw-like fingers rake into my forehead around the blindfold, they tear away skin and I feel the warm trickle of blood as it runs down my face. I instinctively try to turn away from the pain, and my blindfold gets ripped from my head. Before my stands the largest minotaur I've ever seen, his face covered in a red leather cowl that conceals all but his eyes. Hesitating with my eyes a moment longer I realize that it's not the leather that's red, but the caked on dried blood that gives the cowl a crimson appearance.


"Open your eyes cur!" The minotaur commands. I sense the evil in his voice, my blood longs to reach out and connect with the force that drives this being. 

I clamp my eyes shut and force my soul to rail against these feelings, I try to block out his face, but even in the darkness behind my eyes I see his visage. The large fist of the minotaur slams into the back of my head, a shower of scintillating lights falls behind my eyes, yet I staunchly refuse to obey his commands. 

"Prepare him." the bullord says as he exits the room to his left, followed by four bulls, two minotaurs, and two bugbears. Lastly the albino mage walks up and makes an arcane symbol with her hands,  the symbol wavers in the air like a mirage. She then approaches me, taking paint from out of a pouch on her belt, she begins to draw arcane and infernal symbols upon my immobile body. 

"Wha." I utter

"Shh, silence. If Taurranous hears you, he will kill you before I can help. You should have followed my directions, you were lucky to escape the wheep." the maze mage's whispers in your ear. "Taurranous means to serve both of you to his debased god." The mage continues while she applies the same symbols to the body next to me.

I get a good look at the body, it's definitely an elf. Although I can not tell for certain whether it is Nameroc or even male for that matter. Both of it's wrists have been horribly crushed, as have it's ankles. Huge welts of blue and black cover most of it's back, soft whimpers escape what must be a swollen and bleeding mouth. Even with no knowledge in the healing arts, I can tell the decrepit being labors to breath. The viciousness of the attack shivers my spine, yet warms my blood.

"The ogre's men were here earlier, they copied your friend here, and plan on infiltrating your own army to better deal with the giants. Your friends won't make it back here alive to rescue you, it's up to you to rescue yourself." The mage finishes covering the body next to me in runes.

"Taurranous has a tunnel that opens under the drinking hall of the elves, the ogre will create a diversion to empty most of the village. Taurranous will then pour into the village unseen and unhindered, there will be many deaths." She continues

"I have hidden your spell components behind you, it is my job to draw the blood from you. I will cut your bonds and you will have mere seconds to chose your fate. You will see what I mean when your bonds drop."

"The only way all of us live, is for you to kill Taurranous. Any other solution will result in the death of many. This ends soon, one way or the other." The mage then leaves the room via the same entrance the bullord arrived in.

I wonder why she bothered to leave me unblinfolded, I couldn't possibly be anywhere close enough power wise to defeat Taurranous, maybe this is their idea of a sick twisted game. Searching my head I find that all of my spells have returned, I must have been unconscious for at least half a day, probably more. 

I strain my neck to get a look at what I'm lying on, it appears to be a huge stone hand. I look over at the elf and see it too rest upon a stone hand. Dark stains which I assume to be blood cover the floor beneath the hand the elf rests on. Following the muscled stone arm up to it's shoulder, I see a huge wing thrown in an open pose as if the stone figure it's attached to could take flight at any moment. My eyes then take in the face of the stone being, evil and corruption fill my senses and the face of a human with small horns upon his head looks down at me with a fang filled mouth. The cockiness in my blood retracts and reels at the weight of the stare the figure gives me.

My mind floods with a vision of the devilish minotaur from my tormented dreams. A flesh and blood representative of the stone figure appears behind the minotaur, it strikes down the minotaur and laughs as Taurranous and his minions dance around the stone figure I lay upon. The eyes of the stone figure blink and turn a reddish-orange, like lava the colors twist and swirl, if I could move I would run and never stop. Fear fills ever corner of my heart, I pray for cowardice, there is no difference between dying a hero or dying a coward if no one is left to say which you are. 

A thumping sound drains away my hearing, like the beating of a heart, it drives my blood through my veins in a wicked game of chicken. The thumping increases it's beat, my heart races to keep pace. My blood strains against the bonds around my wrists and ankles, I feel the pain of a thousand pin pricks as capillaries burst from the pressure. My extremities go numb, I can no longer see as the blood pressure forces my liquid life to spill upon the surface of my eyes. 

My eardrums burst from within, yet I still hear the thumping. I beats for me like a life clock, pounding away the rest of my life. I can stand the pain no longer, I force my jaws open, I part my lips, I shout for this assault to cease. No sound issues forth from my mouth, for my tongue has turned against me. Like a vile snake it seeks out the back of my throat and chokes off the very air that keeps me from falling from my perilous edge of sanity. I fight to free me beleaguered hands, I need to breathe, I need to claw my tongue out of my mouth, I must be free. 

I cannot tell if my hands ever reached my mouth, even though my eyes were shut, I see a deeper darkness well up around me. It drowns me within it's boundaries, yet the thumping goes on. It vibrates the very darkness around me, boiling it to the point of evaporation, what skin I can still feel, is peeled off as the darkness disintegrates into nothingness. Then a familiar voice wedges itself into my mind.

"He is ready. I shall rule for eternity!" Taurranous shouts


----------



## Droid101

Poor Paquito.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Absolution or acceptance?*

The pain has left my body, but the oppressiveness of Taurranous's arrogance weighs me down like a waiting grave. The one thing that has saved me from many ill fated outcomes, is the one thing that escapes my mind currently, my glibness can only be successful if I speak it. I wish things had turned out differently, I wish I could do something useful. 

If my spite were a weapon, Taurranous would die a thousands deaths while he chants over me. I wonder what his weapon of choice will be, and how much more pain I could endure. His power lies in his ability to effectively intimidate his fellow clans members, I sense his intent to intimidate me and I spit out at his failure. If only my tongue would move, it might have been impressive.

With hope fading I search within me for something tangible to pour what is left of me into. Alas all my lies are plain to see now, two-dimensional cut outs of what I thought they should be. The memories of the last people I thought of as friends, get washed away with the tidal darkness sweeping over me. My deeds laugh at me as though I was something less of creature and more of a joke. I languish is a sea of contradiction, lost within it's waves false truths and double meanings. 

But in that cacophony of torment, a bloodied body coalesces from the memories. It's minotaur shape is plain to see, great horns well over half again it's body's length grow from the head of black coarse hair. The great man pushes off from the bottomless pit of my despair, and I see the visage of Baphomet. His voice thunders not in my head, but through every organ of my body.

"Your complacentness appalls me, I do not lie here in wait just for you to fall to me. You are of my blood, I expect you to charge to me or perish trying." Blood rains constantly from numerous wounds on the Fiendish minotaur's body. 

The dark crimson liquid turns the bleak landscape of my anguish into a slow beating artery of hate. The oppressiveness increases as it tries in vain to make my body into a two dimensional mockery of my parentage. I understand now why I am tortured thusly. I understand why I shall not let this end upon the cold stone hand of Asmodeus.

Baphomet throws his head back as the force of deception pummels his form in front of me. "Get up, get up and charge unto me. You are of the maze, and you are never lost." 

My consciousness is shoved off the cliff of hopelessness and slams into the face of reality. The din of battle replaces the ringing in my ears, I smell the dusty stench of fiendish stone, my hands are free to move as the leather bonds have been severed. My eyes adjust to the bright light of distant torches, I see Taurranous before I discern his screams. 

The bull lord fights to remain standing in a field of thick black tentacles which undulate of their own volition, seeking out the flesh of Taurranous to pull him flush with the floor. 

"Kill the cow!" Taurranous shouts to his Minotaurs. 

Two Minotaurs turn and race towards Corridorian, only to be tripped up by the jabbing thrusts of the minotrice's long spears. The remaining minotaur moves up and grasps Taurranous' hand and braces himself to attempt to free his lord. Corridorian spies this opportunity and unleashes a blinding bolt of lightning that arcs through the bull lord and into his supposed savior. Taurranous escapes with nary a signed hair, while the minotaur falls to the floor cooked medium-well. Black tentacles erupt from beneath the minotaur and cover it in a mass of lightlessness, the sounds of flesh sluicing off of the dead body renew Taurranous' efforts to free himself from the maze mage's spell. 

I lock onto Taurranous' eyes, I wait until his stare is unblinking in it's menacing glare. I wait until he perceives my strength of will as I stand before him. I relish in the knowledge he is beaten, yet his laughter still mocks me. 

"The little calf wants to play with the bulls now eh? Your spirit will taste best crushed like that of an elf's." Taurranous speaks as her rips his way through the magical bonds that appeared to hold him so fast mere moments ago. His massive hoof stomps out the essence of another tentacle as the bull lord rises up to peer down at me. 

I don't hesitate, I focus only on where his heart should be. One step and my hands go out from my sides, two steps and I reach the edge of the stone hand. My hoof pushes off from stony index finger and I drive my immature horns into the belly of the beast. Taurranous laughs as he prepares to catch my smaller body, his laughter turns to a bellowing pain as one of my horns gouges across his rib cage. His massive hand, instead of snapping my spine, flares out and swats me away towards the floor. I slam into the cold stone and feel the inky black tentacles rising up from the ground to encase myself as well. 

"Not bad for cur runt." Taurranous says pivoting to face my prone body

Before I respond, I gaze intently on the wound I caused, and see that my motive has gone unnoticed by the bull lord. "My aim was not to cut you. It was to poison you. No?"

Taurranous' eyes shot down at the bleeding wound on his chest, green foam had already frothed out of the gash, spilling it's wasting power through the veins of the minotaur. 

"Arrr!" The massive bull lord bellows and the walls tremble with a fear they've known for far too long. Taurranous kicks away another tentacle and bends down to heft me off the floor. 

Corridorian ends her _Evard's black tentacles_ spell and sends a _flare_ through Taurranous' field of vision. The bull lord's attention is turned away from me and focuses on the small firelight that flits through the air in front of him. I grab his muscled arm with both of my hands, and twist my body in his grip, allowing my mouth to run across the back of his hairy claw that holds me upright. Finding a soft spot I bite down and break his skin, the magic of my collar sends another round of poisonous fluid into Taurranous' bloodstream.

Taurranous reflexively drops me and land hooves first onto the floor, as the bull lord writhes in agony, I watch as he seems to shrink. What was once a six foot height difference has now become half that. The bull lord staggers and strains to keep himself standing, even his bellowing of pain sounds more like a panicked plea for help, than a commanding cry of intimidation. Taurranous grasps his bitten hand like a tourniquet, trying in vain to stave off the wasting effect that roils through his body. 

I grab the throat of the once great bull lord, and pull his face down to mine. Taurranous coughs and wheezes as the poison strains his lungs. "This is my tribe now. No?" My words cause Taurranous to open his eyes in anger. I mouth the words of a spell slowly, enunciating every syllable as if to defy the depths of hell. In the instant before the effect is unleashed, the palm of my hand illuminates and in the growing light of arcane energy, fear finally settles in the eyes of Taurranous.

The _scorching ray_ spell sears through the soft flesh of the bull lord's neck, and strikes the ceiling above him. Taurranous' head lops off as the bull lord's body crumples to the floor, his head seems to hang in midair for a second longer before coming to rest alongside of the defeated minotaur.


----------



## Jon Potter

Wow!

Go Paquito! Who'd have thunk it?


----------



## Ed Cha

It's nice to see another great story hour from you, Hairy Minotaur! Again, your stuff really reads like a novel. I like what you've done with the minotaurs and creating a brutal and oppressive atmosphere. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The enemy's plan frays*

The party meets the antsy Nameroc and head out just after dawn, Nameroc implores the band to pick up the pace and move quicker. Nameroc stresses that the longer it takes for them to rescue Paquito, the greater the chance there will be nothing left of him to save.  The giants however accepting Paquito's death, keep to a brisk walk and avoid and all out run. As the party gets close to four miles out of Mirwood, Nameroc slows down and asks if the party wants a quick rest before assaulting the maze. 

As the party nears a clearing, Finrod notices a change in the air. "Hey, you guys smell that? Smells like stagnant water."

"Now that you mention it, I smell it too. The birds have apparently also smelled it, as they have ceased singing." Benat replies. She takes a quick look around her immediate area and notices that there has been a lot of foot traffic in this area recently.

"Watch out, I see them. Just entering the clearing!" Nameroc shouts and the party readies themselves for battle.

Up ahead the party spots a sizable force of lizardmen about 150' from the party, through the trees they count at least a dozen lizardmen. The central figure appears to be the same lizardman who stone shaped the cave entrance days earlier, to his left is a chain wielding troll. The regular lizardmen are fanned out from the shaman in a crescent pattern. 

Korg instantly mouths the words to his _enlarge_ spell and touches Gronar, sprouting the giant to huge heights. Gronar moves up to position himself between the lizardmen and the rest of the party. Korg follows as Benat activates her winged boots, flies up near tree top level, and sends an arrow into the stomach of the shaman. Nameroc fires an arrow as well, but misses and Finrod moves up and to the right of the giants, taking up a position behind a wide pine tree about 40' from Korg.

The regular lizardmen all advance toward the party, trying as best they can to keep their half moon formation as they move through the clearing and into the trees. The shaman raises his hands to the sky and cries out an indecipherable word, the skies overhead began to darken as the rumble of distant thunder could be heard closing in. The troll holds it's ground waiting to see if Gronar would move up or hang back. 

Gronar takes out a rock from his pouch and throws a strike into the shaman's head knocking back the lizardman a couple of feet while it tries to shake the cobwebs out. Korg casts _Shield of Faith_ on Gronar, Benat fires into the shaman as well, this time landing both arrows into the amphibian. Finrod moves up to the next tree to the northeast and takes cover behind it, and he was now only 40' from the far left of the lizardman forces. Finrod notices that these lizardmen have somewhat wider mouths than any lizardmen he's seen before, he chalks it up to natural selection and thinks nothing of it. Nameroc misses again with a crossbow shot. 

"I think you're getting worse with that thing. Why don't you try your amazing rolling ball of severe rug burn?" Benat shouts from her elevated position. 

"It's only got a short range on it, I was hoping I could help take some of them down before I have to resort to using my spells." Nameroc replies


The lizardman shaman calls forth a bolt of lightening from the sky, the bolt lights up the battlefield as it streaks through the huge Gronar. Shaking the bolt off, Gronar waits as the lizardman line advances again. Gronar cleaves through the two nearest foes, and spears another through a sapling. Benat flies to the cover of a large elm tree and fires at the shaman again, and connects twice. Finrod waits for the two closest lizardmen to advance, he watches as they  close to only 10' from him. The lizardmen stop abruptly and open their wide mouths, a long sticky tongue emerges one of which misses the elf and snags a tree branch, the other tongue however hits it's mark and wraps itself around the elven fighter. 

"Help! They've got me! Watch out for their tongues!" Finrod shouts as he loses his balance and falls forward, face first into the grass.

Gronar strikes down two more lizardmen before they could close, then jabs at the charging troll, who's bloodlust could no longer be denied. The spear drives deep, as the troll whips it's chain into Gronar's stomach. The giant is overcome with waves of nausea and falls to his knees and begins retching onto the ground in front of him. The shaman sends another bolt of lightning crashing into the preoccupied Gronar, this one leaving a large welt and the smell of burnt hair. Korg moves up and casts _dispel magic_ on his friend, dispelling the nausea, _enlarge_, _shield of faith_, and six enchantments the troll had on itself. 

"Wow, Korg never do that good of job before. It must be sign from Umtala. Korg smite Umtala!" The giant shouts 


Benat catches movement out of the corner of her eyes, and turns to find three more lizardmen advancing on the rear of the party near Nameroc. She calls out to her fellow elf, a warning of advancing enemies, and fires into the lizardman who has Finrod trapped. 

Unable to break free of the tongue's grasp, Finrod is pulled closer to the lizardman, as he and his accomplice slash into the grappled elf with their short swords. Feeling better, Gronar raises his head and sees the form of a large minotaur charging through the forest behind the shaman. Gronar watches as the unsuspecting shaman is gored by the charging bullman, the giant pushes himself off the ground and tells Korg to follow him. Gronar sprints off to the west and is followed by Korg. 

"Where we go Gronar? Friends still fighting." Korg asks

"Gronar need healing very much badly. Korg heal Gronar way over there, where Gronar not get hit with angry sky light, then Gronar go back and save elfys." Gronar replies


Benat yells for the giants to come back, and as she turns to ask Nameroc what he wants to do, she is hit by a crossbow bolt to her kidney. Tracing the bolt's path back to it's origin, Benat finds it in the hands of Nameroc. 

"Not so bad a shot now am I?" Nameroc shouted at Benat. 

"What are you doing?!" Benat almost begs the question to Nameroc, then watches as the three rear advancing Lizardman run past Nameroc completely ignoring the elf. She then understands all too well what is transpiring.

"Nameroc's turned traitor!" Benat yells

Benat flies to the other side of the elm, and fires into the lizardman who's tongue has Finrod trapped, the arrows drop the beast. Finrod takes the opportunity to run away from the battle to the east.

The minotaur throws down a darkness spell around the shaman, who trips and falls in the darkness, in front of the minotaur. The darkness also manages to trap the returning troll, who was coming to save the shaman. Unable to see, the skies offer no further electrical attacks from the shaman. 

Unable to outrun the lizardmen, Finrod finds himself surrounded. He decides to try and break through the circle of amphibians, but he is lashed by a tongue and pulled in close to a lizardman. Benat fires arrows into Nameroc, shouting traitor the entire time. Gronar and Korg race back to the battle after Korg spends twenty seconds shoving as many cure wounds spells as he could into Gronar. The minotaur moves south coming within 20' of Gronar who whirls and thrusts his spear into the chest of the minotaur, knocking it off it's feet and onto it's back.

"Gronar, it is I Paquito. You do not recognize me. No?" Paquito says

"No, you not Pokey. Pokey much smaller than you." Gronar replies

"Korg think is 'nother trick by lizards. Stab it again Gronar." Korg says supporting his large friend.

"No, it is I. You showed me your painting yesterday remember. You are a very handsome giant. No?" Paquito responds laying down on the ground trying to appear less threatening

"You show Pokey painting of Korg?" Korg asks Gronar

"No, it is painting of Gronar." Gronar replies digging through his backpack and retrieving the mirror. "See." 

"Korg sees painting of Korg." The giant replies

"No, look Gronar is in painting." Gronar says showing it to Korg again

"Hey! can we kill the bad guys first. Argue later?" Benat shouts

"Oh right!" Korg answers moving up and slicing through a lizardman.

Gronar turns and apologizes to Paquito before cleaving through two more lizardmen. Benat continues her one woman crusade against Nameroc, piercing the man's skin with two more arrows.

Paquito rolls onto his stomach and props his head up with his left hand, then fires two _magic missiles_ into Nameroc, he then notices the troll crawl it's way out of the darkness and run off to the north. 

Gronar and Korg sweep through four more lizardman as Finrod is freed by the death of the lizardman whose tongue is holding him. Paquito fires _magic missiles_ from his comfy spot on the forest floor, killing Nameroc. Benat takes off after a retreating lizardman and hunts him down, assuming that there are no longer any survivors, she returns to the party.

"Paquito is it really you?" Benat asks from the end of an arrow shaft

"Yes, I managed to escape, unfortunately they sprung the ambush before I could arrive. No?" Paquito responds

"Where's Nameroc?" Finrod asks

"He is safe, I will take you to him later." Paquito says

"You'll take me to him now!" Benat demands

"There is no time. The remaining minotaurs are attacking Mirwood as we speak, this was just a ruse to get the giants away from the village. No?" Paquito pleads

"If you are lying to me, I will flay you inch by inch." Benat's cold blues eyes flicker an angry red. 

"Yes, well, good luck with that. No?" Paquito responds to himself. 

The party turns and races back towards Mirwood.



_DM's note:  Paquito is now large sized, having gone up a level and taking that enhancement when he defeated Taurranous. Paquito gored the shaman again, killing him behind the cover of darkness from the party._


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Wear high boots and watch where you step*

The party races back to Mirwood, as Paquito relates his story of daring, determination, and courage unbounded in killing Taurranous.

"I knew it was now or never, with my hands tied behind my back and then again to each of my feet, I leapt off the stone hand. The huge man turned to face me with a snarl and the glint of death in his eye." Paquito begins

"B.S." Benat interjects

"Shh... Gronar like story so far." Gronar tells Benat, putting his index finger to his mouth. 

"He thought I would be easy pickings, he didn't even bother to swat me away. I twisted my head down and I gored his eyes out! Taurranous fell to the floor kicking and wailing like kobold child. I rolled up to my feet, and moved in for the kill." Paquito continued

"Pokey brave little, er Korg mean big bullman." Korg said as Paquito now stood taller than Gronar.

"Taurranous wasn't done yet, he stood back up to face me, still over three feet taller than me and easily that much wider. His magical sight ability kicked in and he could see me even though his eyes slung low from their sockets, each one pierced by my horns of doom. He pointed at me and said 'to the death', it was then I knew he had to die." Paquito relates

"Wait, that part right there. That's when you knew he had to die? Not when he was getting ready to sacrifice you, or when he sent that shapeshifter out to have us ambushed?" Benat asks

"Shhh!" comes the combined response from the giants

"So there I was, still hog tied and without my spells. It was looking bleak, the rest of the minotaurs stopped fighting so as to watch the death battle that was about to begin. Silence draped itself over the room like a shroud, torches flickered and spiders scurried away. With a snort and a scrape, Taurranous charged me. Quickly thinking, I twisted my body at just the right moment, and he gored his own man standing behind me." Paquito said pumping his arm in a goring motion

"Dumb bullman. Even Gronar know not to kill own slave." Gronar replied

"I called out to the minotrices in the room to stand up and strike down their oppressive leadership, in unison the females rallied around me and they drove their spears through the hearts of the gawking males. I knew I had won the battle of public perception, the maze mage was just gushing compliments about my combat prowess. She cast lightning bolt after lightning bolt into the ceiling, the blue crackles of light confused Taurranous. That's when I charged again, this time from the back and I tore out his liver and left lung in one strike. The huge man laid there bleeding, his life draining away like a fish in air. Paquito had won the day. No?" Paquito finishes and takes a bow to hearty clapping from the giants.

"That has got to be the single most inflated over hyped piece of crap I've ever heard in my entire life. That load of B.S. wouldn't even qualify as comedy for a bard, it's so outrageous." Benat fumes

"Elfy just mad because she can't tell story as good as Pokey." Gronar responds

"My stories are all true! If I wanted to create a giant pile of stinking refuse, I could and it would sound better than that drivel." Benat answers

The giants give Paquito high fives and slap him on the back for a job well done.

"Oh great, push his ego even higher. That's just what we need. By the way what did you do to Nameroc?" Benat asks

"I have instructed the minotrices to take care of him, his hands and feet were crushed so he would only slow me down as I raced back here to save you from the shaman. No?" Paquito gloats

"Gronar train Pokey good. Pokey not even need big ass sword to fight." Gronar congratulates the minotaur.

"Hey, Paquito. Where did you say the attack was coming from?" Finrod asks

Turning to face the elf, Paquito sees the forest ahead ablaze with all colors of light. Huge tree tops could be seen moving within and around the village. The slight breeze carried with it the scent of blood and the soft sound of a thousand screams. Benat tears through the underbrush in a mad dash back to the village. Finrod does his best to keep up as the giants and Paquito bring up the rear. 

They emerge from the forest just north of the festival hall. Benat sees great trees, with elf battlements attached to them, lumbering through the thickets surrounding the village. All manner of goblinkind poured into the village proper like boiling poisoned water, they flowed into every open area like an infection. Hatred burned in Benat's eyes as she took aim at the roiling black mass and was set to let fly an arrow when.....

"You there! Help us!" An elven voice broke through Benat's concentration

The rest of the party filled in behind Benat as she made her way to a group of elves and a large pile of what looked like foliage. 

"The minotaurs broke through the floor of the festival hall, they slaughtered dozens of elves before most of them even realized there was a battle to be fought. We won't be able to hold them much longer." Benat recognizes the speaker as a priest from the temple

"Move out of way, Gronar ready to show Pokey how you supposed to kill other Pokeys." Gronar tells the elves

The four elves look at each other, then back at the party. Then move aside, the large coalesced pile of flora shuffles off to the right of the door as well, leaving a slimy mud trail in it's wake. Benat recognizes the thing as a shambling mound. Once it takes it's form off of the door, the head of a battle axe thrusts it's way through the wooden portal. Flames dance along the edge of it's blade and the sound of distant thunder echoes off the splintering door. 

"I smell more elves out here! Bullarn, quit working on that wall, the door is almost smashed." Shouts a minotaur's voice from beyond the door.


----------



## Droid101

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> "B.S." Benat interjects.



What a stick in the mud.

Good stuff.


----------



## Jon Potter

Droid101 said:
			
		

> What a stick in the mud.




That brings up a good point. Was the Paquito storyline played out separately so that the rest of the players REALLY didn't know what had transpired or is Benat's player just roleplaying this reaction?

It's really funny that Paquito really was rather heroic against Taurranus but he still felt the need to lie about what happened to the point of absurdity. It really says a lot about him.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> That brings up a good point. Was the Paquito storyline played out separately so that the rest of the players REALLY didn't know what had transpired or is Benat's player just roleplaying this reaction?
> 
> It's really funny that Paquito really was rather heroic against Taurranus but he still felt the need to lie about what happened to the point of absurdity. It really says a lot about him.




Paquito's heroics were played out entirely separately from the rest of the group. Nameroc's player was brought in at the end and was told the role he was to play (try to get the party out of Mirwood as soon as possible, the doppleganger couldn't cast spells, so *Nameroc* had to come up with good excuses as to why we wasn't using his _flaming sphere_). When Paquito appeared on the board behind the shaman, the party thought it was going to be TPK night, since they didn't know Paquito had become large sized. 

Staying in character, Paquito proceeded to embelish his heroics again. Paquito is all about bluff and intimidate. He's got magic items that buff those skills, a feat that buffs those skills, and he maxed out those skills. Plus as a sorcerer his charisma is already high. Paquito's bluff vs. Benat's sense motive has proven to be a constant staple in the game.     

The real test for Paquito comes at the end of the next update.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*T.m.i.*

The door splinters, unable to hold back the assault form the minotaur chopping at it from the inside of the festival hall. Gronar and Korg form an impressive 20' line, 20' from the doorway. Followed by Benat and then Paquito and Finrod. Filling the door frame is a large minotaur covered in banded plate, it wields a greataxe in each hand. Snarling at the two giants, it charges into the party.

The two elves flanking the door, miss with their longswords as the minotaur raises his weapons in preparation of making Korg an armless giant. The minotaur bellows out a challenge as it leaps into the air at the giant cleric, before the minotaur is able to cut down Korg, the shambling mound extends it's tendrils around the throat and left arm of the minotaur. Jerking back it's descent and slamming the brute on the ground in front of the giants. 

Gronar stabs into the prone minotaur, and blood gushes forth from underneath it's breastplate. Korg follows that up with a backhanded slice from his greatsword, shearing off most of the minotaur's right quadriceps. Bleeding and helpless, the minotaur struggles to break free of the organic rope around his neck. Paquito casts _ray of enfeeblement_, the minotaur writhes in agony as it's strength is drained away from it. Benat flies off to the left of the minotaur and plants two arrows into the side of it's head, blinding the beast in it's right eye. 

The shambling mound begins to slowly drag the minotaur back to itself. Struggling against hope, the minotaur kicks and turns itself over onto it's stomach as it fights the grappling foliage creature. Gronar sees the undefended opening, and powers his spear through the minotaur with the force of two giants. Thus ending the threat from the unit's leader. Another minotaur rushes out to take up the empty space, and is cut down by Korg's mighty sword. Another rushes out and gets two arrows from Benat, and another from Finrod.

"Cease this nonsense! As your new bullord, I command you to halt your aggressions!" Paquito yells out at the attacking minotaurs.

"Ha! you lie! Taurranous would eat you for lunch. You're mouth will mark you as next to die." comes the response from inside the hall.

"I think it is you who will be dying this day." Finrod replies

The shambling mound grabs the minotaur in front of Korg around it's neck and slams the head of the beast onto the ground behind him. Snapping it's neck and ending it's threat. Another minotaur leaps from the steps of the festival hall, and is eviscerated by Gronar's spear. The next minotaur is a little more cautious as it sticks it's head out from the doorway and gets an arrow through his cheek from the elven village defender. 

"Go!" Comes the shout from inside the hall, as the minotaur in the doorway gets kicked through the portal and into a furry of attacks from the elves and Korg. 

The beast's innards are turned to hamburger by the whirling blades of the defenders, another rushes from the hall and is snatched up by the shambling mound, which squeezes the life out of the monster. Another moves out to take it's place and gets mowed down by the combined effort of Gronar and Korg. A momentary silence envelopes the area, the two elven defenders flanking the doorway peer in and announce that there is only one minotaur left inside, cowering behind the bar near the back of the hall.

Paquito moves up to the doorway, "I am your new leader! There will be peace!" Paquito shouts.

"Out of the way Paquito!" Benat shouts 

Benat, not wanting to end this in a diplomatic standoff, flies to the doorway and fires an arrow into the left leg of the hiding minotaur.

"Fine, I believe you. Stop shooting." The minotaur pleads

Paquito moves into the door frame, blocking any further shoots from Benat. 

"Hey, get out of the way Paquito!" Benat shouts

Ignoring Benat, Paquito addresses the wounded minotaur. "Take the arrow from your leg, and return to Corridorian. She will confirm my story and show you the dead body of Taurranous. Go now." Paquito commands.

The minotaur gets up and recedes back down the open floor in the kitchen. Benat flies to the window near the rear of the festival hall, she spies the minotaur retreating through the erupted floor and attempts to kick in the window. After a few good kicks and the window not giving, Benat, exasperated at letting the enemy flee, turns her attentions to the rest of the village. She sees that the elven defenders are successfully repelling the invaders. A massive wall of dead and dying goblins lay piled up near the eastern edge of the village. A huge treant moves through the attacking force like a scythe through wheat. Battered and broken bodies are flung in every direction, Benat takes aim at a few that look like they might attempt to crawl away. She plunges her arrows into their shocked heads before they hit the ground. 

Finrod runs into the center of town looking for Valriand, and takes swipes at anything goblinoid that's still moving on the ground. Gronar moves up to inspect the shambling mound, as Paquito exits the hall and Korg gathers the armored minotaur's possessions.

"Gronar think mulch pile make good fighter. Where can Gronar buy one like that?" Gronar says to the smaller elf

"Pray hard." The cleric replies and leads his divine gift off to give more support to the victorious elves.

"We thank you immensely, we will surely tell the elder of your deeds this day. Please go in peace." The others elves shake Gronar's large hand and follow the elven cleric into the village. 

"Pray hard? Gronar not know you could pray soft." Gronar says out loud, trying to get his mind around the elves' response.

"Praying not hard, is easy. Korg pray all the time. Korg praying right now, Gronar can't tell right?" Korg replies


Benat returns to the group, "We need to go save Nameroc." 

"I told you he is safe. No?" Paquito says

"Yes, you told me that. Now prove it." Benat answers

"Ugh, very well. I shall take you to him. No?" Paquito replies.

"Maybe elfy know. Hey elfy, how you pray hard?" Gronar asks

"I couldn't possibly begin to explain that to someone as undevout as yourself." Benat retorts

"Un..de..vute? Korg what un..de..vute mean?" Gronar asks

"Korg not know, Korg smite un..de..vout." Korg responds

"Ah! that's it. I'm going to teach you a new word Korg. How about nurture? Can you say that with me?" Finrod asks

"Nur-ture, Korg learn new word!" Korg shouts clapping his hands and jumping for joy. 

"No, you have to learn the meaning of the word. Not just how to say it." Finrod replies

"Korg nurture meaning of smite!" Korg shouts 


"Which way do we go? Back through the tunnel or overland?" Finrod asks

After deliberation, the party decides to trek overland back to the maze. Paquito leads them through the empty passageways and vacant rooms, to the shrine room. Nameroc lays moaning in pain as the group enters, Benat rushes to his side and ascertains that Nameroc's wrists and ankles were crushed. 


"Your touch is all that kept me going m'lady. Even as I lay in anguish the thought of your sweet caress fueled me forth." Nameroc mutters to Benat

"Ooo.. Benat and Nameroc sitting in a tree. K-i-s" Paquito's singing is interrupted by the back of Benat's hand.

"Obviously he is in severe pain." Benat says

"Korg will smite his pain! No Korg will nurture his pain!" Korg shouts, the words cause Nameroc to wince instinctively.

"Shut up! You're scaring the hell out of him." Benat admonishes Korg

"Korg will nurture the hell out of his smite!" Korg shouts to Gronar's approval.


The party gets an eyeful of the devilish altar that nearly fills the back of the room. It's squatting form looks as if it could topple under it's own weight at any moment. The minotaur Paquito set free bows it's head as his new bull lord enters the room. 

"See, I told you he would be safe in the hands of my people." Paquito says proudly

"You make it sound as if you set them free, I surmise it was probably the other way around." Benat answers

"Believe it any way you wish. I have command over my own tribe of minotaurs, if that bothers you so be it. I intend to broker a peace with the elven elder, and make lots of babies. No?" Paquito replies, licking his fingers and running them through the thick hair on his head in an attempt to smooth it out. 

"Where treasure room?" Gronar asks Paquito, who gives him a blank stare

"Perhaps it is down that hallway. No?" Paquito asks Corridorian

"I do not know, I am not allowed down that hallway." Corridorian answers

"Treasury." Benat and Finrod answer in unison

Gronar heads towards the passage and sticks his head around the corner and sees a large wooden door, a searing heat scorches his very soul, and the giant flings himself back into the altar room. 

"What happened?" Benat asks

"Head on fire." Gronar replies with the best description he can give.

Paquito retrieves Chip and sends him down to scout out the passageway, Chip returns saying there is a cube shaped force that prevents him from getting close to whatever is at the end of the hallway. 

Korg hefts up the body of Taurranous and casts _speak with dead_.

"How you get to door in hallway." The giant asks

"I walk there." Comes the grating reply

"Why Gronar get hurt in hallway?" Korg asks

"I have no information on that subject." Comes the eerie reply

"How Korg get to door in hallway?" Korg asks

"You walk to it." Comes the moaning reply

"Ask what's in the room." Benat urges the giant

"Yeah, What in room?" Korg asks

"The altar to my god, two hill giants, two minotaurs, 2 minotrices, a maze mage, three elves, four dead bodies." Comes the reply

"No! what's in that room!?" Korg says pointing down the hallway at the door, but the magic has faded and the contact with Taurranous's spirit has been lost. "Stupid pokey." Korg says throwing the deceased body back to the floor.

"Great. Lots of help that got us." Benat says throwing her hands in the air. "Hey, I've got an idea, lets throw one of the dead bodies down the hall and see what happens." 

"Ok." Gronar replies snatching up a dead minotrice and dragging to the hallway

"Um, lets not. Maybe we could go back to the village and get a dead goblin. No?" Paquito objects

"No, that would take way too long. Besides you weren't going to mate with this one anyway were you?" Benat asks

Paquito looks around nervously and clears his throat. "Well of course not, heh. But, can we clear out the room of the ladies before you violate the deceased. I do not want them traumatized. No?" Paquito pleads

"Oh, fine." Benat answers and ushers the maze mage and minotrices out of the room. Gronar then tosses the dead minotrice into the hall, yet nothing happens. 

Paquito then strides to the hallway. "Wait." Korg calls to the minotaur, "Korg cast spell _(shield other)_ on Pokey."

Paquito then enters the hallway and feels an oppressive force trying to push his spirit back out of the hallway. Korg feels the same sensations as well and calls for Paquito to come back out of the hallway. 

"You. Go down there and bring everything in that room back here." Paquito orders the last minotaur.

"Gladly sire, I live to serve." The minotaur runs down the hall, opens the door, then slams it shut. "Ha! Come get me." 

"Ok, who here did NOT know that was going to happen." Benat asks pointing at Paquito

"What we do now?" Korg asks

"We wait, Pokey has to eat sometime." Gronar states

The party waits through the night, in the morning Benat casts _augury_  and gets an inconclusive reply when asked if Paquito must be a bull lord to traverse the hallway.

After another four hours of waiting, the minotaur in the room brokers a deal to bring out all the items in the room if the party promises to spare it's life and give it some food. It brings out some gold and a clay basin, but not much else. The party concludes that there must be a secret door in the room. The party decides to return to Mirwood and see if there is any answers for this problem.

Before leaving Corridorian, Paquito hands her 2,400 in gold from Taurranous's pouch to help fund the new tribe. He promises her he will return with peace between them and the elves.


----------



## Droid101

Ha ha...

Some strange issues you run into when there are giants who aren't very smart in the party.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Gronar and hill giant's history.*

Oral history as told by Brojnar Boulderhoulder, shaman to Granite tribe:


"Listen children as I tell you tale of long time past. In past Granite's were not only giants, there was cold giants who lived on top of big mountains, hot giants who liked to live near exploding mountains with fire rocks, cloud giants who lived on top of clouds in sky." Brojnar starts

"Ooh!." Gasps the assembled children

"There was even giants who were so big, they could play with the lightning from the gods anger." Brojnar states

"Where they now?" Asks a small child

"Don't interrupt me when I tell story, Brojnar lose place and have to start over." Brojnar answers, the children next to the one who asked the question elbow him in the side to drive home the point.

"One day giants even bigger than the lightning giants come. They tell Granite tribe we have to come with them, we go to new home. Some giants not like that idea and they fight biggest giants, but lose. Granite tribe forced to go with biggest giants back to this place." Brojnar says spreading his arms out to indicate the area around him.

"When Granite tribe gets here, biggest giant tell us we have to dig in ground for shiny rocks and give to biggest giants. But, only the littlest Granites could fit in mines, biggest giants take away tallest of Granites and they never come back. Soon all that left is little Granites." Brojnar tells

"When Jurnaorck grows up, Jurnaorck going to be biggest Granite." Says a child proudly, referring to himself.

"Hey, now you make Brojnar lose place in story." The shaman says

"You said little Granites." A child speaks up

"Oh yes, Brojnar remember now. Pokeys also here at new Granite home, they boss Granite's around, make Granites slaves. If Granites try to fight back, then the biggest giants come and take away whole giant family, no one never sees them again. Granites soon stop fighting and just do what pokeys say." Brojnar continues

"Gurgtoc not ever do what pokeys say, what wrong with old Granites?" A child, Gurgtoc inquires.

"Pokeys tell biggest giants, then biggest giant come and squish you. No one never wins against biggest giants. Granites work in mines long time, longer than anyone remembers, longer than the trees live. Then one day elfys and elfys children* come and say we no have to listen to pokeys anymore. First we not believe pointy ears but their children* pick fight with pokeys, and the biggest giants don't come to help them. That's when Granites knew elfys tell truth. Then Granite tribe help elfys fight pokeys, Granite tribe beats pokeys and make them Granite tribe's slaves." Brojnar says

"Yay!" comes the response from the assembled children

"Granite tribe now live in own caves, and work when want to work, not when pokeys say." Brojnar finishes.


Gronar's personal history:

Gronar grew up the middle child of a family of miners, both his parents worked the mines and Gronar too knew in time he would be working them as well. Since the hill giants society as a whole is born of limited intelligence, Gronar's teachings were ones of oral history and repetition. 

Gronar liked the thrill of the hunt, the chase of the prey, and the good eats after it was killed. His first opportunity for bear meat however, met with not so favorable results. Gronar had followed a small cub to a small stream where it stopped for a drink in the water. Gronar rushed the bear thinking it a quick kill, only to find it's mother had tracked Gronar. Before the young Gronar knew what had happened, the bear had torn a nasty wound into the giant's gut. Bleeding and dizzy, Gronar found himself dying alone and quickly.

Gronar awoke days later back in his own bed. He learned that a young hill giant had happened upon him and saved his life. Once he was strong enough to walk, Gronar searched out his savior. He learned that this giant was a priest in the temple of Umtala, Gronar knew that the priests there kept to themselves, so much so that they were considered to be out of touch with reality. Gronar reached the temple but the giant he was looking for, Korg, refused to see him. Gronar waited nine days before Korg relented and allowed Gronar in to see him. 

They talked for days, Gronar was fascinated by Korg's piety and "magic", while Korg was fascinated by Gronar's tales of hunting and of other races. Their friendship grew over the next ten years, and when Korg was given the assignment to seek out other hill giants on this newly settled continent, Korg knew he would need Gronar's help with diplomacy, for Gronar had interacted with countless races as he grew up, while Korg's life had been sheltered and restricted to other giants.

Conflicted between staying with what he knew and going where he knew no one and nothing, Gronar debated over several days trying to decide what to do. In the end it was Korg's passion for Umtala that convinced Gronar that what Korg was going to do was right and that Korg would need Gronar's help to make sure no one took advantage of his naive friend.


_*halflings (the hill giants mistook them as the elves children)_


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> ...Korg would need Gronar's help to make sure no one took advantage of his naive friend.




Oh, yes! Gronar is sharp as a tack! No one'll take advantage of him!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*R&R? Not likely*

The party returns to Mirwood, Benat is moved to tears as the town is in full swing trying to put itself back together again. Even the festival hall has been returned to a meeting place for elves. Korg and Gronar carry the crippled Nameroc to the elven temple, while Paquito and the other elves head off to gain an audience with the elder.

"Terrible injury, this will require a full heal or better yet, a regeneration spell." The priest tells Nameroc

"But, you can heal me right?" Nameroc asks 

"Well, we have the capabilities to do so, however after the raid on our town, our resources are limited." The priest answers

"What does that mean? I'll be stuck like this for days? Maybe weeks?" Nameroc laments

"Well, I'm unable to provide this service to you free of charge, I'm afraid I will have to ask for the material contributions from you in order to heal you in a timely manner." The priest responds

"Ok, how much we talking?" Nameroc asks

"Four thousand." Comes the reply

"Oh no, I don't even have half that. Isn't there something else you can do? Maybe just do my hands now?" Nameroc implores

"I'm afraid not, not for a while anyway." Answers the priest

"How 'bout Gronar kill elfy now and then you bring elfy back as something else? Reed in cairn ate, Gronar heard elfy talk about that last time." Gronar asks as he unsheathes his sword

"What! Kill me? Are you insane?" Nameroc replies

"No, Gronar in temple. Korg dead before and he all better now." Gronar says as Korg nods in agreement. "See there nothing to be afraid of." 

"That won't be necessary, maybe I, we can come to some other arrangement?" The priest offers

"Gronar think reed in cairn eight is best plan, what you think Korg?" Gronar asks

"Korg say maybe elfy come back as giant?" Korg says as Gronar's eyes light up at the prospect of another giant in the party. 

Gronar raises his sword over Nameroc, but becomes dejected when he discovers that Nameroc is standing, fully healed.

"Aw, now Gronar not get to see elfy turn into giant. Oh well, now Gronar not have to carry elfy around any longer." The giant comments

"You are going to owe me huge." The priest whispers to Nameroc

"And I will gladly pay." Nameroc replies, as he watches the giants retreat out of the temple. 

The giants spy Paquito, Benat, and Finrod loitering around the base of the elder's tree and advance to them.

"Korg think this bad spot to wait at, no one never brings mead here." Korg says offering his own interpretation of what the others are doing here.

"The elder has yet to return from an errand, so we're waiting here so as to best catch him, when he does return." Finrod replies

"Hey, you think Gronar get reward for killing pokeys?" Gronar asks

"I think we can arrange something." The elder interjects before anyone in the party can.

The elder thanks the party for their efforts in stopping the minotaurs from causing any more damage than they did. He offers the party five potions and a ring for their troubles. Benat takes the ring and everyone else grabs a potion, the elder tells them that the potions are from a secret elven concoction and they are greatly more powerful than anything they are likely to ever see. He tells Benat that the ring will grow more powerful over time and to not let it fall into enemy hands. The party thanks the elder for his generosity and they take leave. 

Benat heads to the festival hall, and offers to perform for free, the patrons gladly accept and she sings them the tale of a small and insignificant beast who rises up and defeats his oppressive master. She captivates the audience with her rendition of Paquito's plight as the song would come to be known.

Paquito retires to his room at the elven magic school, and while unpacking comes across a rock he lifted from Taurranous' body. Casting _detect magic_, Paquito determines that it is of great necromantic strength. He takes the rock to Luinphayl and asks if he's seen anything like this before. Luinphayl asks to see the rock, and then asks that Paquito step outside while he performs some tests on it. After a couple of minutes, he has Paquito enter his room.

"This rock has been enchanted with a _horrid wilting_ spell, I suggest you keep it somewhere where it is not likely to fall out." Luinphayl tells Paquito

"So what do I do with it?" Paquito naively asks

"Just toss and get out of the way, it's good for deforestation, or drying up a small pond, or section of a stream." Luinphayl replies 

"What good is this going to do? Maybe you should keep it?" Paquito says offering the rock to his teacher.

"No, I'm afraid if I kept it, I would just end up knocking it off onto the floor. Then I would really be in a pickle, besides, I'm sure it's usefulness will reveal itself in time." Luinphayl responds with a smile.

"Ok, I guess I'll keep it then." Paquito replies

"Excellent, now tell me, have you had an opportunity to use your key yet?" Luinphayl inquires

"Uh, no. I have not." Paquito answers

"In due time I'm sure." Luinphayl says with a wink.

Paquito takes his leave of his teacher and retires to his own chamber.

Benat learns, as she mingles through the night, that there has been no mention of a traitor being captured, or any of the fallen elves turning into something else upon their deaths. The only information she's able to glean, is that the cemetery has been deemed off limits as of yesterday, which during this time of mourning seems like an odd thing to do. Benat resolves to find out more when morning arrives, but for the time being it feels good to amongst friends and "family". 

Nameroc stretches his aching back muscles, having swept the entire floor of the temple's foundry. Although he was glad he received the healing he required, so he was not going to complain about what he agreed for his payment. 

"One week down here won't be so bad, it'll fly right by and I'll be done." The elf said as he blew out the last of the lamps on his way to the stairs.

The deep red glow of the foundry makes the whole floor seem as if it was out of a demonic nightmare, he wondered what other "rooms" the temple had that the town proper didn't know about. For he had lived his entire life, over two hundred years, and never once knew a temple to keep their own foundry. He gave a heavy sigh thinking about what might be his duties tomorrow, as long as they didn't involve cistern work he would be happy. 

Finrod bought up some time at the town's weaponsimthy in an attempt to forge his own masterwork weapon. Finrod had paid the smith for the uses of the forge and for the steel he would use in forging his longsword. The sound of clanging echoed through the night as Finrod worked at a fever pace, he vowed to show Benat and the giants, that he was useful to have around. As he neared completion, Finrod could tell it was going to be a spectacular piece, he wondered if he shouldn't sell it and reinvest the money in his next dream creation. 

Finrod cooled the blade one last time, and swung the sword around his head. "Perfectly balanced" he thought to himself, the metal seemed to glow in the early morning moonlight. Finrod struck the blade flat against the anvil and heard the perfect tone, he flipped the blade and struck the other side against the anvil. *Snap* *clang* the blade had broken off at the hilt. It seemed almost impossible, he had labored all night only to produce a high quality piece of scrap metal. Humbled, Finrod leaves the smith's shop and heads to the festival hall to drink his morning away.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*I have another idea*

Finrod passes Korg on his way to the festival hall, and the giant waves him down.

"Elfy out late, elfy want some mead?" Korg asks

*sigh* "Sure Korg, I'll take a drink, or two, or three." Finrod replies

"Ha! Now you talk like giant." Korg comments while pouring the elf a drink

"I just shattered the greatest weaponsmith accomplishment of my life." Finrod says hanging his head low

"Korg just shattered keg of mead over there, Korg not sad about it." The giant replies

"Everything was perfect, the gleam, the balance, the cut. I don't know where I went wrong." Finrod explains

"Uh, Korg like flowers." The giant says with a smile

"What? Are you even paying attention to anything I'm saying?" Finrod asks

"Korg thinking about paying elfy to make him big stick like Gronar's." Korg replies

Finrod's heart lightens at the prospect that Korg still has faith in him to make a weapon. "You'd like me to make you a weapon Korg?" 

Korg gets a look of confusion on his face. "You know how to make long stick?" Korg inquires

"Why of course, I'll even give you a discount." Finrod elatedly explains

"Ok, stick be ready tomorrow?" Korg asks

"No, it won't be ready for about two weeks. It takes a lot more material to make one of your spears than it does to make a long sword." Finrod answers

"Uh, Korg think he go talk to elfy at store then. You too slow." Korg says finishing his mug

"Wait, I'd still like to try. Maybe I can make you a better one?" Finrod says

"Korg not think so, Korg need long stick that nurture enemies. Not need it in two weeks, need it tomorrow." Korg replies

"I think you mean to smite your enemies?" Finrod corrects

"No, Korg done with smiting. Now Korg ready to crush enemies with powerful nurturing weapon!" Korg yells, waking up some sleeping elves nearby

Finrod gets up and leaves Korg to his delusions. He continues his way to the festival hall, where he awakes in the morning.

Korg gets up bright and early, just before dawn has had a chance to chase away the shadows off of the tree's leaves. Korg makes his way down to the weapon store. Unable to read the sign on the door, Korg bangs away at the door and shouts to let him in. His shouts carry through the town and are heard by Paquito who quickly leaves his room and hurries to Korg's location.

"What's wrong?" Paquito asks breathlessly

"Store not let Korg in." The giant replies

"That's because it's closed." Paquito tells Korg after reading the sign on the door

"But sun coming up, store open." Korg replies

"Yes, but it's not up yet. It's not dawn yet. Almost." Paquito answers

The two large men see a young elf bounding his way up the beaten path towards them.

"See here comes the owner now." Paquito points out to Korg

"Knock off that racket, I'm coming." The elf says as he unlocks the door

"Yay!" Korg says as he claps and hops in front of the store. "Now Korg get long stick."

Paquito decides to follow Korg into the store, he catches the store name on his way in, and thinks it's an odd name for an elf "Ronco's Emporium". Paquito enters as Korg tries to explain what he wants to the elf.

"No, like Gronar. Long stick need to have pointy end like elf ear. Korg want to nurture enemy that's way over there." Korg explains pointing at the far corner of the store.

"Well, I think I have just the thing." The elf answers, and retreats back behind a curtain in the back of the store. A few moments later he emerges, dragging what appears to be a heavy sword in a scabbard.

"No, Korg need long stick. Not need sword." Korg replies

Confused the elf drops the sword, and retreats once again behind the curtain. Paquito takes the opportunity to peruse the store's wares, he finds a nice set of sparkers and takes a couple to the counter. The elf returns with a 10' pole in his hands.

"Yes, like that only longer and with pointy end." Korg excitedly explains

"So, let me see if I have this right. You'd like a bigger, better, longer spear, that you can use to jab at people at least 15' away. Is this accurate?" The elf asks

"Uh, Korg need long stick." Korg replies

"Yes, I think that's what he's trying to say." Paquito interjects

"Ok, well. I don't have one in stock. But I could get one in four days." The elf replies

"How much jingly?" Korg says shaking is pouch of gold

"Well for you, I have a really great deal. How does four easy payments of three-hundred gold and eight silver sound?" The elf replies

"Korg think four jinglies is good price. Korg pay." Korg answers, as he grabs a small handful of coins from his pouch. 

"No, he means twelve hundred will be the final price." Paquito says

"Elfy say four easy pays, so Korg pay four easy." Korg answers as he puts about twenty gold on the counter

"Heh, that's not going to cut it there big fella', I'm going to need three hundred upfront, another three hundred in two days, and then three hundred the next day, then finally the last payment when the spear comes in." The elf relays to Korg

"No, that too much. Korg go other store, after Korg make Gronar throw this on into the ocean." Korg retorts and turns to leave.

"Wait! How about this? If you promise to tell just one other person about my store, I'll knock off one payment. So, just three easy payments of three hundred and five gold. How's that?" The elf replies

"How much that Pokey?" Korg asks Paquito

"Nine hundred and fifteen gold." The minotaur replies

"Korg not like elf attitude, still go get Gronar." Korg says reaching for the door

"Ok! I see you're an experienced negotiator. How's this for my best offer yet? Two easy payments of three hundred and five gold, plus I'll throw in this set of sparkers for your friend here for free. As long as you promise to tell just one friend about my store?" The elf replies

"How much that Pokey?" Korg asks

"Six hundred and ten gold." Paquito answers

"No thanks, Korg go elsewhere. Korg will tell one friend, Gronar, though about this place. Maybe Gronar come see you?" Korg replies as he heads out the door.

"Is he going to get the other giant?" The elf asks Paquito with worry and fear in his voice

"Probably, but hey, at least you got a referral right? Say, how much are these?" Paquito asks holding up the sparkers

"Keep 'em. I think I'll go into the mail order business. This store front business isn't for me." The elf replies

"Thanks, I'll be sure to tell some of my minotaur friends about your place too." Paquito says as he leaves with the sparkers.

"Hey Gronar, Korg have something to tell you." Korg shouts as he sees Gronar come into view

"What that Korg?" Gronar asks

"Korg wants to buy puppy, Korg remember how other elfy had big dog. Korg want big dog too." Korg says

"Ok, but Gronar not going to clean up after puppy make mess." Gronar replies

"That ok, Korg get elfy to do it." Korg says with a smile.

"Gronar think that is good plan." Gronar says as they both sit down and enjoy another keg of elven mead.

No one ever knew why Ronco closed his store after having it open only for a week. Word is he moved far away and started advertising through crystal balls to arcane types across the globe. But, that's only speculation. 

Benat and Finrod meet the giants and soon they are joined by Paquito. Paquito tells the group about his magic rock. The group decides to go after the ogre shaman next, and wipe him off the face of the earth. Benat tells the group that the elves have the ogre surrounded, and that all of his forces except for two others have been defeated. However, the elves are having a difficult time rooting out the ogre as he's holed himself up in a swamp and shape shifting ability has thus far allowed him to out maneuver the elven forces. Benat tells them all they have to overcome is a treant, a giant crocodile, and the ogre.

"How do you plan on performing that?" Finrod asks

"I have a idea." Benat answers


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The idea comes to un-fruition*

As party waits out Nameroc's service to the temple, Benat reminds the primarch that there is still a traitor about and only finding it will bring peace to the town. Benat tells the primarch about the evil shrine in the minotaur maze, and the primarch agrees that it should be dealt with. He informs Benat that he will send a contingent to the maze to research the best way to remove the altar without angering a powerful devil in the process. He also informs Benat that an opening has presented itself in the temple's Order of the Bow, and that if she is still insistent upon joining as an initiate, then she will need to make a decision very soon. 

After waiting out in town for three days, the party heads off to the northeast. After eight miles, the ground becomes noticeably wetter and the foliage begins to become sparser. The air fills with a humid mist, the sun is still readily visible through the moisture, but making out details over a half mile away is difficult. The soft pliable ground easily shows Benat that the party is on the right track, as dozens of elven boot prints cover the terrain ahead of the party. 

Korg stops and takes off his boots, for the chance to squish the soft mud through his toes.

"Hee hee, Korg likes squishy toes." The giant says sloshing through the mud

"Ooh, Gronar make mud angel." The hill giant plops backwards in the mud and begins waving his arms and legs through the soaked ground.

"What's the matter Paquito?" Nameroc asks

"I do not have toes with which to feel the mud. No?" Paquito replies

"Trust me it's not the great of a feeling. Besides with all that hair on you, you should worry about fleas, ticks, or leeches." Nameroc tells the minotaur

"Leeches? Gross, you should have informed me of this possibility prior to us leaving Mirwood. No? An archmage of my reputation should not have to be trifled with removing such disgusting creatures from his person. No?" What should I do if locked in a battle with such fearsome foes?" Paquito asks

"Try _magic missile_, but for the really dug in deep ones, I'd go for _spiritual weapon_." Benat chimes in

"Now you are just mocking me. No?" Paquito answers

"Surely you jest, for I am not one to mock the only mockery of a jester that has ever bother to refrain from committing suicide." Benat snaps back, as Paquito snorts and stomps off into the glades

"What elfy say?" Korg asks Gronar

"Elfy say she go kill herself." Gronar replied

"Korg want to see that!" The hill giant replies, as he removes himself from the sticky mud and hurries next to Benat

"What?" Benat asks as the leering visage of Korg looks down upon her

"Korg waiting for elfy to kill self." Korg replies

After an expletive filled reply, Benat takes to the air with her winged boots, and flies out ahead of the party. After another hour of flying, she spies a line of elven warriors in marsh below, and flies down to have a little chat with them.

The rest of the party finds the terrain getting increasingly difficult to maneuver through, as the water level rises so do the number of insects. The constant droning quickly replaces the smell of rotting vegetation as the most annoying thing thus far on the journey. Another two hours however, and the party has also reached the elven line of warriors.

Benat fills the part in on what the warriors know, they know the ogre and treant are trapped about 3 miles in. They suspect the crocodile in in there as well. The treant is on a mud hill and hasn't moved in two days, the marsh is mostly water where the treant is at, and all attempts by the elves to get close have met with failure.

"Failure, or death?" Paquito asks

"Both." Is Benat's reply

"So, what's your big idea?" Finrod asks

"Paquito, give me your horrid rock." Benat asks

"Please?" Paquito asks, awaiting the same response from Benat, who only stares at him coldly. "Alright, fine. Here." Paquito hands over the rock

Benat takes to the air once again, and flies out towards the last known location of the treant. Benat notices the already sparse vegetation almost becomes nonexistent. Small bushes that had covered a lot of the ground when they entered the marsh, have become stunted piles of dead twigs. Even the trees which were lush and green at the beginning of the marsh, have turned their leaves a dark green almost black color, and those are just the ones which have leaves. Most of the trees are barren, looking more like the last standing remnants of a huge fire. Black and twisted bark, and branches that seemed to have struggled to grow as much as they did. 

The size of the mud mounds have decreased to only a few feet across every ten feet or so. Most of the terrain below her is water now, Benat realizes it would be very easy to hide a giant crocodile in these waters. She makes a note not to land on any of the smaller mud islands. 

Had this been any normal marsh, Benat would've completely missed it, but having seen nothing green for most of the day, the huge tree with emerald green leaves perched on a hill of mud up ahead, signaled to Benat that she had found her quarry. Benat swoops in low, flying only a couple feet off of the water. She spots a small hill about eighty feet from the treant and alights on it's gooey surface.

"Leave my trees alone!" a voice booms through the air, even the water ripples under the sound

"Are you talking to me?" Benat yells back

"Leave my trees alone!" the same response hammers it's way through the marsh

"Is someone hurting your trees? I don't understand. Do you want me to leave?" Benat asks the treant

No response comes from the treant, instead the tree appears to shiver, and then rise up out of the mud. A full thirty feet of wood pulls itself up from the mud, and Benat can make out the two elongated branches the plant uses as it's arms. The arms circle around to point at Benat, and she hears a soft sound like a short whispered blast of air. Then two long splinters pierce through her elven chain shirt, and sink into her abdomen. Benat yanks the splinters out, then takes to flight once again, climbing as fast as she can. Another splinter sinks into the flesh of her left calf, three hundred feet above the treant, Benat takes out Paquito's horrid rock and drops it.

The rock hits, and instantly the view is greatly improved as the mist surrounding the impact site is evaporated. The water level sinks to a trickle, the tops of the mud hills dry up and give a parched earth look. Then the giant green tree turns a light brown in color, as all of it's leaves are deprived of water. A few seconds later, the giant tree comes crashing down into the muck. 

Benat flies down to the treant and looks it over making sure it's dead, she then waits for her companions to wade through the mud and water. The marsh quickly refills the lowered water level in the area of the blast, and the mist slowly seeps back in from the surrounding swamp. Benat spots an very unusual feature on the treant, a vein of an orangish-white metal runs up the back of the treant, through the bark from it's leg up to the middle of it's back. Benat shows this to the party once they arrive.

"How do we get this back to Mirwood?" Nameroc asks

Gronar takes out his sword, and chops off every branch, arm, and leg of the treant. "There, tree easy to drag now." Gronar answers

"Shh, did you hear that?" Finrod asks

"No, you're just hearing things. Calm down." Benat replies

"No, I thought I heard something splash into the water." Finrod answers

"Don't you think we'd all have heard it?" Benat tells the older elf

"Hey, what's that?" Nameroc asks as the party looks towards a nearby mud hill and sees the tell tale signs of something big in the water, dragging a wake behind it.


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## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Benat takes out Paquito's horrid rock and drops it.
> 
> The rock hits, and instantly the view is greatly improved as the mist surrounding the impact site is evaporated. The water level sinks to a trickle, the tops of the mud hills dry up and give a parched earth look. Then the giant green tree turns a light brown in color, as all of it's leaves are deprived of water. A few seconds later, the giant tree comes crashing down into the muck.




Pretty slick use of a magic item on Benat's part. Turned what could have been a very nasty fight into a pushover.


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## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Pretty slick use of a magic item on Benat's part. Turned what could have been a very nasty fight into a pushover.




Yes, her player tends to make good use of Benat's magic items. The next update however, will illustrate Benat singlemindedness.


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## Look_a_Unicorn

I am enjoying this Story Hour. Thanks for sharing.


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## Hairy Minotaur

*Do you have an idea for this?*

Nameroc and Finrod exit the warm water and clamber up the side of a small mud hill. Paquito also removes himself from the water and unto the mud hill the treant stood upon prior to it's death. Benat alofts between Paquito's position and a rather large mud hill behind and to the left of her. The two hill giants remain in the water between Paquito and the two male elves. 

"Where did it go? I don't see it!" Nameroc shouts

"Shut up. The ogre is probably nearby as well." Benat spoke in a hissing whisper

Silence fell over the area as the elves kept their eyes gazing on the water, the giants shift expectantly in the water waiting for the enemy to reveal themselves. Nameroc turns to Finrod and motions that he detects nothing in the water, and that's when the crocodile chooses to act.

Belching forth in a startling shower of water, debris, mud, and leeches, from the marsh the large reptile clamps it's jaws around the waist of Nameroc and quickly drags him back into the water. The large dark form of the croc causes Finrod to slip in the mud and fall backwards as he tried to retreat from the water's edge where the reptile appeared.

Korg moves up behind Gronar and simultaneously casts enlarge person and shoves Gronar towards the crocodile. The now huge Gronar watches the splashing in the water caused by the flailing Nameroc, and drives the end of his spear into the back of the large reptile. The pain causes the crocodile to rear up and lash it's tail out at Gronar, it misses the hill giant, but Benat uses this chance to hit the exposed rear of the crocodile with both of her arrows. Paquito, now able to see the crocodile thanks to Benat's arrows, sends two _magic missiles_ into it's flank. 

Finrod gets to his knees, and overshoots an arrow at the reptile, as the arrow pierces the soft earth of a mud hill behind it. The crocodile drags Nameroc further into the water, however the two glowing arrows give Gronar a perfect target and the giant takes full advantage, driving his spear through the back left thigh of the croc. Benat sends two more arrows into the crocodile's side, as the water takes on a rusty color near the crocodile.

Fearful for it's life and unable to swallow Nameroc, the crocodile emerges from the water and flings the elf through the air to it's right. Nameroc slams face first into the muddy water twenty feet from the large reptile. Finrod throws down his bow, and leaps into the water next to the crocodile, unsheathing his longsword as he leaps. Gronar extends his arm for another attack on the crocodile, but just out of the corner of his vision, the giant spots a large man on the mud hill behind the crocodile throwing something at Gronar. Gronar's minds processes that the large man wasn't there before, just before the small acorns strike Gronar's chest and explode in a fireworks display across his belly. 

Gronar reels from the attack, and misses the spear jab at the crocodile. Benat spies the ogre and sends two arrows into his abdomen, and moves over Paquito's position to get a better view.

"There's the shaman! Take him out!" Benat shouts out the order

Korg places a healing hand on Gronar and helps him out of the muck. Finrod slashes his sword across the reptile's back, but his blade fails to draw any blood. Paquito sends a _scorching ray_ ray into the ogre. The crocodile, presses it's advantage and takes a chunk of thigh meat off of Gronar while it whips it's tail into the head of Finrod, causing his head to tear open like a bloated fish. 

Nameroc, amazed that he's not dead, plants his feet onto a fallen log beneath him and stands up. Numerous puncture wounds ooze bright red blood across his torso, and already his short time in the water has attracted a couple leeches to his chest. Steeling himself against the pain, Nameroc casts a spell and watches the sky for it's effect. In mere seconds the gray unmoving clouds overhead take on a bruised look as they charge themselves with electrical current. When they can hold no more, Nameroc sends a bolt streaking down onto the large crocodile. The bolt slides off the reptile as it fails to penetrate the spell resistance of the crocodile. Finrod however gets a nice surprise as the residual current sloughs off the crocodile and into the water next to the elf. 

"The beast just shocked me, I don't think it's natural at all." Finrod complains

The water around Finrod and Nameroc turns from a dark rust color to a bottomless inky black color, as dark rubbery tentacles erupt from the surface of the water and grasp both elves with unnatural strength. 

"Uh oh, I've seen that spell before. I surmise the elves are doomed. No?" Paquito asks Benat

"They will be if all you're going to do is stand there and narrate the battle for me." Benat retorts

The ogre shaman, stands back and admires his little handiwork. With a knowing smile he waves at Korg.

"Why ogre want to be Korg friend? Korg think ogre not very nice to other Korg friends." Korg asks Paquito and Benat

Gronar switches his weapon to his greatsword, and powers it's blade through the crocodile, cleaving it's body in two. He then uses the momentum to slice into the ogre, who quickly replaces the smile on his face with that of snarling hatred. Unable to escape the tentacles, both Finrod and Nameroc disappear below the water surface. The angry clouds overhead swirl in anticipation of a relief that is not yet forthcoming. 

Korg turns to look behind him. "Elfy, Pokey? You hear noise?" Korg asks

"Just your yapping, focus on the ogre." Benat instructs the giant, as Paquito shrugs his shoulders at Korg's question

"But, Korg sure he hear noise over there." Korg responds waving his hand out behind him.

"I didn't hear it, therefore you didn't hear it. Just ignore it." Benat answers

Korg pauses and stares at the brownish-gray landscape behind him, then turns his attention back to the battle at hand. Gronar, too massive for the Evard's tentacles to bring down, wades into the writhing mass of blackness and yanks Finrod free of their grasp. He drops the gasping elf onto the mud hill he was on, and looks for Nameroc. 

"Yay!" Korg celebrates Gronar's rescue of Finrod. Hearing that same sloshing noise he heard just a moment ago, Korg turns around in time to catch the image of a wet sticky web launching into the air at Korg. The web envelopes the giant and holds him fast. 

"Wha..?" Benat says as she turns to find the source of the web, seeing nothing she flies to the other side of Paquito.

Gronar fishes Nameroc out of the water, as Paquito sends another _scorching ray_ into the face of the ogre. The ogre takes a step back and quickly has his body transform into a small stirge. Gronar perceives the buzzing wings off to his right, and slams the flat side of his blade onto the stirge squishing it into the muddy hill and sending entrails spewing through the air. 

Gronar turns his attentions to Korg and watches as another web shoots froth from the mud hill behind Korg and landing on Paquito who too is ensnared.

"I can't see anything there!" Benat shouts

"Gronar not see anything too, must be trap." Gronar says. The word trap enters Benat's head and she tells the rest of the party to back up.

Gronar looks up at the flying elf as if to ask "why?", suddenly twin blasts of fire erupt from a point behind Korg, the fire sears Korg's flesh and singes Gronar's.

"Arrgh! Gronar can't hit what Gronar can't see. Maybe it is ghost?" Gronar offers

"It's not a ghost, it must be invisible. Look! there are it's tracks in the mud." Benat points out, kicking herself that she did not heed Korg's warning earlier. 

"Korg nurture invisible ghost." Korg responded

"Gladly." Came two voices in unison, as another stream of fire engulfed Paquito and Korg. Yet it's source remained unknown.

Nameroc coughed out last vestiges of swamp water in his lungs, and directed the churning sky to unleash it's endowment upon the ground where the fire originated from. Blinding light rents the sky as the electrical discharge exsiccates the mud beneath that point. A startled shriek emanates from that spot and the form of a large spider comes into focus, curious that it looks like a normal spider, Nameroc begins to look for a rider. Then he beholds not one, but two long necks emerging from the head of the spider, at the end of each neck there sits the head of a dragon.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> A startled shriek emanates from that spot and the form of a large spider comes into focus, curious that it looks like a normal spider, Nameroc begins to look for a rider. Then he beholds not one, but two long necks emerging from the head of the spider, at the end of each neck there sits the head of a dragon.




Yikes!! What the heck is that?!


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## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Yikes!! What the heck is that?!




That would be a Draconid from The Tomb of Horrors II


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Mourning*

Although the brief flash of lightening caused the draconid to become visible for a moment, the creature quickly re-energizes it's invisibility. However, the splattering of mud that accompanied the electrical strike, is more than enough to give the creature's general location away. 

Having it's underside outlined in from of him, Gronar drives his spear into the soft flesh of the beast's arachnid abdomen. Benat unleashes two arrows into it's back, their glow gives an even greater target to strike for. Korg's struggles against the sticky web, cause him to fall forward into the ruddy water. Normally the low level of water would not be a challenge, however due to his incapacitated state, Korg's head is below the water level now. Paquito has similar balance issues, as he falls prone on top of the dead treant, thankful his descent was halted prior to hitting the water. 

The draconid focuses one head at Benat and belches forth a stream of fire at the elf, who twists and dips in the sky avoiding the majority of the stream. The other head expels it's line of conflagration at the huge Gronar, who is unable to avoid the bombardment. Gronar stagers back, and kneels in the warm water in an attempt to find relief from the blistering. 

"Nameroc, blast that thing again." Finrod orders the druid

"I can't, the sky is already clearing up. I fear I will have to take another tactic." Nameroc answers as his hands complete the casting of his spell, and a small ball of fire rolls from his hands toward the drowning Korg

"Great plan. No? Fight fire with fire, and burn the fire breathing beast with your own blaze." Paquito yells out 

"That's not the plan at all." Nameroc answers, as the ball reaches Korg's exposed back, Nameroc stops the sphere's progress. 

Underwater, the giant Korg could feel the heat rise on his back and blister a patch of skin under the heat. Korg shouts out underwater as the sphere nestles down on a kidney. Gronar reaches down and turns Korg over, allowing the hill giant to breath once again, but causing the sphere to burn into his naval now. 

"Ahh! Korg on fire! Korg on fire!" Korg screams and twists trying to turn his stomach to the water, he manages to flop face down in the water again, as the burning sensation returns to his lower back.

The draconid splits it's attacks between the easy prey, Korg, and the big prey, Gronar. Draconic teeth sink into Korg's flesh, sending a virulent poison into his bloodstream. Gronar swats away the clamping maw before it can reach him, and he counters with a spear jab of his own to the beast's underside. Green ichor begins to discolor the water underneath the creature.

"It's injured, go for the kill!" Benat yells as she pierces the beast's back with two more arrows

Finrod crests the mud hill he is on and fires an arrow at the beast, but the shaft bounces harmlessly away into the water next to the creature. Nameroc, annoyed that Korg's twisting has prolonged his attempt to burn the web off of the giant, sends the _flaming sphere_  barreling into the draconid. The draconid seems to shudder when the sphere makes contact with it, but then lowers it's entire body onto the blazing ball.

"I applaud your efforts! Good show man. No?" Paquito insults the druid

"Nameroc try something else, preferably something not involving fire." Benat offers, in a more constructive roll than the minotaur.

"Gronar! Korg can't breathe." Finrod shouts as he spies the hill giant face down in the water.

Gronar flips Korg over again, and notices the Giant appears to be unmoving. "Korg! Korg, wake up!" Gronar shouts at his friend, to no avail. Enraged, Gronar stands and drops the huge spear in favor of his huge greatsword. Grasping the trunk-like hilt with both hands, Gronar wades into close combat.

"Stupid monster. You make Korg dead! Gronar make you like gruel!" The giant shouts as his powerful blow arcs through the air and nearly decapitates one of the draconid's necks.

Reeling from fear, the draconid drops it's invisibility disguise and transforms it's self into a large catfish. Benat watches as the beast's shape changes in midair, acting on instinct she fires at the fish just as it hits the water. 

"Come back and die like monster, monster!" Gronar shouts unable to see through the murky water to locate the fish.

Benat however sees the glow from her arrow perfectly above the water, and she takes off in flight to follow the fish, firing arrow after arrow into the water in an attempt to kill the thing before it gets away. 

After landing a couple of shots, the draconid becomes annoyed with the little elf, and aims to end this game. Benat watches as water and mud erupt from the marsh from the fishes' location. She watches through the mess as some of her arrows jettison up towards her, she twist away to avoid them and once she completes the turn, she comes face to face with a huge red dragon. Undaunted by the beast, Benat fires two arrows into it's face and then flies up overhead of the monster.

The dragon swipes at the small nuisance and clips Benat, sending her tumbling end over end. The dragon crouches to give itself a powerful lift-off and take flight, but a mighty blow from a huge sword almost topples the dragon. The draconid turns to find a heavy breathing Gronar pounding away at the dragon's body. 

The dragon turns Gronar's skin to tatters as it's claws fissure his belly, it's jaw bites through the giant's left arm, and it's two wings buffet the back of the giant. Gronar comes crashing down in a bloody mess into the water. Two more arrow shots, turn the dragon's attention to the flying speck of annoyance, and the dragon unleashes a blast of enraged fire at the elf. Benat quickly dodges most of the flames and resets herself for her next attack.

Done playing now, the wounded draconid takes off and flies towards the north, with a tenacious fey dogging it's retreat. 

Finrod and Nameroc wade over to Paquito and help him escape from the draconid's web. The two elves then tend to the paralyzed Korg, while Paquito goes to retrieve Gronar's body from the scene of his demise. 

"How long should we wait for her?" Finrod asks

"I say another hour then we head back to Mirwood. No?" Paquito answers

The two elves and minotaur had spent four hours already, waiting on Benat to return, and attempting to console Korg over the death of his friend.

"No, Korg say we go now. Korg go to elfy temple and make them make Gronar come back. If they no want to do that, then Korg will nurture elfys all the way to hell." 

The rest of the party offers no dissention to that, and they head out together with Korg carrying the deceased Gronar on his back.


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## Tav_Behemoth

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Gronar comes crashing down in a bloody mess into the water.




Ulp! 

I read fantasy novels so much more often than I do story hours - and the quality of your writing is so good that I'm never reminded that this isn't a novel - that as I'm going along I sometimes forget that this is based on a D&D game, but the death of a character really drives it home.

It's interesting to think about the continuum of importance that's attached to the death of a protagonist - in a fantasy novel, it's usually a crucial event (although exceptions exist, like the Jhereg series, and there's lots of SF in which your backup can be loaded into a new body when the old one is killed). In D&D, it matters, and you feel it pretty intensely when it happens to you, but the sting is lessened by the likelihood of resurrection. In a videogame, your heroes die all the time and it's not much more than a momentary setback!

Looking forward to what happens next...


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## Hairy Minotaur

Sorry for the delay in posts, my wife is having some pregnancy issues. 

Thanks for the mention Tavis!    I can't wait for book 3!

As the party approaches Mirwood, Valriand intercepts them and asks that Finrod follow him as he has an urgent issue that needs attention. Finrod departs with the elven minister and the rest of the party reaches the elven temple. 

"Make Gronar like used to be, or Korg tell Umtala to nurture elfys to death." The giant thunders 

Unmoved by the giant's threat, the elven clerics give Gronar a look over before they make a reply. 

"What about his state now, would you like to change?" Asks the head cleric 

"No, Korg fine in clothes Korg wearing." Comes the reply 

"We would like to inquire as to the payment required for a resurrection ceremony." Nameroc says, stepping in as a translator for Korg.

"For that?" The cleric responds, pointing at Gronar "Ten thousand, to start." 

"Well, that ends negotiations. No?" Paquito interjects, knowing the party doesn't have anywhere close to that amount. 

"What if we were to offer the equivalent amount in materials? Would that be acceptable?" Nameroc asks 

"Hey! Wait a second, I'm not about to give up any of my items to have him raised, unless you're referring to something you have, keep me out of it. No?" Paquito objects

"What do you have?" The cleric inquires 

"Well, we have this stuff we took from the ogre shaman." Nameroc says digging through his backpack. 

"Korg, have puny metal stick he found." The giant offers the clerics a short sword from his sack. 

"We must confer, please wait here." The elves reply, and take their leave from the group. 

The party waits another hour before any priests emerge from inside the temple. 

"Finally! Korg not like to wait. Here is Gronar, you fix." Korg demands 

"I am not here to perform a service, I have come to bring you these." The elf replies, producing Benat's belongings in his arms.

"Where did you get these? We left Benat out in the swamp, she went after a red dragon and hadn't returned." Nameroc asks

"Your ally has decided to begin training to join the Initiate of the Bow, she will not have need of her possessions until she returns." Answers the elf

"This sounds highly dubious. No? She loved that bow, she would not give it up so readily. No?" Paquito questions 

"I assure you, your friend is safe. She will return once her training is completed." The elf replies 

"Korg know when elfy not tell truth." Korg begins 

"I was merely told to bring you these, that's all I know." The elf interjects 

"Elfy's lips moving, that is how Korg tell." Korg finishes 

His veracity questioned, the elf simply drops the items onto the floor in front of him and returns through the door in which he arrived.

"Now what?" Nameroc asks, picking up Benat's belongings and inhales Benat's essence from each item 

"Don't do that, it spooks me out. No?" Paquito implores Nameroc 

"Korg think it time for Korg to do talking to elfys." Korg announces, much to the chagrin of Paquito and Nameroc 

Valriand leads Finrod to a small ground level guard tower, just to the west of the magic school. 

"There's a problem in the cemetery I need you to take care of." Valriand begins 

"Of course, how may I be of service?" Finrod asks expecting the answer to be grave-digging.

"Apparently the grave of an elf that arrived with the giants, I believe his name was Mearmon, is bleeding." Valriand informs Finrod

"I don't understand, the grave itself or the body?" Finrod asks 

"There is blood seeping from the grave, I do not know if it is the body that is bleeding or not, only that it is there. Because of this, we cannot bury are fallen from the battle." Valriand explains

"I shall investigate at once." Finrod answers and heads out to the graveyard 

The graveyard is located eight miles from Mirwood and extends from a small valley forged by a slow moving creek. The creek leads into the valley and disappears below the ground at the end of the valley. A small guard post is set up just inside the valley, where there are always guards stationed.

The graveyard is divided into three sections, the new section which is on the near side of the creek, and contains graves that are no older than two years. The far side of the creek contains graves from three to ten years ago when the settlement was established. The valley however contains crypts cut into the side of the cliff walls, these crypts are old some date back thousands of years.

The elves have deemed these to be off limits, partly because out of respect, and partly out of fear of what might be found in them. The languages on the crypts is not readable to any of the elves, even when under the influence of a read languages spell. This is what most concerns the elven priests.

Finrod arrives at the cemetery in the late afternoon, he approaches the guard post and asks for the location of the bleeding grave. He gets his directions, and after a short search, finds the said grave which does appear to be leaking some kind of dark fluid. Bending down and taking a handful of soaked earth in his hands, Finrod can smell the hint of blood mixed with the earthy smell from the dirt. Rubbing the dirt between his gloved fingers, Finrod notices the dirt stains his gloves a dark red. 

Short of tasting the dirt, Finrod is satisfied with the assessment that it is some kind of blood saturating this grave. Finrod decides he will wait out the night in the cemetery to see if anything unnatural occurs while the sun is down. 

Finrod spends the first part of the evening chatting up the guards, inquiring as to whether they had seen or heard anything since the bleeding started. The guards profess to know no knowledge of this unnatural occurrence, and inform Finrod they didn't know anything was wrong until a gravedigger spotted the bleeding about four days ago. 

The unsleeping trio wait through the night, the three-quarter moon allows the elves eyes to see out a good forty yards or so. Finrod is struck by the silence of the place, almost like there's an absence of noise, he clears his throat a couple of times a night just to make sure he hasn't been deafened. 

Morning comes, and Finrod heads out from the guard post to check out the gravesite. Arriving at the grave, Finrod finds that blood is now bubbling up from the dirt, soaking the ground around the site enough that it looks like the raised earth of the grave is an island within a sea of blood. 

Finrod decides that an exhumation is in order, and heads back to town to retrieve one of the giants to assist him in that regards.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Geas*

Finrod sprinted back to Mirwood, and located the party exiting the temple with a revived Gronar in tow. Paquito and Nameroc are arguing back and forth over the deal they struck with the elves to bring Gronar back to life, Korg watches intently trying to ascertain what all the fuss is about.

"Gronar I'm glad you're back with us. I need a huge favor." Finrod explains as Gronar's eyebrows perk up at invitation. 

"I need you to dig up a dead body." Finrod finishes, his words pound through the din like a slam to the gut.

"Gronar think better pass on that." The hill giant's sonorous reply disheartens the elf

"Well, actually he may not be dead. There's a chance something is alive in the ground, there's quite a bit of blood." Finrod answers

Paquito, Korg, and Nameroc listen slack-jawed to Finrod explain his need for a gravedigger.

"No, Gronar hungry. Gronar go eat breakfast, and lunch, and brunch, and snack, and breakfast." Gronar says walking past the elf, his stomach urging him to follow the scent of burning meat. 

"Wait, if you do this for me, I will get you two whole cows just for you." Finrod exasperates

Gronar stops in his path, furls his brow, taps his chin as if in thoughtful reflection, shrugs his shoulders and says "Ok." 

Finrod leads Gronar off to the graveyards.

"On second thought, I think we should have negotiated for a true resurrection. No?" Paquito asks

Nameroc only stands in silence as Korg asks "Where Gronar going?"

Finrod and Gronar reach the grave and Finrod points out how the ground is very much like a bloody marsh than hard ground. Gronar's empty stomach moils as the leadened smell of fresh blood assails his nose. 

"Why dead elf smell so bad?" Gronar asks

"That's what we're going to find out." Finrod replies and hands a shovel to Gronar

"Gronar think basin would be better than flat stick." The giant responds

Finrod grabs a shovel as a priest from the elven temple shows up, alerted by shakened villagers who overheard Finrod and Gronar's conversation earlier in town. 

"W-w-what seems to be the problem." The priest manages to finish the question before retching at the sight of the pooling blood. 

"Ground bleeding." Gronar answers, reporting the obvious

"We're about to find out." Finrod replies

Finrod digs his shovel into the grave, only to find that the ground has become almost liquefied by the blood. He underestimates the give of the earth, and falls into the grave, disappearing below the surface of the bloody mess.

Startled, Gronar throws his shovel away and thrusts his arm thru the spot where Finrod vanished. He prods the fluid for any sign of Finrod, finally Gronar's fingers grasp what feels like a mass of hair and he yanks the mass up through blood. Gronar tosses the body he grabbed off to one side of the grave, though covered in thick dark blood, Gronar can tell the body is not breathing.

"Help elfy breathe." Gronar commands the elven priest who thrusts up his holy symbol and flees in terror.

"Hey! Come back!" Gronar points at the body and only then realizes it is not Finrod as the decayed corpse that lays on the ground has been dead for quite some time.

Confused, Gronar turns his attention back to the grave and is driven to the ground by the force of a pillar of blood hurtles towards the sky from the grave. Gronar watches as the body of Finrod is discharged from the colonnade of blood and bounces off the ground at Gronar's feet. In an instant the column of dark red collapses back into itself. 

Finrod gurgles and spits out blood as Gronar pokes at him from a safe distance.

"Elfy ok?" Gronar asks

Finrod rolls over onto his side and glances back at Gronar, his white pupils standing out against the field of deep red. "I have been quested."


----------



## Jon Potter

HM, glad to see you're back in the Story hour business. I missed all the elf and giant mayhem. 

 

And, woo boy! Nothing like a geyser of blood to get your attention! Yikes!!


I sincerely hope that your wife's "pregnancy issues" are nothing serious.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*I believe I ordered the steak.*

Finrod slowly rises to his feet, and begins to wipe away the viscous fluid clinging to him. Gronar keeps a safe distance wary of what he just witnessed.

"Elfy?" Gronar asks inquisitively

"I must travel to the mountain in the mist, there I will join with my true heritage and become the giant inside me." Finrod replies 

"Gronar not understand, you Elfy, not giant. Gronar giant, Elfy like flea on sheep to Gronar." The giant responds.

Finrod however ignores the giant and begins to trek north across the graveyard and traverses the frigid waters of the creek. Gronar watches the elf stride through the field of stone markers, before disappearing behind a rocky outcrop. The giant turns back to look upon the grave and is confused to find no hint of blood anywhere. Even the decaying body he exhumed is now nothing more than an organized pile of ivory sticks. 

Gronar rushes back into Mirwood to fetch Korg.

"Korg, Elfy fly through upright river of blood and then walk away." Gronar summarizes for his friend.

"Elfy not give you cows?" Korg asks simplifying it further

Gronar's stomach quickly assimilates the information Korg just provided, and sends the answer to Gronar's brain. "No! Elfy did not give Gronar cows. Gronar go find Elfy and get cows." 

Gronar takes about four steps before realizing he has no clue where Finrod's gone off to. He turns back to face Nameroc.

"Elfy know where bad Elfy go?" Gronar asks rather sternly

"No, did he say where he was headed?" Nameroc replies

"Elfy say he go to mountain in mitts and then giant will be inside Elfy." Gronar answers

"I'd like to see that trick. No? I had no idea your race was capable of spontaneous impregnation, apparently it only requires a good pair of gloves. No?" Paquito quickly interjects

Unamused by the minotaur's retort, Nameroc carefully considers what Gronar has told him and concludes that Finrod must be headed into the poison lands. 

"Quickly Gronar, me must catch up to him." Nameroc announces

"Gronar was already going to do that. If that is only plan Elfy has to offer, then Gronar not need your help." The hill giant answers

"What's with the urgency? I have no desire to go chasing after a fey who's lost his way. No?" Paquito giggles after making a rhyme.

"The place where he's going to is filled with all manner of poisonous things, even the very air is poison. We avoid it at all cost." Nameroc answers

"Nothing a couple of neutralize poisons couldn't handle. No?" Paquito answers

"Sure that'll protect you from the poisons long enough to get assaulted by flying boulders thrown by the giants who live on the mountain at the center of the region." Nameroc replies

"Giants? Elfy know where there is more giants? Tell Korg more!" Korg demands

"Now Gronar really mad, not only did elfy not give Gronar cows, but elfy also know where giants live and not tell Gronar. Elfy take Gronar there now." Gronar says pushing Nameroc in the direction of the graveyards.

The party easily follows the trail of dripping blood, as quickly catches up to Finrod. The find the elf passed out face down alongside the trail. The giants set up camp as Paquito keeps a eye up and down the road, so that Nameroc can administer some healing to the elf in hopes of rousing him from unconsciousness.

"Ask Elfy where Gronar's cows are!" Gronar shouts aloud every ten minutes or so as he works on clearing some low brush.

Finrod comes around after six hours of rest, much to the delight of the impatient giants who've waited six hours too long. 

"What happened to you?" Nameroc inquires

"Where cows!" Gronar shouts

"Where Gronar cows!" Korg shouts

"Where's the beef!" Paquito shouts before realizing he could be the answer to his question.

Finrod relates that after falling into the pool of blood, he heard a voice telling him to go to this mountain in the middle of the poison glade, and all he dreams would become a reality. Finrod asked what that meant, and in his mind, pictures of the mountain, and giants, and wealth were heaped upon his feet. The last thing he heard was the voice telling him "You have been tasked so." 

"Where's Benat when you need someone to point out BS. No?" Paquito asks

"I'm not lying wait until I get to the mountain and become the greatest of all giants!" Finrod proclaims

Gronar smacks Finrod on the head, knocking the elf back into unconsciousness. "Gronar know Elfy lying now."

The rest of the party decides to camp for the evening and figure out what they want to do when morning arrives. 




We have two kids already, so my wife tires out quickly and her blodd pressure gets a little high. Only about 8 weeks left though.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Elfys don't climb good*

During the night, Nameroc is awakened by the wind calling his name through the trees. Recognizing it as a sign from the earth itself, Nameroc follows the sound, which to the untrained ears sounds akin to rustling leaves. To the elven ears of Nameroc the song of the wind is loud and clear.

The walk proves to be a short one, only a half mile from camp Nameroc is greeted by the large form of a black bear. Sitting on it's haunches, the bear inhales the scent of the elf and measures the worth of the elf based upon that scent. Nameroc approaches cautiously but confidently, knowing that his prayers to nature have been answered, Nameroc doesn't wish to lose this opportunity. 

Morning came cold and gray for the party, they had all gotten an early start thanks to Finrod's ramblings. He began mumbling in the middle of the night and woke up Paquito who couldn't return to sleep. Initially Paquito tried to ignore the moaning elf, however the more he tried not to listen the more Finrod's words pulsate across his brain. Paquito hoped the elf would awaken one of the giants and they would smack the elf into tomorrow, however the longer he waited the more he realized that wasn't going to happen. 

Yawning from his spot of interrupted slumber, Paquito rose and walked to the fire. Looking over at the sleeping giants, Paquito made a mental note to have Gronar teach him the finer points of selective deafness while sleeping. Over and over Paquito heard Finrod retell his vision of the mountain in the mists, Paquito even memorizes Finrod's rants in three different languages. 

Paquito's trip through his personal hell is interrupted by the returning Nameroc and a following black bear. 

"Ah! What the.... Look out! Attack!" Paquito shouts, startling the giants from their dreams.

Nameroc takes up a defensive position next to the bear.

"What are you doing? Get away from the bear, you wish to become dinner. No?" Paquito yells at Nameroc.

"Death to the ursine!" Gronar shouts as he leaps from his prone position and grabs his long spear.

"No! This is my new companion, the nature goddess has seen fit to replace my wolf with this fine bear." Nameroc protests, stroking the bear's back.

Suspicious, Gronar eyes the elf and bear. "Gronar remember big doggie elfy had, what elf do with doggie?" 

"It died. This is it's replacement." The elf answers.

"That neat trick, maybe you show Pokey how to do that? All Pokey have is little rock." Korg interjects into the conversation.

"Chip is a fine specimen of loyalty and power. No?" Paquito answers

"Yeah, if you like spelunking." Nameroc replies

As the sun warms the air from bleak to frigid the groups wakes Finrod in hopes to gain a better understanding of what is going on in his head. Finrod retells as much of the vision he can, insisting the message seems urgent and he intends to carryout the wishes of the messenger.

"Gronar have nothing better to do, Gronar go with elfy." Gronar says

"Well, that's all I needed. No?" Paquito says. Soon Korg and Nameroc follow and the group heads off to the north.

Walking all day brings the group alongside of a bluff, a path into the bluff is visible fifty feet from their current location. Thinking this may be a great place to rest for the night, Gronar asks Finrod to check out the top of the bluff only twenty-five feet above them. Finrod begins to climb the dirt wall, but has some footing difficulty and only makes it ten feet off of the ground.

Tired of waiting for Finrod to fall to the ground, Gronar plucks the elf off the side of the bluff and tosses him up onto the top of the bluff. Landing with a thud in a cloud of dust, Finrod coughs out the dirt in his lungs. 

"Elfy see anything?" Gronar shouts

"Well, that was unnecessary." Finrod replies

"Elfy climb too slow, Gronar help elfy get to where elfy going faster." Gronar replies 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Finrod answers and stands up to get a survey of the area. "Hey the bluff is hollow inside, and there's a tall tower on the other side of this wall. There's also a large dome in the back of the bluff." Finrod calls out

"The tower, it is empty. No?" Paquito asks

"Appears to be." Finrod answers, as an arrow shaft pierces his right shoulder and forces the stunned elf to fall prone to the ground.

"Elfy blind." Gronar tells Korg as he begins to assail the wall, he calls back to the rest of the party. "Battle!"


----------



## NarlethDrider

*MORE!!* er, I've really enjoyed this so far


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

NarlethDrider said:
			
		

> *MORE!!* er, I've really enjoyed this so far




Thanks!   

Update is coming soon. I have a game tonight, so it probably won't be up until Thursday.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Elfys don't fall good either*

A volley of arrows falls upon the bluff top. One manages to lodge itself into the calf of Finrod, the others are overshot and land behind the party beneath the wall. Finrod yanks the shaft out of his leg, and pulls his knees to his chest while turning his back to the tower. 

Korg is the first to arrive on the bluff's top, the appearance of the giant gives the enemy archers pause as there is a lull in volleys. Korg positions himself between Finrod and the tower, while he awaits the arrival of Gronar. 

"Gronar help Pokey up?" Gronar asks as he offers his hand to Paquito.

Remembering the treatment Finrod received, Paquito waves off the giant's assistance. "I have decided that subtlety is of more use here. No?" Paquito relates as he heads into the gap in the bluff's wall looking to a better route than flung by a giant. 

Nameroc along with his bear move cautiously towards the buff opening that Paquito took, and watch as Paquito rounds a bend and disappears around the curve. Gronar reaches the top of the bluff and spies four orcish looking archers atop the tower, he watches as eight arrows land harmlessly in front of him. 

The wall itself is only fifteen feet wide and then drops off to ground level again twenty-five feet below. The tower stands twenty feet from the base of the bluff's wall, in it's own little hollow. Gronar also sees a side opening that is ground level to the west of the tower, he alerts Nameroc and Paquito to it's existence, then turns to Korg.

"How bad Elfy hurt?" Gronar asks

"Korg not know, Elfy not stand up though." Korg answers

"Korg take Elfy down and squeeze leg. Gronar take care of Piggies*" The hill giant replies

Korg reaches down for Finrod, but Finrod is too busy using Korg's body as cover. Annoyed, Korg uses his foot, and nudges Finrod off the bluff's side. Finrod tumbles and slides down the wall and lands with a thud onto the ground. 

"Korg have good plan, Gronar know that Elfy's take too long to climb wall." Gronar says to he friend with a hearty smile. 

Paquito runs down the valley-like space looking for the opening that Gronar shouted about, he finally locates it and turns back to Nameroc and shouts.

"I found the gap! Bring up the rear. No?" The minotaur yells back to Nameroc

Nameroc hustles down the gorge, once Paquito is in view, the minotaur disappears into the opening, revealing a large black form floating further down the gorge. 

Gronar gives out a yell and leaps down the side of the bluff, the stunned archers misfire and shoot wildly to either side of the giant. 

Korg reaches the ground next to Finrod, and turning him over, verifies that the elf is still breathing. A hopeless look of disbelief escapes the elf's eyes, as Korg applies his healing touch to Finrod's bleeding leg. 

"There, Korg make Elfy's owwie better." The proud giant announces

"Great, how about these broken ribs, or wrenched back from getting kicked down the mountain?" Finrod pained voice replies

"What mountain? Korg think Elfy have fever, maybe Elfy need rest?" Korg answers

"Nevermind, give me another one of those heals and I'll be ok." Finrod replies

"Korg made Elfy's leg not bleed, Elfy fine now. Elfy want Korg to help go back up there?" Korg asks, pointing at the top of the bluff.

"No! I'll get up there myself thank you." Finrod replies, and slowly gets to his feet and gingerly makes his way to the bluff wall.

"Korg help Elfy." Korg announces and grabs Finrod's shoulders, and tosses him back on top of the bluff.

With a new, smaller, unmoving target to shoot at, the orc archers unload on Finrod's location. Two arrows hit home, one in Finrod's left shoulder, the other in his right leg again. Korg clambers up the bluff wall, only to find Finrod bleeding again.

"Ugh! Elfy bleed like smashed stirge." Korg says as he kneels over the elf and gives him some more healing.

Nameroc watches the black form glide silently through the air, it's body slowly undulates through the air like that of a worm on ground. It's head appears to peel open in three sections, a second later Nameroc realizes the thing just opened it's maw. 

"Uh, guys? There's something coming up the gorge! It's big and looks hungry." Nameroc shouts

"Elfy kill it, Gronar busy." Gronar shouts back, as he races around the base of the tower in an effort to locate a way inside.

Paquito, oblivious to Nameroc's ranting, closes on the tower and circles it counter to Gronar. Both he and the giant reach the back of the tower and locate the entrance to the tower. 


_*Piggies- Gronar's term for orcs_


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*New elf smell deodorant!*

Korg tucks Finrod under his arm and leaps off the bluff's top, landing on his feet the giant races towards Paquito and Gronar's location. Finrod's broken ribs ache with pain, but his nose takes the brunt of the beating, as Korg's arm pit stench enshrouds the elf in a veil of funk. 

Korg reaches the other large members of the party, and deposits Finrod on the ground. The others watch Finrod retch up breakfast and then grab his side with pain.

"Gronar not impressed with Elfy vomit, Gronar not know why Elfy think that hurt." Gronar comments naively on Finrod's condition.

"Well, looks like we've have to climb. No?" Paquito says peering into the tower's opening

"Duh, Pokey think Gronar going to fly up tower?" Gronar responds

"Korg can fly! Elfy temple give Korg these magical boots for free!" Korg says excitedly

"Those are Benat's, not yours, and they weren't given freely to you. We're supposed to keep them until she comes back." Paquito says

"Korg not know about that, Korg know he got magic boots." Korg says with a smile, as he hefts Finrod off the ground and pulls back the curtain serving as a door for the tower.

"Korg fly Elfy up to top of tower, Elfy shoot all the Piggies, Korg take all the shinys from dead Piggies." Korg says as he activates the boots and begins to ascend the tower. 

Gronar takes one look at Paquito and thinks he sees greed in the minotaur's eyes. Gronar enters the tower with a running start, and begins his climb up the spiraling stairwell. Paquito shrugs his shoulders and figures he'll wait for the giants to come back down. While he waits, an arrow streaks down and lands near his feet, this spurs the bullman into action and he too goes racing up the stairwell inside the tower. 

Nameroc casts Bull's Strength on his bear, and commands it to wade into battle with the advancing floating wormlike creature. The bear races sixty feet down the gorge and stops under the worm, however it floats just a little too high for the bear to reach, even standing on it's hind legs. 

Nameroc decides he needs some aerial assistance, and summons a giant eagle, who appears above the worm. Nameroc instructs it to attack, and the large bird dives claws first into the flank of the thing. The giant eagle rakes into the flesh of the creature, and black liquid gushes from the wound, spilling across the ground beneath it. 

Nameroc watches the worm thing flex it's maw, and his summoned birds screeching goes silent. Thinking the bird dead or worse, Nameroc prepares to cast call lightening, however he sees that the bird is doing just fine. Nameroc assumes a silence effect was laid forth by the worm thing, and thinks twice about wasting his spell. 

The giant eagle circles above the floating worm, and dives again, claws outstretched, this time however it's aim is not to injure. The bird hooks it's claws into the worm and attempts to fly away with it's prey in hand. The giant eagle climbs for thirty feet before stopping in midair. Knowing Eagle don't hover, Nameroc fears the worst, and looks on with disappointment as the worm disappears. 

With the lack of support, the paralyzed giant eagle falls to the valley floor below and perishes. Nameroc calls to his bear and turns to towards the gorge exit. He moves steadily waiting for his bear to catch up and then they run together out of the gorge and back up the path they came. 

The sky darkens above him, but Nameroc doesn't look back. Eventually he outdistance the shadow on the ground, and comes to a panting stop. 

"We'll give them an hour, if no one comes back down the road by then, we'll head back to Mirwood on our own." Nameroc advises his ursine companion. 

Korg floats up to the trap door leading to the tower roof, he bangs on the door a couple of times, but without any leverage all he manages to do is push himself away from the ceiling. Gronar soon reaches the trap door and pushes Korg away so he can get a good whack on the door.

"Gronar open door, then Korg stick Elfy up through hole." Gronar announces his plan

Gronar shoves his entire body into the trap door, the force of his assault shatters the lock and hinges, and the trap door flies up and ricochets off of the tower's roof. Gronar's blow surprises even himself and he fails to pull up to a stop soon enough to avoid getting his head and shoulders stuck in the opening. The trap door falls back down and bounces off the giant's head.

The startled orcs take aim at the large helpless head, and pepper Gronar's face with arrows. Yelping in pain, Paquito reaches the giant's kicking feet and grab a hold of them to try and pull him free. Gronar mistakes Paquito's rescue attempt as an attack, and begin thrusting his legs back and forth trying to free them from Paquito's grasp.

Unable to hang on, Paquito lets Gronar's legs go and gives a double-axe handle chop to Gronar's back. The blow frees Gronar as another round of arrows puncture the giant's head. 

"What take Pokey so long?" Gronar spits

"With all your kicking, you were expecting me to help. No?" Paquito replies

Korg ignores the argument, and sticks the retching Finrod up through the portal. Korg feels the impact of arrows into Finrod, through his hand, and pulls the elf back down. A quick cure moderate, and Korg was ready to stick Finrod back up through the portal. 

"You have some fine plan? No?" Paquito asks Korg

"Korg keep sticking Elfy in hole, soon Piggies run out of arrows, then Gronar go back up and kill Piggies." Korg replies

"I fear Finrod will not last that long. No?" Paquito answers. "I fear Gronar is scared of puny Piggies, perhaps he would like the Great Paquito to kill them for him! No?" 

Gronar falls for Paquito's bluff, and pushes Finrod from the opening, and slowly squeezes himself through the trap door and into the orc's space.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Gronar shoves his entire body into the trap door, the force of his assault shatters the lock and hinges, and the trap door flies up and ricochets off of the tower's roof. Gronar's blow surprises even himself and he fails to pull up to a stop soon enough to avoid getting his head and shoulders stuck in the opening. The trap door falls back down and bounces off the giant's head.
> 
> The startled orcs take aim at the large helpless head, and pepper Gronar's face with arrows. Yelping in pain, Paquito reaches the giant's kicking feet and grab a hold of them to try and pull him free. Gronar mistakes Paquito's rescue attempt as an attack, and begin thrusting his legs back and forth trying to free them from Paquito's grasp.
> 
> Unable to hang on, Paquito lets Gronar's legs go and gives a double-axe handle chop to Gronar's back. The blow frees Gronar as another round of arrows puncture the giant's head.
> 
> "What take Pokey so long?" Gronar spits
> 
> "With all your kicking, you were expecting me to help. No?" Paquito replies
> 
> Korg ignores the argument, and sticks the retching Finrod up through the portal. Korg feels the impact of arrows into Finrod, through his hand, and pulls the elf back down. A quick cure moderate, and Korg was ready to stick Finrod back up through the portal.
> 
> "You have some fine plan? No?" Paquito asks Korg
> 
> "Korg keep sticking Elfy in hole, soon Piggies run out of arrows, then Gronar go back up and kill Piggies." Korg replies




I was laughing out loud as I read this! This game must be a blast to play in although I can't imagine much getting done. You must all spend most of your time laughing.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> I was laughing out loud as I read this! This game must be a blast to play in although I can't imagine much getting done. You must all spend most of your time laughing.




Yeah it's a great bunch of guys. The last time we played, I think we laughed for an hour before we got anything done   

Coming later there's a hilarious interaction between Paquito and a succubus.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Coming later there's a hilarious interaction between Paquito and a succubus.




I can only imagine!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Calculated risks*

Gronar unsheathes his greatsword, and swinging it in a wide arc, slices one orc in half and slams against the breastplate of the one standing next to him. The force of the hill giant's blow catapults the orc over the roof's edge, where he plummets a hundred feet to his death. 

Cramped by the canvas-like covering over the actual roof (akin to a tent on the roof), Gronar struggles to face the last two orcs which move to flank the giant. One orc manages to slip a shortspear under Gronar's defenses and draw blood on the giant's right calf. 

Korg tries his best to peer up through the trap door to get a look at the battle overhead, but only manages to see that Gronar likes to go commando. Unable to make out any details, Korg shoves Finrod back up through the hole.

Goosed from below, Gronar stumbles in fear of an attack below him. His awkward flailing arms become entangled in the canvas covering, and the spinning Gronar rips the material from it's placeholders. Finally able to stand up, Gronar beholds the large form of a floating worm hovering directly in front of him.

"Korg! Pokey!" Gronar shouts "Elfy do lousy job of killing worm, Gronar told him to kill" 

Korg quickly pulls Finrod back down. "What Elfy see?" 

"You're joking right?" Finrod's reply comes 

"Korg not know any jokes." Korg answers, tossing Finrod to Paquito and floating up through the trap door to get a look for himself.

The worm opens it's tri-shaped maw and lets out a low droning noise. It's effect is not noticed by Gronar, Korg however sees the orc to the left of his head begin beating his hands and grabbing his throat. The orc then begins to stomp erratically and make reckless motions with it's arms.

Paquito holds Finrod out at arms length, and deposits him on the stairs in front of him. Paquito then turns and descends the stairs as fast as his hooves will allow. Finrod sits bewildered on the stairs and ponders his next action.

Korg watches the odd acting orc and begins laughing. Gronar, startled once again by sounds beneath him, kicks the head protruding from the floor below him. Stunned, Korg staggers backwards and loses his concentration. He drops a mere three feet before landing on the stone steps, the sudden gain in weight though causes the shoddy steps to give way. Korg drops as the steps give way beneath him, he reaches out and with his left hand, snags a jutting piece of newly exposed stone stair and catches himself. 

Paquito, who had already passed the spot that Korg clung to, pulled up and began retracing his steps back up the stairs to help the flailing giant. Finrod, feebly made his way down the steps, and reached Korg before Paquito could. 

"Elfy! Help Korg!" Korg shouted at the elf

"What do you expect me to do? There's no way Belasarda's forest I'm going to be able to lift you." Finrod quizzed the hill giant

"Korg not want Elfy to lift, Korg want Elfy to go get better help." Korg responded

Insulted, Finrod paused before answering, however Paquito's arrival interrupted his thought process.

"Yay, Elfy bring Pokey to help Korg." The hill giant exclaims

Paquito eyes Finrod quizzically, to which Finrod replies with a shrug of his shoulders. Paquito hefts the heavy body back up onto what he hoped were ore stable steps.

Gronar's brief moment of mirth watching the goofy acting orc, was cut short when the orc proved to still be a very capable enemy by jabbing his spearhead into the thigh of Gronar. Enraged, Gronar slices the orc in half, and exaggerating his follow through, cleaves the orc behind him as well. Faced with only the floating worm thing, Gronar switches weapons and produces his giant-sized longspear. 

The creature dances around the giant, trying to get a good grip with it's teeth, but every time it gets close, Gronar pierces it's thick hide with his spear. Annoyed after several attempts to close on Gronar, the worm suddenly disappears.

"Ayeee, Gronar is king of tower!............ now how Gronar get back down?" Gronar exclaims

Paquito and Finrod lead Korg down from the tower's interior, after getting outside they look back up towards the top of the tower.

"Korg! Gronar stuck up here, come get Gronar!" The hill giant shouts

"No! Gronar kick Korg in face! Gronar jump and Pokey catch you!" Korg shouts

"W-w-what!?! No?!?" Pokey stammers

Korg looks over at Paquito, who is slowly backing away from the tower. "Pokey say 'NO' Gronar just going to have to jump and Elfy catch." 

"Heh, not going to happen." Finrod replies

"Korg get Gronar!" Gronar shouts again

"Jump!" Comes Korg's reply

Irritated now, Gronar peers down below and lines himself up with Finrod, who's watching the whole proceedings with a giggle and smile. Gronar takes a step back and leaps over the side of the tower.

Finrod watches in horror as the sun gets blotted out by the falling giant. His elven mind races for an escape route, his brain quickly calculates an answer. Finrod takes two steps forward, and holds his arms out as if to attempt to catch Gronar.

"Hah! Good Elfy. Korg knew Elfy good for something." Korg tells the elf

Finrod looks up and gleefully watches as Gronar slams face first into the ground about eight feet behind him. The force of the drop bounces Finrod's feet off of the ground a bit. 

"Gronar, how you miss Elfy? Elfy stand there ready to catch you." Korg says tending to his broken but not dead friend.


----------



## pogre

Are you caught up now or just busy? Well. I know you're busy - I mean too busy.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

We're not caught up yet, although all of the pregnancy and looking for a new house issues have stretched out the time between posts, I think a benefit from it will be that the lull in posting will be short once the game starts up agian.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Blissful silence through deafness*

Nameroc heard the loud crash, and then silence. Curiosity getting the better of him, he climbed the top of the bluff with his bear in tow. Peering out over the earth, he spies the rest of the party surrounded by a couple of dead orcs and a large tarp.

Skidding down the side of the bluff, Nameroc hails his companions.

"Gronar not like Elfy right now, Elfy not kill big flying worm like Gronar say." The hill giant explains disappointingly

"it was either going to be me or the worm." Nameroc explains while weighing those options with his hands

"Maybe if Elfy think like that more often, Elfy kill things more often." Gronar retorts

A quiet silence is broken by a humming Korg who sits singing to himself.

"So........ check out the dome. No?" Paquito interjects

"Ok, but Gronar going to teach Elfy to catch better once Elfy stop yaking on his clothes, Elfy smell bad." Gronar states

"Me? Do even know what hygiene is? You know if there's a spot you can't reach, get a stick and save a friend's nose." Finrod answers

The party departs the tower, and heads off to the large dome shaped structure further into the gorge. The structure appears to have been constructed, on the south side the party discovers a large crack in the outer "shell" just wide enough that the giant's could squeeze through.

"Elfy, you go first." Gronar commands

"Why me? You're the biggest, badest, warrior we've got. You should go first." Finrod replies

"Yes, Gronar is best at killing little people like elfys." Gronar agrees with Finrod while also giving him an eyeful of honesty with that statement.

"Looks like the writing is on the wall doesn't" Finrod whispers out loud, Korg hears him and confusedly stare at the wall near the crack looking for the writing Finrod was talking about.

Finrod enters the dome, followed by Nameroc and his bear. Korg is next, but he stops just short of the entrance and cranes his head back to Paquito.

"Hey Pokey, what writing on wall say?" Korg asks

Pokey gives the outside of the dome a quick glance but can find nothing that would look like writing anywhere.

"There's nothing there." Paquito replies

"Well, that good. Korg could use some quiet rest." Korg replies to Paquito, thinking that Paquito's response is the words he was looking for. 

Finrod's elven eyes adjust quickly to the diminished light within the dome. Looking up Finrod sees small points of light, not unlike a moonless starry night. His attention is brought low by the flickering of a small campfire roughly a hundred feet in front of him. 

Korg and Paquito quickly enter the dome, followed by Gronar. Nameroc stops just inside the dome's opening. 

Paquito's sight makes out a solitary figure seated just beyond the fire. The figure appears to be unconcerned with the entrance of two giants, and a minotaur. 

"Hello?! What is this place?" Finrod calls out, but no reply is forthcoming.

"Maybe man is deaf?" Gronar asks, but before waiting for a response shouts "Hey! You got food?!!!" 

Gronar's question reverberates off unseen walls, increasing in pitch with every ricochet. The words soon drown out normal speech, and the party's ears begin to ache. The sound aborts suddenly, the groups ears ring as they try to recuperate, making the hearing of closing footsteps impossible. 

Finrod spots the movement of bodies just beyond the reach of the fire's illumination. He quickly points out the bodies to the rest of the party. Gronar believes the sitting man is responsible for the sound effects and charges at him.

He makes it halfway there before a shrieking shrill envelopes his body, and he pulls up in pain, unable to move any farther. Paquito's eyes tell him that there are six upright beings forming a half circle with the fire in the middle of the circle's edge. The beings appear to have no eyes, nor ears. Upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that their lower jaw has been removed, and they have been flayed open from their mouth down to their naval. Their innards glisten with moisture, as they advance upon the paralyzed Gronar.

Korg runs to his friend, as Paquito burns off some _magic missiles_ into the creature closest to himself. The minotaur then watches as the internal organs of the creature scintillate in the campfire light and then the painful shrill overwhelms the minotaur as well. 

Finrod charges the one nearest him, he fails to notice a small step just before he reaches the creature. Losing his footing, Finrod swings wildly but effectively as his sword severs the thing's spine, and it crumples to the floor with Finrod stumbling and landing on top of it. 

The two remaining creatures on Finrod's side of the fire turn their attentions to him, this causes the pain Gronar feels to subside. Korg then slaps an _enlarge_ on Gronar turning him into a walking hill. 

Gronar lashes out and slices the two to his right into quarters, ending their threat. He then moves to his right attempting to get behind the sitting man and the fire. 

Nameroc moves up and tries to _entangle_ the three remaining creatures, but the spell fails as there is no vegetation within the targeted area. 

Silently watching behind his veil of flame, the sitting individual begins to laugh.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Just wanted to share that my daughter was born this morning 3:43am CST and everyone's healthy and doing great!


----------



## Zodar

Congratulations!


----------



## Jon Potter

Yeah, HM, congratulations!

I'm happy that everything... uh... came out okay.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Paranoia begins*

"Little man not laugh so much after this!" Gronar shouts at the sitting individual. 

The hill giant raises his blade and feels searing pain shoot through his ribs, looking down he spots large black claws pincering his midsection. Another set of claws squeeze into Gronar's neck, cutting off his shout of protest. 

Paquito moves over and helps Finrod to his feet, as Nameroc flips his bear into offensive mode and sics it on the laughing man. Korg crosses in from of the fire and eyes the laughing man before skewering the remaining jawless creatures. 

The bear slams it's paws into the back of the man, and takes great chunks of flesh off his back with it's formidable bite. The man continues to sit and laugh however, staring intently into the flames. The party's attention is drawn to the gurgling noises coming from Gronar behind the fire though.

Standing a full foot taller than Gronar is the form of a female clad in taunt leather held together with wicked looking metal clasps. The leather mask on her face contorts her head in a mockery of itself. Each of her hands end a large claw like that of a lobster's. 

Korg leaps off the small dais towards his friend, the fiend twists Gronar's body horizontally, using the giant's bulk to block Korg's spear attack as she continues to squeeze the life out of Gronar. 

Finrod moves to flank the female, but the fiend releases her grasp on Gronar's chest, and swings the giant from the neck like a sack, the hill giant's body slams into the elf knocking him sideways and onto his back. An audile popping sound from Gronar's neck is heard as the fiend swings Gronar back towards her again and reasserts her hold on his chest. The party's fears of a broken neck quickly pass as Gronar continues to kick and attempts to pry his neck free. 

Paquito quickly assess his options, and heroically moves up to the inoffensive (thus far) laughing man and jabs at him with his shortspear. Nameroc calls forth a rain of lightening onto the female and the sitting man. 

The shock jots the female enough that she weakens her grip on Gronar, this allows the giant to pry off the claw around his neck. With her attentions focused on the escaping Gronar, the fiend can not block the thrust from Korg's spear. The spear tears into the leather surrounding the female which causes the clasps near the wound to break. This causes the remaining clasps to grip tighter, causing the wound to be far worse than it would have been as the fiend's flesh is pulled tighter against the leather. 

Finrod's blade cuts into the thigh of the large fiend, spraying blood upon the elf. The fiend snaps at Nameroc with a claw but misses her target, as Gronar shifts his weight to grant a better chance at breaking the hold around his ribs, this causes the fiend's attack to be off-balance. 

Paquito and Nameroc's bear continue to harass the sitting man as another round of electricity pours through him. After the light show ends, there is no more laughing, all that remains is a pile of dirty clothes with no body. 

The next round of lightening causes the female to relinquish her grip on Gronar. Irritated beyond belief, Gronar grabs the throat of the female and initiates his own chokehold. The female is an easy target for Korg and Finrod, and they soon make short work of her. 

Winded, the party takes a break near the fire, Gronar dozes off to sleep and the elves and Paquito decide to have a look around the inside of the structure. 

Opposite the entrance, they find a small basin with a hand pump next to it. Above the basin on the wall is the stone visage of a hideous demonic figure. Not wanting to mess with the pump, the party continues it's search, and Paquito locates a small lever in the wall near the entrance. 

Calling the two elves over, the trio ponder what to do. 

"I think we should backtrack and head back to Mirwood." Nameroc offered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, something compels me to seek out this mountain in my visions." Nameroc replies

"We have things that can take care of that, you won't be troubled by them any longer." Nameroc answers

"But, that's not the point. I feel chosen, I feel geased actually." Finrod responds

"Exactly my point, lets go back to town, and fix your head right." Nameroc says, raising his voice. 

"What do you think Paquito?" Nameroc asks

Paquito looks over the resting giants, then back at the two fey in front of him, then shoves the lever into the down position.

"Let's find out. No?" Paquito replies to the two stunned elves. 

"What are you doing?! Have you gone mad?!" Nameroc shouts as he pushes past the large minotaur and attempts to force the lever back to it's original position. 

Nameroc's actions prove futile as the lever doesn't budge. The sound of air being forced out quickly fills the room, as Korg shoves Gronar awake. The party watches as the entrance crack seals itself shut, and the fire blows out, cloaking the room in darkness.

"Great! You've sentenced all to your mad machinations!" Nameroc shouts to Paquito

"Why Gronar not see now?" The hill giant asks

"I don't know, I see just fine. No?" Paquito answers

"Wait.... Gronar, open eyes. Korg see ok also." Korg tells his friend

"Oh, that better." Gronar responds

"Great the idiots can see, but the elves are blind. Smart thinking Poe-kee-toe" Nameroc says

"Hey Pokey, you shut off elfy's mouth too?" Gronar asks, which shuts up Nameroc for the time being.

After a few tense moments, the elves eyes adjust to the near darkness, as thousands of pin lights shine overhead and even where the sides of the structure were supposed to be. 

The light is akin to a moonless night, but the elves eyes were still able to pick out the hill giant's location at the center of the structure. Paquito joins the giants and opening his backpack, lays his sleeping bag across the stone floor.

"What are you doing now?" Nameroc inquires

"Getting some shut eye. No?" Paquito responds

"Don't think your overactive pituitary friends will save you from a midnight beating." Nameroc threatens

"I won't need their protection, as far as you know I'm the only one who can get us out of here. No?" Paquito lets his response sink in, before turning over and closing his eyes.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Riddle me this*

Nameroc sits isolated and fuming while the rest of the party sleeps. He had spent the early part of rest period, confirming that while the structure still has walls, they been changed somehow. They don't feel like stone, move like the unblemished surface one would find akin to a wall of force. 

He did learn that the basin, pump, and demonic dispenser where still attached to the far wall. Nameroc wondered if Paquito intended to use this device to escape. He studied it for hours and through smell and taste, confirmed that the demonic face does indeed dispense a blood of some type. The dried remnants of it's last usage still clung to the face's teeth. 

Nameroc's mind played out what it thought the "savior's" plan would surely be. He seethed at the notion that the minotaur was the only one who could possibly save them. Nameroc took that as an insinuation that he was worthless, even worse that both elves in the party were worthless. 

Benat was right, Paquito was nothing more than a glorified BS'er, and now he was playing around with people's lives. Well, Nameroc wasn't going to stand for it, he intended to save this party and disgrace the minotaur at the same time. 

Nameroc grabbed the pump and raised it up, the sound of rusting metal scrapping together echoed. The asleep members stirred in their sleep, but did not wake. Nameroc forced the metal handle down, and a low gurgling noise emanated from beneath him. A couple more pumps and the gurgling had become like a torrent of water rushing through the floor. 

The rest of the party woke with a start, as the sound crescendoed.

"No! Stop!" Paquito's shout of protest was drowned away by the din.

Nameroc pumped harder, as Paquito leaped to his feet and raced to Nameroc. Nameorc forced the handle down another time and the sound ceased as a heavy iron smell erupted from the demonic face, followed closely by a thick liquid that glowing black that oozes from the face's mouth.

Paquito reaches Nameroc as the liquid spills into the basin below. Nameorc sees now that instead of a glowing black liquid, it's more like the liquid is absorbing light. 

"Ha! You're not the only one who can save the party." Nameroc gloats

"I don't know what you just did, all I intended on doing was having you cast your soften earth spell and have the giants dig us out. I closed the door so we could get some rest. No?" Paquito answers

The blood drains from Nameroc's face as panic sets in, trapped in cell with no walls with three idiots and an old elf with no backbone, Nameroc breaks down and slumps to the floor. 

"Hey! The wall is gone." Finrod shouts followed by him dropping to the floor beneath him and issuing another statement. "And so is the floor below the wall." 

"Hole in floor here too." Gronar states, "With stairs." 

It does not take much prodding to get the party down the steps, where the stairs open onto a landing with four corridors branching out to the north,east,west and south.  

The party searches the four corridors and finds each one ends in a door, upon which a different riddle is written:

A moth ate a word. To me it seemed, A marvelous thing when I learned the wonder
That a worm had swallowed, in darkness stolen, The song of man, his glorious sayings,
A great man's strength; and the thieving guest, Was no whit the wiser for the words it ate.
_(north door)_ 


My house is not quiet, I am not loud; But for us God fashioned our fate together.
I am the swifter, at times the stronger, My house more enduring, longer to last.
A times I rest; my dwelling still runs; Within it I lodge as long as I live.
Should we two be severed, my death is sure.
_(west door)_ 


I am valued by men, fetched from afar, Gleaned on the hill-slopes, gathered in groves,
In dale and on down. All day through the air, Wings bore me aloft, and brought me with cunning
Safe under roof. Men steeped me in vats. Now I have power to pummel and bind,
To cast to the earth, old man and young. Soon he shall find who reaches to seize me,
Pits force against force, that he's flat on the ground, Stripped of his strength if he cease not his folly,
Loud in his speech, but of power despoiled To manage his mind, his hands or his feet.
Now ask me my name, who can bind men on earth, And lay fools low in the light of day.
_(east door)_ 


Time was when I was weapon and warrior; Now the young hero hoods me with gold,
and twisted silver. At times men kiss me. At times I speak and summon to battle
Loyal companions. At times a courser, Bears me o'er marchland. At times a ship
Bears me o'er the billows, brightly adorned. At times a fair maiden fills me with breath;
At times hard and headless I lie on the board, Bereft of beauty. At times I hang
Winsome on wall, richly embellished, Where revelers drink. At times a warrior
Bears me on a horse, a battle adornment, And I swallow, bright-shining, the breath from his bosom.
At times with my strains I summon the heroes, Proudly to wine. At times I win back
Spoil from the spoiler, with sounding voice, Put foemen to flight. Now I ask what I'm called.
_(south door)_


----------



## Jon Potter

Wow, HM. Those are some tough riddles. I think that I only know the answer to the second and fourth.

Makes me think I'm being too easy on my players.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Wow, HM. Those are some tough riddles. I think that I only know the answer to the second and fourth.
> 
> Makes me think I'm being too easy on my players.




 

The party got #4 first then #3, then #2, then lastly #1.

#1 took almost an hour, and I gave them a hint. All of the answers could be found in a medieval type setting, in fact #3 and #4 almost require you to put yourself in that setting to get the answers. 

But, credit to them, as they got all the answers. I'll post the answers tomorrow.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The wishing doors*

The party turns right and heads to the first door. 

Time was when I was weapon and warrior; Now the young hero hoods me with gold,
and twisted silver. At times men kiss me. At times I speak and summon to battle
Loyal companions. At times a courser, Bears me o'er marchland. At times a ship
Bears me o'er the billows, brightly adorned. At times a fair maiden fills me with breath;
At times hard and headless I lie on the board, Bereft of beauty. At times I hang
Winsome on wall, richly embellished, Where revelers drink. At times a warrior
Bears me on a horse, a battle adornment, And I swallow, bright-shining, the breath from his bosom.
At times with my strains I summon the heroes, Proudly to wine. At times I win back
Spoil from the spoiler, with sounding voice, Put foemen to flight. Now I ask what I'm called.

"Easy." Finrod announces, "A horn," and with that, the door melts away into nothingness and is replaced with a horn from some animal. Hollowed out and with a golden blowtip, it rests on the floor next to an empty wall.

"Pick it up, we might need it later." Nameroc suggests to Finrod.

The party then backs down the short hallway and makes another right turn.

I am valued by men, fetched from afar, Gleaned on the hill-slopes, gathered in groves,
In dale and on down. All day through the air, Wings bore me aloft, and brought me with cunning
Safe under roof. Men steeped me in vats. Now I have power to pummel and bind,
To cast to the earth, old man and young. Soon he shall find who reaches to seize me,
Pits force against force, that he's flat on the ground, Stripped of his strength if he cease not his folly,
Loud in his speech, but of power despoiled To manage his mind, his hands or his feet.
Now ask me my name, who can bind men on earth, And lay fools low in the light of day.

"I've got no clue, I don't know what this could mean." Nameroc states.

"Maybe you should let the more intelligent people get a look at it. No?" Paquito suggests 

"Maybe you should stop yapping. If pops there got the first one, these can't be that hard." Nameroc spits

Finrod shifts closer to Paquito and in the giant tongue asks Paquito. "I think he's lost it, maybe Nameroc is a little claustrophobic?" 

"I don't think so, why bother to come down here then? He could've stayed upstairs. No?" Paquito answers

Nameroc while not being able to understand what the two were talking about, but hearing his name clearly, turned towards the speculative duo. "I'm doing the best I can, how about we just let the idiot twins make a guess huh?!?" Nameroc shouts pointing at the hill giants.

Korg sees the elf point at him and shout, but wasn't paying attention to the words coming out of the elf's mouth. "Korg thirsty, Elfy go get Korg drink." 

"Gronar remember good mead elfys had at big room back at treeland. Maybe elfy has more honey-mead with him." Gronar inquires

"No, you fools! I..." Nameroc's tirade is cut short as the door wisps away leaving a large mug filled with honey-mead on the ground.

"Hah! Gronar see you try to hide drink." The hill giant pushes Nameroc away as he reaches for the large tankard. Extra-large for an elf but medium for a giant or a dwarf. 

"How? But.. ?" Nameroc pleads to Finrod and Paquito for the words to continue, but only gets a shrug in response.

"Hey, Korg figure out how doors work. Doors are wishy doors. Elfy say 'horn' and gets horn, Gronar says 'honey-mead' and gets drink. Korg going to ask next door for lunch." The hill giant says with a huge grin.

"That's not how it works, I don't know how stinky there got the answer, but I'm getting the next one." Nameroc seethes with paranoia that the rest of the party is losing faith in his abilities.

Heading towards the next door, Gronar finishes the tankard and belches his approval of the drink. Nameroc stops in his tracks.

"What if we needed the mead! You just drank away our only way out of here! What's wrong with you!?!?" Nameroc vents

"If elfy need drink so badly, then maybe elfy should order drink at next wishy door." Gronar states

"They're not wishing doors! Aaarggh!" Nameroc screams and bolts to the next riddle.
My house is not quiet, I am not loud; But for us God fashioned our fate together.
I am the swifter, at times the stronger, My house more enduring, longer to last.
A times I rest; my dwelling still runs; Within it I lodge as long as I live.
Should we two be severed, my death is sure.

The party listens silently as Nameroc says the riddle over and over again out loud.

"This getting us no where, Korg want lunch. Order food elfy, stop talking." Korg instructs the elf

"Mmm... a good rack of lamb sounds good right now. No?" Paquito replies

"I thought you were going to say a good side of beef is what you needed." Finrod says chuckling

Paquito stares at him for a few minutes before answering. "You're just sick, you know that?" 

"What wrong with steaks? Gronar likes cows, good eating." The hill giant interjects

"I swear now to make it my lifelong mission  to turn you vegetarian. No?" Paquito tells Gronar 

"This taking to long!" Korg shouts "Maybe elfy needs a nurturing smite?" 

"River." Nameroc states and cowers, expecting a torrent of water that doesn't come. 

"No food!" Korg berates the elf. "If elfy wanted river food, elfy should have said fish." 

With that the door disappears and a wooden barrel of fish replaces the door. 

"Yay! Korg gets more wishys from door." The elated hill giant claps

Korg snatches the wooden barrel off the ground, and pours the contents down his gullet. The sounds of slurping water and crunching bones echoes through the area.

Nameroc crumples to the floor in defeat, and begins weeping.

"Sorry, Korg not know elfy wanted fish." Korg says 

"Gronar going to next door and wish for big sword!" The giant's eyes light up and he races to the next riddle.

"Think he'll be ok?" Finrod asks Paquito referring to Nameroc

"I care not." Paquito answers and follows Gronar to the next door.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*This isn't any better*

"Giant sword?" Gronar says to the last door.

"Magic sword?" Gronar continues, "Magic giant sword? Big sword? Magic big sword?" 

"Magic spear" Korg yells from the back of the party

"Gronar think this door is broke." Gronar announces

"I think you're broke." Nameroc says

"Hmm, nope Gronar not broke. Door broke." Gronar replies as he beats his fists on the door.

"Maybe the answer isn't a sword?" Finrod interjects

"Big axe?" Gronar says to the door as his pauses his fists.

"Magic axe?" Korg shouts

"I think the answer is a book." Nameroc says

"Ha! That funny. What elfy going to kill with book?" Gronar answers laughing.

"Bookworm?" Nameroc ignores the giant and focuses on the door.

"Bookworm? That even worse than book, Elfy is crazy." Gronar replies

"Maybe answer is dead Elfy?" Korg shouts, which quickly snuffs out all noise in the corridor.

The elves shift nervously as Korg stares intently at the door hoping to see a dead elf. After nothing happens, Korg returns the elves' stares.

"Dead Elfy just as good as book with worm in it?" Korg says

"What is your obsession with dead things? And why can't you contribute something constructive to getting us out of here!" Nameroc shouts

"Korg not know about that, Korg think Elfy not get enough nurture this morning." The hill giant answers

"Just shut up! You're not helping!" Nameroc responds

"At least Korg trying to get something good from wishing door, Elfy trying to get dumb things from door." Korg retorts

"It's not a wishing door! It's a riddle!" Nameroc exasperates

"Take it easy Nameroc, you're not going to get anywhere like that." Finrod says

"Like what?! At least I'm trying. What are you doing pops?" Nameroc blasts into Finrod

"Name calling isn't going to get the door open." Finrod replies

"Elfy should be quiet, Gronar once saw elfy's head blowed off when Gronar used to be a little Gronar." The hill giant offers

*snicker* Paquito giggled 

"Weeelllll, I'm so glad the walking BS trough has decided to join in the conversation. I thought it smelled too nice in here." Nameroc tells Paquito

"This reminds me of my journey to the Islands of the Turtles. We had been sailing for seven weeks straight when suddenly land crept over the horizon. The crew shouted with glee as they leapt overboard and began swimming to the islands. However halfway there, the couple dozen or so who had jumped, were swallowed by a gigantic sea serpent. The rest of us who stayed on board, sailed the ship to the beach before we left the boat." Paquito laments

"Did that have a point?" Nameroc asks

"Gronar like Pokey's stories, Elfy needs to be quiet, shh." Gronar commands Nameroc

"So what happened to the sea serpent?" Finrod asks, indulging Paquito

"Beats me, I have no knowledge of what transpired in the sea after I disembarked from our vessel. No? I just like that story, I use it to remind me when it's best not to do anything at all. No?" Paquito relates

"Hey look. Korg sees light." Korg shouts

"The torch in your head went out after you were a baby." Nameroc replies

"No, look!" Korg shouts pointing at the door.

Turning Nameroc sees that the door has disappeared, and in it's place stood a dirt path with hills in the distance, and clouds overhead.

"Out of my way!" Nameroc yells as he pushes his way past Gronar and out of the corridor. 

Nameroc's joy is quickly frozen away as the chilled air wraps itself around the elf like a blanket. The elf turns and through shivering hands, motions for the party to follow him.

"Looks cold out there." Finrod offers

"Yeah, I'm not going out there. Maybe we should go back up and see if the crack has opened. No?" Paquito asks

"Gronar want to watch Elfy get mad again." The hill giant says with a smile

"Korg will smite cold and nurture madness." Korg announces

"I'll take two tickets to that show. No?" Paquito announces amid quizzical stares from the giants

"It's getting weird in here, I'm going." Finrod says and joins his fridged friend.

Finrod soon learns he was better off staying out, the air is freezing and the wind is biting. Looking back at the "doorway" Finrod sees that the door opened a gate and that the portal is only two-dimensions with no depth to it. The giants look like painted figures on a canvas that's floating just above the dirt road.

"How long we watch elfy's turn blue?" Gronar asks

"As long as we want, I've got a spell that'll heat them back up." Paquito tells Gronar

"Pokey need to save spell for flashy display of greatness when Pokey aim is bad." Korg says

Annoyed, Paquito steps past the giants and onto the cold path. 

"Aaayyeee, you could've have warned me." Paquito says through chattering teeth.

Not wishing to wait for the hill giants, the elves and Paquito realize that they're no where near where they were when they entered the dome. They decide that south would be the best bet as hopefully it would warm up a little. 

Walking away from the portal, the group hears the lumbering footsteps of the giants behind them as they race to catch up.

"Wait! Gronar knows way to go. Gronar take elfys to cave." Gronar announces as he reaches the group

"Uh no, I'm not staying in another cave with you, the last time we got sealed within it remember?" Nameroc replies

"Gronar remember elfy whining in the dark, but that what elfys do, so it all the same to Gronar." The hill giant answers

Tired from arguing, Nameroc shuts his mouth and trudges on. After a mile the sky darkens a bit, and sleet begins to fall from the clouds. Deciding they need some kind of shelter now, the party begins to jog down the road. A half mile up, they spot a huge but crude lean-to up the road.

"There! Head for that." Paquito shouts, as the frozen precipitation picks up in intensity on the party.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Curses, foiled again*

The group hastily arrives at the weathered lean-to, the elves get an immediate unsettling feeling in their gut, while the giants feel as though this was meant to be used by giants. 

The huge structure is almost fifty feet long and over twenty feet high. Supported by three pillars, one at each end and one in the middle, with dirty beaten pelts covering the sloping side which faces the road. 

Finrod examines the pillars and discovers the origin of his anxiety.

"These are all elven skulls." Finrod points out

"Really? Gronar liking this place better now, good job Pokey." Gronar relates

"I did not know of this place's existence prior to me spotting it from afar, perhaps the lost souls of these trophies have led us here. No?" Paquito answers

Paquito's comment sets off Nameroc. He whacks his staff against the back of Paquito, then turns and aims to take down the middle pillar. 

But, as Nameroc is swinging for his goal, Korg interposes his hand and stops Nameroc before his staff reaches the pillar. Feeling betrayed, Nameroc rewinds his staff and takes aim at Korg.

"No hit skulls, bad mojo." Korg says

Nameroc stops his staff in mid swing and loses his balance, before Korg helps him right himself. 

"Bad what? Mojo? You don't even know what you're talking about." Nameroc says

"Korg know this place not used to show off pretty dead things, this place where giant shaman work." Korg answers

The group ponders Korg's words and then concede that the hill giant is probably right. Korg nods in agreement as Gronar showers Korg with praise for having the intelligence to realize what the lean-to actually is.

Without the sun to gauge time, darkness falls quickly as the cloudy sky turns from dark gray to black in minutes. Without any other viable option, the party decides that they will wait out the night under the lean-to. Korg gives specific instructions that nothing is to be disturbed as the shaman is likely to have precautions in place, maybe even traps.

Luckily the lean-to blocks all of the wind and most of the sleet. Paquito works through some questions in his head, such as: Why face the lean-to so that it's impossible to see who or what is coming up or down the road.? If this place holds that much reverence from a stranger hill giant, why keep it unguarded? I wonder how long before Nameroc starts touching things?

Paquito didn't have to wait long at all. After taking the second watch shift from Gronar, Nameroc waited until the loud snoring of the giants would drown out any small amount of noise he would be likely to make. Nameroc then set about studying how the skulls were tied to the pillar and what would be the quickest quietest way to release them.

Nameroc concludes that each one is tied individually into the pillar through holes cut into the pillar itself. He takes out a small knife and slowly begins to cut through the rope binding the lowest skull. It takes the elf around five minutes to give freedom to the first skull, Nameroc leaves the skull laying on the ground it was resting on, and goes to work on the next skull. 

Paquito watches the elf with his darkvision, from the south end of the lean-to. "Stupid elf" he mutters as Nameroc finishes his fourth skull, and then drops the skull and stares stunned at the pillar. Paquito jumps to his hooves preparing for something bad.

Nameroc stares in horror as the released fourth skull has revealed that the skulls aren't attached to pillars at all, but to totems. Moving the skulls around, Nameroc makes out carved details depicting large bands of trolls driving a horde of fleeing, dying elves ahead of it. Disgusted at the sight, Nameroc takes his knife in hand and carves the holy symbol of his deity into the pillar. 

"Nameroc hearts Benat?" Paquito says from behind Nameroc 

"Back off, you couldn't possibly understand." Nameroc hisses

Paquito steps closer and after studying the pillar, now totem, stoops down to Nameroc

"Yep you're right, I couldn't possibly understand what losing ninety-nine percent of your tribe would feel like, I wouldn't possibly know what it means to have the heads of your friends displayed on a hunters wall feels like, nor would I have any inkling of what you're doing by defacing a rival deity's holy place would accomplish." Paquito whispers into Nameroc's ear

Nameroc stays his hand while Paquito speaks, but resumes his work once the minotaur is finished. Not wanting to be in the middle of the fight that's sure to come in the morning, Paquito locates a small rock on the ground and once verifying that Nameroc is completely engrossed in his work, throws the rock into Korg's head. 

"What Elfy doing?! Stop!!" Korg screams but can't reach Nameroc in time. 

Nevertheless Korg manages to shove the small elf away from pillar, as the giant kneels down to see how much damage Nameroc managed to produce.

"Pokey, help Korg put heads back on pole." Korg shouts as Gronar begins to stir

Crinching his nose at the prospect, Paquito intentionally moves slowly at Korg request. He manages to hand one skull to Korg by the time the hill giant has stacked them up against the totem.

"Gronar! Bring rope." Korg commands

Nameroc didn't put up much of a fight against the two giants, as they hog tied him and then leashed him to Korg.

"Korg not trust Elfy to leave shaman heads alone, so now Korg keep eye on you." Korg told Nameroc 

Unbeknownst to Korg, a curse was already brewing in the mind of Nameroc. Korg's sonorous sleeping sounds hid Nameroc's writhing and fevered sweats from him the rest of the night.

Nameroc seethed in anger at the giants for not allowing him to destroy this unholy place. How could anyone relish in the display of elven skulls, the divine beauty of the elves was being scrubbed away by whomever this giant shaman is. Nameroc replayed a scene in his head where the shaman comes upon them in the morning, and Nameroc shows the shaman what it feels like to be a trophy.

Nameroc rationalized that he wouldn't stop there, he'd have to wipe out the whole clan. He would leave no giant within two hundred miles of Mirwood. His warped brain also told him that Korg and Gronar eventually would have to go as well. Even that no good Paquito would have to go, after all he didn't stop Korg from tying him up, so he must be in league with the shaman as well. 

Even old man Finrod probably would need to be shown the way to the afterlife, his race is defiled, and he has the audacity to sleep! He's not an elf, then he remembered what they whispered about him in the festival hall in Mirwood, that he's got giant blood in his veins. 

"That's it!" Nameroc thinks to himself, he's part giant already. "They're all against me, I'll have to kill them all!" 

The dark gray of night gives way to the soft gray of morning as the sleet which was a constant throughout the night continues to mock the party through it's numbing assault.



***********************************************************
Also I forgot to include that the answer to the last riddle was _knowledge_.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The sky is falling*

The party heads out once the darkness lefts to a deep gray. Korg unteathers Nameroc, then begins to clean up the site so as to appear no one stayed the night at the lean-to. Saying a prayer to Umtala, Korg hopes the shaman will not be able to track the party, or at least track the giants. 

The party congregates on the road in front of the lean-to and decides to head in what they perceive as the southerly route. The sleet slows to a spitting speed, but does not stop altogether. Nameroc hopes that with all the precipitation that there must be some water feature such as a lake or stream nearby that may hold some fresh food for the party. 

The going is slow, hampered by the soft earth, the giant's feet sink a good half foot into the path, while Finrod's feet have trouble maintaining a solid footing over the icy mud. Nameroc however climbs on the back of his ursine companion and lets the bear's wide feet do the walking for him. 

The scenery is rather drab, the gray clouds dull the colors of the giant fir trees off to the left of the path about a mile away. The sleet gives everything a wet glistening look and keeps most small animals out of the open. Fours hours of the same terrain features made for grumpy giants and annoyed elves. Paquito for some reason had no problem with the weather.

"This reminds me of the ocean, sailing through the northern straits of Tabrushe. It would rain constantly for three days straight, then the wind would come and dry you off just in time for the rain to come again. I think nature's true beauty lies in the not what you can just see, but also in what you can feel and smell. No?" Paquito says aloud

"Korg not in mood for Pokey story." The hill giant says gruffly

"You sound like a druid." Finrod says before realizing he should not have said that out loud.

Nameroc gives Finrod a dirty glare, then turns back to Paquito. "Good thing you'll never be one, I've never seen someone devote so much time at herbalism, only to fail at grasping the concept four straight times." 

"That is because the great Paquito is a lover, not a gardener. Paquito the Bullord knows how to grow the things that matter most to a tribe. Babies. No?" Paquito replies while raising his eyebrows in a knowing manner.

"Glad I'm not female." Nameroc answers in disgust

"I am too, our children would have to be cast out. There is nothing worse than a merry bull. Although I do recall a cousin of mine who was into nature and fey-like behavior. Bessie was her name, she was also talking about the purity of milk and how cow's milk was the best for a young minotaur's development. Very odd she was." Paquito relates

"Sounds like you should have paid more attention to her when you were younger, then maybe your growth wouldn't have been so stunted?" Nameroc jibes at the minotaur

"Maybe, it would have been very difficult though, as she was killed for heresy. I must admit though, her flank steaks were very tasty." Paquito responds

"You're disgusting! And your race is an abomination! Get away from me!" Nameroc screams

Gronar's hand swings back and slaps Nameroc of his bear. 

"Shh... Something big coming." Gronar says, putting his index finger to his lips

Stunned, Nameroc picks himself off the wet path and draws his bow, notching and arrow at the hill giant.

"Touch me again and you die." Nameroc tells Gronar

"Hah! Gronar know elfly not good with tools, elfy shoot self before Gronar." The hill giant says with a smile

"What's coming?" Finrod asks Gronar, trying to defuse the situation

"Somethings big, listen." Gronar says

"Somethings? As in plural?" Finrod asks

Gronar stares dumbfounded at the elf, unsure of what plural means, Gronar just shrugs his shoulders and points at high cliff off to the right at a forty-five degree angle. "Big things." 

Paquito and Finrod stop moving and listen to the breeze blowing across the path. At the low end of their hearing, they pick up the beating of what sounds like large drums. After listening for a few more minutes, they change their mind and go with large footsteps beating a path towards them. 

Looking closely at the cliff, the party sees the tops of the giant fir trees sway and get pushed aside by something massive. 

"There!" Paquito points. 

"Great, company. What do we do now?" Finrod asks 

*************************************************************

"What a fine day for traveling, cold breeze, cold rain, and eve the smell of cold through the trees. Don't you think Sven?" 

"I don't know why you always have to take the long road to Fragnrac's, we could have been there by now enjoying the remorrhaz on the spit. As slow as you're going, we'll be lucky to get leg." 

"Oh, hush. You're just upset that you didn't kill the beast yourself. You should be happy for Fragnrac and Ilicle. You know I heard their union was a little on the rocks, probably all the time he spends with you guys hunting elves."

"You speak as though elf hunting was some sort of recreational exercise. You'll not think as such when they run over your warming corpse like arctic ants!" 

"Well, I'm just saying you seem to be doing a lot more hunting these days than you used to, and I also know that a new miesje moved in on Bjorn's Peak."

"What are you insinuating Inga? I assure you that when I pledged to be your mate, I meant it. Until such time as I have to kill you, I will remain loyal." 

"Your words hurt me."

"Yeah, well not as bad as these fir trees you're forcing us to go through, the mammoths don't like it and I like it even less than they do."

************************************************************

"Here it comes!" Finrod says as two huge frost giants riding mammoths erupt from the tree line near the base of the cliff.

"Whoa." Korg's words trail off as he stares at the huge blue-skinned giants

"Hide! Don't let them see us or they'll squash us for sure." Finrod shouts

The giants and Paquito move off to the left of the path and find cover behind some boulders, Finrod runs to the right side and hides behind a small spruce tree. Nameroc however stands defiant in the middle of the path.

"Nameroc what are you doing?" Finrod whispers as Nameroc points his notched arrow at the advancing giants. "Are you crazy? No!" 

Nameroc releases his grip on the arrow and watches it fly true towards the near giant, who looks male from this distance. The arrow lands in the exposed flesh of the giant's left thigh.

********************************************************

"Look, all I'm saying is that you should consider braiding your beard that's all. I think you'd look more menacing." 

"I'm not going to listen to you try and tell me how to be a man, you wouldn't know the first thing about hunting." 

"Looks like something's hunting you." Inga points out the small flying stick to her husband just before it sinks into his thigh.

"Wh... Ow." Sven says yanking the projectile out of his leg.

"Oh, poor baby has a splinter?" Igna asks

"Shout up woman! Give me my boulder bag!" Sven demands

"Not until you apologize." Inga answers

"What! You'll incur my wrath next if you don't fork it over!" Sven shouts as another arrow from Nameroc's bow lands into the thigh of Sven. "Now! Can't you see we're under attack!"

"You're under attack, I'm just under distress." Igna answers

Sven reaches back and snatches the sack from Igna. "Watch and learn."

*************************************************************

"See, they cower at my greatness. All of you ran and hid, I alone shall bring ruin to all of giantkind!" Nameroc shouts as he points the bow at Paquito. "You're next bullman." 

"Hey now, lets not get overly dramatic here. I mean surely you can respect the kind of worldly knowledge one such as myself contains? I mean what would your druidic convictions say about killing an innocent?" Paquito says as he moves to the opposite side of his boulder to Nameroc

"Stop cowering and face death like the rest of your clan did." Nameroc tells the minotaur

"There's no need for personal attacks oh dainty one." Paquito catches a glimpse of a large rock hurtling through the air towards Nameroc's location. Paquito then stands straight up in front of Nameroc.

"There's a good minotaur." Nameroc says

"Before you shoot, can I please recite the dirge of the minotaur?" Paquito asks

"What are you people doing? The two of you have doomed us all!" Finrod shouts from his cover

"Don't worry old man, I'll take care of you last." Nameroc shouts over his shoulder to Finrod, "Now back to you." Nameroc focuses in on Paquito

"Remember, keep looking up. No?" Paquito says while pointing above Nameroc

Nameroc takes a quick peek up as the shadow of a large rock covers the ground around his feet.


----------



## spacehulkster

The sky is falling, No?
Bad day to be defiant!


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Paquito catches a glimpse of a large rock hurtling through the air towards Nameroc's location. Paquito then stands straight up in front of Nameroc.
> 
> "There's a good minotaur." Nameroc says
> 
> "Before you shoot, can I please recite the dirge of the minotaur?" Paquito asks
> 
> "What are you people doing? The two of you have doomed us all!" Finrod shouts from his cover
> 
> "Don't worry old man, I'll take care of you last." Nameroc shouts over his shoulder to Finrod, "Now back to you." Nameroc focuses in on Paquito
> 
> "Remember, keep looking up. No?" Paquito says while pointing above Nameroc
> 
> Nameroc takes a quick peek up as the shadow of a large rock covers the ground around his feet.




I love these guys! Too funny!!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*There's a'looting a'foot*

Sorry for the long delay, we moved into a house on the 15th and have been cleaning/unpacking ever since. 

The mountain chip pounds into Nameroc's body, then rolls away harmlessly it's deed completed. Paquito winces as the rock slams into the ground, he expects to see a puddle of goo in the impression the rock left behind. He instead finds a broken and bloodied mess that still wheezes through a shattered face. 

"Gimmie 'nother rock, I see a new target." Sven commands

"Ugh, we don't have time for one of your fishing trips, we've got to get a move on." the female frost giant replies

"Hey! I am not about to leave unlooted bodies strewn about the countryside because you were hungry. I'm lootin' and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Well now, you just think about that the next time you get remorhazz saddle burn and you need someone to wipe your rear for you if you don't quit your games and start moving!" 

Sven mulls over his wife's remarks and relents, "Fine, just one more rock though. Did you see that throw? I want to see if I can hit the same one again and make a statement for it's friends." 

"Alright, here." Igna answers and hands over another rock

Paquito leans over the boulder he was standing behind to get a better look at Nameroc. While the elf lay unconscious, Paquito doubted he would survive any kind of heal attempt. Nameroc's breaths became shallow as Paquito heard the next volley streaking through the air. Paquito ducks back behind his rock as the large piece of granite plows into the ground just beyond Paquito's location, the minor tremors of it's landing shake Paquito on his haunches. 

Peering out across the side of his rock, Paquito watches as the second boulder rocks to a stop a mere ten feet from him. Looking back at Nameroc's previous location, and Paquito notes that all that's left is a large streak of blood and a twisted boot. 

"Ha! did you see that! The same spot. I am definitely trying out for chucking champion this year." Sven admires his throw one last time before spurring his mammoth on to catch up with his wife. 

As the frost giants cross the worn path, Igna makes an observation "Looks like someone was here before you, and they were able to kill with one rock to the head and left the bodies as a reminder too." Igna remarks sarcastically

"Point taken." Sven says as the pair ride off to the west.

After Paquito watches the frost giants disappear behind a hill, he gets up and looks for Nameroc's body. Unable to locate it he calls out to Finrod for assistance.

"I'm not moving from this spot, whatever that was has darn good aim. What's your mental problem for wandering around in the open?" the elf shouts back

"The giants are gone, I need help finding Nameroc's body, it got mashed by the boulders and I don't see it anywhere." Paquito informs the elf

Finrod twists his head around the tree trunk to get a look at where the boulders flew from and quickly retracts it, it takes the elf several tries before he convinces himself that there will be no further aerial assaults. 

Together Paquito and Finrod locate the few remaining body parts of Nameroc.

"I never knew you had such reverence for the dead Paquito, I would've thought you'd leave Nameroc here and continue forth about your business. It brings a tear to my eye to see you care so much." Finrod observes

"What are talking about? I intend to loot his dead body for magic items and then scorch the area of his stench. No?" Paquito says matter-of-factly, much to the horror of Finrod who stands mouth agape at Paquito's remarks

"Hey! you two. The giants are gone, you can come out now." Paquito shouts to Gronar and Korg

"No, Korg hiding. No can see me." Comes Korg's reply

"They're gone, it's safe now." Paquito implores

"No, hidey spot is working. No can see me." Korg answers

"Korg.... Korg!.... KORG! Paquito shouts

*snore*

Paquito walks over and kicks the sleeping giant.

"Huh? What. Gronar hiding." Comes his reply

"They're gone. Get out from under there." Paquito tells the giant

Gronar pulls the boulder off of his head and rolls onto his back so as to sit up and get a look around.

"Good job Elfy, big giants all dead?" Gronar asks

"Nameroc is dead, as to the giant's well being, I would surmise that they fared rather well through the ordeal. No?" Paquito explains

"He wants to take Nameroc's things and use them for himself." Finrod announces to Gronar while pointing at Paquito.

"Yeah?" Gronar asks

Paquito shrugs his shoulders and nods his head in agreement

"Alright Pokey! Gronar knew you be giant sometime, did Pokey loot body yet?" Gronar asks excitedly

Shaking his head no, Paquito informs Gronar that there was almost nothing left of Nameroc to loot. 

"Shhh! Korg hiding, shut up!" Korg yells

Gronar knocks the boulder from Korg's head

"Ahhh! No kill Korg, no kill Korg!" the hill giant wails an appeal

"Big giants gone Korg, get up." Gronar says

Korg stands and wears a proud smile on his face, in his mind, his plan had worked and he was saved. Finrod spots Nameroc's black bear companion rooting around Nameroc's last standing position.

"I'll take him back with me, maybe I can find a suitable husbander?" Finrod announces

"Nah, Korg hungry." And with that the hill giant cleric decapitates the black bear and begins to rip the pelt off it's body.

Finrod becomes nauseated and begins throwing up at the brutality.

"I call ribs. No?" Paquito states


----------



## Spider_Jerusalem

Well, I've finally caught up with this (at very long last). 

This is great stuff Hairy Minotaur! The banter between players is really well translated - parties that just don't get along are fantastic. Much better than a well-oiled munchkin machine.

I'm just sad that I haven't been able to keep up with this since the beginning - As i read through it, I've had any number of comments to voice. Sigh. 

But let the past be the past! Poor dead Nameroc! Lovely way to die though.

(your new _regular_ reader) Spider J


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Spider_Jerusalem said:
			
		

> Well, I've finally caught up with this (at very long last).
> 
> This is great stuff Hairy Minotaur! The banter between players is really well translated - parties that just don't get along are fantastic. Much better than a well-oiled munchkin machine.
> 
> I'm just sad that I haven't been able to keep up with this since the beginning - As i read through it, I've had any number of comments to voice. Sigh.
> 
> But let the past be the past! Poor dead Nameroc! Lovely way to die though.
> 
> (your new _regular_ reader) Spider J




Thanks! and welcome aboard.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*"Your furture, read here."*

The party sets up a makeshift spit, and begins cooking the bear amid the boulders alongside the path. Finrod still wretches and passes on lunch as he works to get his stomach under control.

Gronar begins working the pelt into a serviceable loincloth, complaining of a chilly draft in places he doesn't want to be cold at. Korg spies Paquito setting out pictures of different animals and goes over to see what the minotaur is up to.

"What Pokey doing?" The hill giant inquires

"The great gypsy Paquito is well versed in the ways of tarot. Perhaps you would like a reading? No?" Paquito answers

"What story Pokey tell this time?" Korg asks

"Why yours of course, what could be and may yet to be. For that is an admirable question. No?" Paquito responds

The confused look on Korg's face told Paquito that he would need to hand hold the giant through this process.

"Okay, first I turn over this card. Then the next one, and I lay it over here. Then these next three, and finally this one." Paquito removes his hands and lets Korg gaze over the animal depictions in front on him.

"See this first card? This is your dominate card. Looks like you are Ass dominate." Paquito says barely able to contain his snickering

"That not look like donkey to Korg, that look like brown blot." Korg says correctly identifying the ink stain

"Nonsense, you just have to learn how to interpret the cards. No? And these cards here, tell me how your Ass will affect future events." Paquito continues 

Korg nods in blissful ignorance

"Well it appears your life will be dominated by a liberal use of medicants brought on by a shameful experience with a dead sloth. It would appear that you should keep your distance from any slow moving mammals. No?" Paquito manages with a straight face.

"Korg not know what that means, only word Korg know is slow." The giant explains

"Yes, and that is abundantly apparent to one well versed in the arts, such as myself, and it is easily identifiable from some distance I can assure you. No?" Paquito continues to pile it on.

Korg reaches his attention span limit, and gets up to go see how the vomiting elf is doing.

"Elfy need some of Korg nurturing?" Korg says while making squeezing motions with his hands

*blech* 

"Errr, Elfy get Korg when Elfy not going to spill stomach on Korg boots." Korg says walking away 

The quartet, with three full bellies and an emptying one, decide to continue to follow the path. After six hours of walking, the giants pick up the faint scent of burning wood upwind from them.

Pointing into the wind, the giants give Paquito a chance to peer through the cold day and spot dark smoke rising over a small hill to the northeast. 

"Maybe they have better food?" Gronar wonders

"Korg think they have fire." Korg states 

"Maybe they've got a soft bed?" Finrod whispers

"Maybe it's a gnomish harem. No?" Paquito asks

"Okay. Why would it be that?" Finrod asks

"Oh, I thought we were making up stuff. No? I mean obviously something large is on fire, why on earth would we assume it's benevolent?" Paquito responds

"Does Ben Evolent make good food?" Gronar asks the minotaur

"No, but his sister Ineeda Mann does. Perhaps you should go check it out. No?" Paquito instructs the hill giant on fine dining.

Gronar crawls to the hill's crest, and peers down below at a small fort that is on fire in several places. He sees that the front gate has been smashed in, and also in several places along the outer wall a breach is evident. Looking again at the interior of the fort, Gronar sees large hunched gaunt creatures rummaging through the wreckage.

Gronar returns to the group to report his findings.

"Sounds like trolls." Finrod states "How many did you see?"

Gronar stops and thinks for a moment and begins counting on his fingers. After recounting twice, Gronar settles on two as his final answer. 

Finrod frowns "Probably means there's twenty." He replies

"Who would build a fort out here?" Paquito asks

"It has to be elven!" Finrod shouts and forces his weakened body to gallop towards the top of the hill.


----------



## spacehulkster

Excellent writing, no?
You have got to keep this thing together, finish it and print it out as a book.
i haven't laughed so much reading a story since that book where the Orks find Marine weapons and turn into Marines, then take over the world.


----------



## Jon Potter

What? Only two trolls? What could be the trouble? And there's even a big fire nearby. 

I forsee another dead elf.

And maybe a replacement PC? Just thought of this, but a troll would fit right in with Korg and Gronar. I played a half-troll in a one-shot once that was pretty fun, even with the LA.


----------



## Spider_Jerusalem

Nice one Hairy Minotaur, great writing.



> The quartet, with three full bellies and an emptying one, decide to continue to follow the path




Quote of the day for me. So yeah, miscount on trolls means trouble - but did the trolls start fires when they attacked?!? Defenders in desperation? A seige? A Baatezu! or maybe... or something... or... oh whatever. Tell me what happens.

Spider J


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*S'mores anyone?*

Thanks for all the comments! I strive to appease.   


Finrod races up the hill and stands on his toes, ignoring the waves of nausea that cascade through him. 

Through a breach in the south wall, he can make out the front of a small church that still stands against the west wall near the gate. Large gangly creatures roam the interior of the fort. To Finrod they appear to be rummaging for something. 

Over the cackling fires he can make out the barking of several dogs, probably still within their kennel, unable to be released during the onslaught.

Finrod in joined by the rest of the party, who stare down at the burning structure. 

"Well, I count three trolls already just from way up here. No?" Paquito announces

"Yeah, I think there's a good chance there's between one and five we don't see." Finrod answers

"Something must be mighty important for them to be so close to those fires. Something making them forget thousands of years of fear." Paquito's thought trails off as he reflects what that could possibly be. 

"Elfy want Gronar go see what trolls lost?" Gronar offers

"I wish we had Benat here so we could tell how many there were." Finrod wishes

"No need lady elfy, Gronar can tell by dung piles trolls leave. Just count piles, trolls not very clean." The hill giant says

"I still say it's a gnomish harem with ettercap guards. No?" Paquito announces

"No, don't think so." Finrod replies to the minotaur, then begins to descend the hill

"What plan are you preparing to unleash on these interlopers?" Paquito inquires

"I just want to get a closer look." Finrod answers

"Why not have Korg throw you over a wall then?" Paquito calls out as he watches the elf walk away.

Upon hearing that, Finrod turns around to see the giants discussing that option with respect to wind direction and speed. Korg then looks down at Finrod and gives a thumbs up sign. Finrod turns and runs to the burning fort.

"Elfy taking hard way again, guess Korg go save Elfy." The hill giant sighs

Finrod reaches the southern wall breach which is almost fifteen feet across, standing at the eastern side of the gap, Finrod peers inside. He can make out two trolls about thirty feet from him, they carry dead bodies that they then toss onto a huge blaze in the center of the fort. 

Gronar and Korg reach Finrod and look over the damage. 

*whistling* "These trolls very strong to rip open twigs like these." Gronar announces

Finrod ignores the insult and continues watching the trolls, trying to get an inkling as to what they're doing here.

After five minutes of watching wood burn, Gronar gets impatient.

"Gronar just going to go talk to trolls and see if they leave fort so we can eat good food." Gronar strides through the gap and into the fort

"No, Gronar wait!" Finrod speaks in a loud whisper

Gronar advances to a small gap between two burning piles of wood. A troll bisects the opening in the fort and Gronar calls out.

"Hey, stinky troll. Gronar want some food, you leave so Gronar eat?"  The giant asks

"Leave here." a voice replies to Gronar's left that seems to come from a burning pile of building refuse.

"After Gronar eat, Gronar leave. First Gronar eat, then maybe leave. After Gronar eat, Gronar most likely not stay." The giant replies

...........

"Hey, Gronar talking to stinky troll. Gronar want to ea.." Gronar's words are drowned out, as a large burning form erupts from the burning pile and leaps on the giant.

Korg and Finrod flinch as the beast jumps from the fire. It's eyes are like burnt cinders, ashen and black at the same time. It's skin is reddish-orange akin to candle's flame. But there was no mistaking the shape of the beast, as they both knew it was a troll.

Gronar rolls over and pushes the troll off of him, Another troll leaps from behind Gronar, claws his back and sinks it's dirty teeth into Gronar's neck. The first troll hisses back at Gronar like water being poured of a flame. It snorts burning embers through it's nose, and then unleashes a stream of conflagration from it's mouth.

"Hmm, one would think that trolls would hate fire. No?" Paquito says, startling Finrod who hadn't noticed the minotaur's approach

"They're supposed to be, maybe they're not trolls?" Finrod conjectures

"Gronar, trolls hate fires." Korg shouts to his comrade after only hearing part of the conversation.

The fire breathing troll turns to face it's new threat, as the scorched Gronar throws off the troll on his shoulder and onto a bon fire. The troll rights itself and grabs a burning log as a club.

"Korg! Troll likes fire!" Gronar shouts

Finrod fires an arrow at the nearest troll, only to watch it burn up before reaching the creature, and falls harmlessly as ash and an arrowhead. 

"I don't think these are normal trolls." Finrod clarifies

"No, I think they're faking. I bet they're really hurting on the inside. No?" Paquito comments.

Finrod spots the form of another troll through the smoke and heat shimmer exiting the fort through gate.

"I think we're about to have company, I'll try to head it off at the corner." Finrod says as he heads for the southwest corner of the fort.

"Ok, The great Paquito will support you in that endeavor with some timely placed bits of encouragement from this location. No?" Paquito waves as he retrieves some marshmallows from his backpack.

"Yum, nothing like grilling out. No?" Paquito asks himself


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*It just won't die!*

Gronar splits the troll that was sitting on the burning pile next to him in half. Orange blood erupts over wood pile and onto the ground beneath it, the blood singes the grass and causes the unburned wood in the pile to catch fire.

Gronar takes a quick survey of his body to see if he inadvertently caught any blood spray. Satisfied that he wasn't on fire, Gronar stalked the fire-breathing troll ahead of him. However his eyes caught the slightest of movement to his immediate left and glancing over in that direction, Gronar found the black coal eyes of the bisected troll blinking back at him.

Korg stepped into the burning fort and was nearly overcome with the heat and lack of oxygen the large fires were creating. He wondered how Gronar managed to get so far into the fort without having any problems. 

The fire-breathing troll turned his attentions to the lumbering giant cleric and hissed out a warning in Ignan that Korg didn't understand. Korg, unimpressed with the troll's posturing, Korg forces his spear through the troll's thick abdomen and out through the troll's back.

Deep in pain now, the troll reared back and breathed a stream of fire at Korg, covered the giant's bare arms in flames. Korg retracted his spear and quickly beat the flames off his singed arm hair.

Finrod leapt around the corner, sword drawn looking for the troll, only to find a barren landscape in front of him. Standing confused, Finrod assured himself that he had seen a troll escape from the fort through the front gate. 

Paquito watched Korg dance with the troll and in-between melting marshmallows and prying the gooey substance from his teeth, the minotaur unleashed the odd _magic missile_ into the troll. Every time one hit the creature, Korg would look back at the waving minotaur who gave Korg a thumbs up after each missile hit home. 

Finrod looked back towards Paquito to see if maybe the troll changed his mind and decided to go the long way around the fort. Finrod tried to gain the minotaur's attention unaware that his query sat against the side of the fort watching, waiting for it's chance to leap.

Gronar slammed his greatsword into the head of the bisected troll a couple of times.

"Try and look at Gronar now stinky troll!" Gronar shouted at the beast, it's eyes had stopped blinking, but Gronar was sure they still burned with life.

Frustrated that he could not seem to kill the thing, Gronar began stomping on the torso-less troll.

"Go for the crotch Gronar!" Paquito shouted. 

Korg speared the fire-breathing troll through the neck, and pulled the creature back to him. He then tore it's head off and kicked the body away. Turning back to face Paquito, Korg watched as the minotaur unleashed a couple of _magic missiles_ into the decapitated head.

"Why do that? Korg pretty sure red troll is dead." Korg inquires

"I didn't like the way he mouth was twitching like that. No?" Paquito responds

The head continues to make hissing sounds from it's mouth, so Korg punches the head a couple of times.

"Shut-up troll. Korg put you in soup, then leave you here to hiss in Korg dung pile." The giant yells

Gronar walks up behind Korg carrying the tenderized head of his own conquest.

"What Pokey think kill stinky troll?" Gronar asked the intelligent one of the group

Paquito pondered that thought and decided that they needed to create makeshift spears from the rubble, and mount the heads on the shaft.

"Hopefully it'll slow the regeneration down enough that we'll be safely away before they come looking for us. No?" Paquito answered

"Pokey not know how to kill stinky troll?" Gronar inquires

"Well I would surmise that cold might do the trick, but alas I have no such means of producing.... wait I think I have just the thing." Paquito replies

After force feeding both heads two _ray of frosts_, Paquito was sure he had stopped the regeneration process. Smiling, Paquito looked on with great pride.

"Where elfy?" Gronar asked

Paquito shrugged his shoulders and pointed in the direction he last saw him at.

The trio rounded the corner to find a bloodied mass, who's wounds had been cauterized buy fire and heat.

"Is Elfy still alive?" Gronar asked his clerical friend

Korg bent over the elf and with a look of astonishment he announced that Finrod had indeed endured.

"Great, now my moral compass is acting up again. I guess we better save him. Baphomet knows I may need a meat shield at some point in the future. No?" Paquito says

"Gronar going to go see if twig place has any good eats, and maybe lots of gold, and maybe bigger sword, and maybe magic." Gronar announces as he heads back into the fort.

"Wait up! Don't leave me here with touchy feely and pukey. You may have need of my services as an appraiser. No?" Paquito calls out to Gronar.


----------



## Jon Potter

So what's the deal with these trolls? Half-elemental, perhaps? Or otherwise planetouched?

You making use of some of the feats from Green Ronin's "Aasimar & Tiefling" for these guys?

You might as well tell me or I'll just keep guessing.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Well, actually they're from old 1 edition AD&D monsters that my old DM created almost 20 years ago, that I found while packing to move.

He had Fire trolls, Swamp trolls, Mist trolls, and Rock trolls.

I took the fire troll, and slapped a Magma elemental template on it (from Green Ronin's _Advanced Beastary_ rules on creating templates)

I recommend this book greatly for messing with your PC's heads. Especially if you've got 2 other DMs playing.   

It's truely amazimg how much Green Ronin stuff I use. I should probably go thank them for helping me terrorize my players.


----------



## Spider_Jerusalem

Hey Hairy Minotuar - nice fight scene.

Magma trolls were good blend, it's always so intriguing to throw something at the party which is reversed.

I once made up a half-troll, quarter-yuan-ti, quarter destrachan. It was a bit messed up but nailed the characters left right and centre. Fire? Silence? Flutes?   

Anyway, great story so far... I really like the party talk, it's nice that you captured what goes on at the table that well.

Spider J


----------



## spacehulkster

Ah, the secrets out!
I'l be watching you  

Oh... nice "leave" comment.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*What lies underneath*

Gronar and Paquito enter through the blasted out side entrance, they note that without the trolls constant presence, the burning piles of refuse have mostly dwindled to a small campfire size. 

Paquito begins to round up the dead bodies and place them in the center of the fort. He collects sixteen medium sized humanoids that could have once been elves, but are now nothing more than glorified charcoal puppets. 

Gronar begins prodding around the still standing structures of the fort, his first destination is an empty barracks. The condition of the room lead Gronar to believe they evacuated it in a hurry. Gronar pulls the few foot lockers he finds out into the open to smash open later. 

Korg and Finrod rejoin their companions inside the fort, they both head for the partially collapsed church near the main gate. They find an alarming discovery, two burnt bodies were roasted while they struggled with each other. One is a priest, burnt robes and melted prayer beads give it away, the other body is that of a troll burned black and heated to a fragile crispiness. 

Finrod calls Paqutio over to have him share his thoughts on the discovery of this troll.

"Well, either the normal trolls came first followed by the fire ones, or they attacked at the same time. I think my final determination will depend on how many more burnt troll bodies we find amidst the rubble. No?"

"Elfy still think this elfy place?" Korg asks

"Yes I am sure of it, see that scorched writing above the main gate? It's elvish for _In service of the queen, I shall not fail._" Finrod replies

"Well, either they weren't in service of the queen, or they horribly failed to live up to that promise. No?" Paquito counters

Finrod ignores Paquito and leaves the church, heading for a building with a smashed coat of arms still hanging to the door. He enters the captain's quarters, and begins to search a desk near the rear of the building.

Gronar heads to the kennel and asks if he should let the canines go free.

"Bad idea, they'll just as likely try to chew on you, as they would flee this place. Who knows how long they've been without food. No?" Paquito answers

"Hey Paquito, count how many elven bodies Gronar stacked up out there!" Finrod shouts from the captain's barracks.

"Including you?" Paquito yells back before turning to count the piled bodies.

"Gronar think there is three elfys and two porkys in pile." Gronar says proudly

Paquito gives him a confused look before shouting out "twelve" as the answer, then staring down the hill giant

"Twelve? Gronar think Pokey not know how to count." Gronar accuses the minotuar

"Korg will smite counting and Nurture Pokey." Korg shouts

"Stay away from me. No?" Paquito immediately replies

Finrod exits the captain's barracks and exclaims that there must be some survivors or some captives, as the captain's ledger indicates a company of twenty-five as of yesterday.

"Darn! We miss party Korg. Elfy take us here too slow." Gronar complains as he dejectedly kicks the dirt beneath him.

Snow begins to fall and the wind kicks up through the fort, the numerous holes in the walls make an unnatural whistling sound as the air whips through and around the structure.

"Maybe we should find shelter here tonight? No?" Paquito suggests

"Gronar not care, Gronar go find big pile of gold elfys was hiding." The hill giant comments 

Paquito shrugs as Gronar walks away, and then casts _detect magic_ and immediately picks up several readings in the church in front of him. Smiling to himself, Paquito makes sure his inner joy is not noticed by Korg or Finrod as he slowly enters the church.

After ransacking two standing structures, Gronar begins hacking the buildings apart in frustration over the lack of gold remaining. Finrod offers to show the hill giants to the kitchen and they both heartedly agree to accompany the elf.

Finrod points out the kitchen and Gronar bashes the door in. The salty smell of cured pork fills the air and the two giants shove Finrod out of the way as the both attempt to race through the open portal at the same time. Weakened from the earlier assault by the trolls, the kitchen collapses in on itself from the charging giants.

After securing six sides of pork apiece, the giants smash their way out of the kitchen, and embrace the sitting Finrod.

"Gronar like Elfy, Gronar will make sure no more stinky trolls hurt Elfy." The hill giant relates

"Korg will make Elfy good pair of loincloths." Korg nods and smiles as he sticks his meat with his spear like a kabob and then holds it over a smoldering fire. 

"Hey Korg, you still know trick to find magic stuff?" Gronar asks is large friend

"Yes, Korg know how to do that. Gronar want Korg to check for magic things in this?" Korg asks pointing at the fort.

Gronar nods his head and waits for Korg to complete the spell. Korg gets multiple readings to his left.

"That way is lots of things." Korg points in the direction of  Paquito

The two giants walk towards the church, they acknowledge the minotaur as they pass him. Then Korg stops and spins around.

"Now things are that way." Korg looks up and 'sees' the items hidden in Paquito's backpack. "Pokey has magic things."

Gronar's demeanor goes from excited to jealousy as he bull rushes the minotaur knocking him to the ground face first. 

"Pokey take magic things Gronar was looking for!" Gronar angrily accuses Paquito

Coughing the dirt from his lungs, Paquito turns over to face the hill giant.

"Surely you do not think I would stoop so inferior as to predicate this abominable offense on one as pituitarily engorged as yourself? No?" Paquito answers

"Pokey make Gronar head and ears hurt. Give Gronar magic things!" Gronar demands

"But of course, I did not know you had the magical ability to hold cursed objects and render them neutralized. Forgive me for my predisposition to larceny. No?" Paquito replied

"Cursed?" Gronar paused now, he knew the word meant something bad

Finrod sat watching the spectacle unfold in front of him, secretly hoping the giants would pound Paquito into beef jerky. He noticed an increase in temperature behind him, and looking back over his shoulder saw a small fire erupt into a fountain of flame. Shielding he eyes, he spots the outline of a troll with eyes like burnt embers.

"Uh guys." Finrod says as he points to the troll.


----------



## Jon Potter

You copying me, HM? There've been a lot of "pituitarily engorged" updates from you lately.

Not that I'm complaining mind you.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Finrod tries to flee the burning troll, but the creature stomps the elf back to the ground. Fully emerged from the fire, the troll hisses at the group and takes a quick survey of it's surroundings.

Finrod rolls to his side and rights himself on all fours, attracted to the movement, the troll disgorged it's throat contents at the elf. A heavy mass of burning mucid rock enshrouds Finrod's back. His cloak and leather armor immediately catch fire.

Gronar releases the struggling Paquito and draws his sword at a renewed threat.

"Stinky troll! Gronar not like you, you hurt master chef Elfy." The giant bellows and charges at the beast

The troll stands it's ground and rakes it's searing claws across the giant's chest, as Gronar crashes his greatsword down on the troll's head. 

Korg rushes to Finrod's side and with his hands, digs out massive clumps of dirt and throws them onto Finrod. 

Paquito sits up and takes a couple deep breaths as he regains his wits. Peering out ahead of him, he sees Gronar and the troll locked in battle, and Korg burying Finrod alive. Paquito decides to find out if Finrod finally kicked the bucket.

Korg works furiously, dumping loads of fresh dirt onto the smoldering elf. He works at a possessed pace until he feels a tapping on his shoulder. 

"Huh? Pokey help Korg!" The giant implores

"Why? It appears you have succeeded in burying Finrod. No?" Paquito observes

"Korg going to send Elfy into ground, then when Umthala throws sun back into sky, Elfy will return good as new." Korg relates

"Um, that trick only works for you, Finrod does not follow Umthala." Paquito stares into the giant's eyes

"Hrrmph, Elfy should learn to nurture Umthala like Korg." The giant responds to Paquito, then places his head close to Finrod's buried body. "Hey Elfy, you want to nurture Umthala now?!" 

"That's a sure fire way to gain converts. No?" Paquito says as he starts to dig out the elf

"Korg not hear anything, maybe Elfy not want to be like Korg? Maybe Elfy want to be like other elfys?" Korg says, saddened at the rejection

Paquito manages to free the head of Finrod and verifying that he's still breathing, leaves him with Korg and goes to check on Gronar.

"Gronar is stronger than stinky troll, Gronar is better than, ouch, hot troll, Gronar is ,ouch, bigger than puny troll." The hill giant says as he fragments the troll's existence into small pieces.

Paquito comes over and _ray of frosts_ the troll's head. Gronar eyeballs the minotaur and clutches his greatsword, twisting his immense hands around the pommel.

"Hey, how you doing? Lovely weather we're having. No? Your buddy Korg over there, found a buried elf. Maybe he has some gold?" Paquito tells Gronar.

The hill giant dashes over to Korg, who is weeping uncontrollably.

"What happen Korg? Why Korg crying?" Gronar asks

"Elfy not want to be like Korg and nurture Umthala. Korg is loser as priest of Umthala." Korg bemoans

Gronar gets a surprised look on his face. "Gronar not want to be like Korg either. Gronar like smashing and breaking things. But, Gronar happy that Korg by Gronar side." Gronar smiles at Korg who in turn smiles back

"Barf! Knock it off with the simpleton sympathy satire. Can we just get  the elf and get out of here before more of those trolls come back? Or maybe we should await our doom here. No?" Paquito comments

Gronar agrees, and Korg drags the battered Finrod out from his earthen shell.

"Elfy look a lot like our Elfy. Hey, where is our Elfy?" Gronar asks

"Elfy was on fire, Korg save Elfy with dirt pile." Korg answers

"That what makes Korg special, Korg care about others feelings." Gronar replies

"Y-y-you're gagging me here, shall I be forced to render myself deaf to avoid your inferiority complex with inferior beings?" Paquito offers while shoving a finger in each ear. 

"Pokey can be Korg friend too." Gronar responds

"Oh no, in fact the only friends I need are waiting for me back in my new home. Once I learn teleport, I'm outta here, minotrices here I come. I can almost hear the pitter patter of little hooves." Paquito says closing his eyes daydreaming

"Gronar not here that, Gronar hears Pokey's mouth and crackling fire." The hill giant replies

"That's because you lack vision. You have no preset identifiable goal to strive for. Take the great Paquito for example, when I have unified the four kingdoms and returned the diamond horn to the throne of ivory, then I shall truly have accomplished all that I have set out in life. Oh and a couple dozen little Paquitos, practice makes perfect. No?" Paquito rambles

"Pokey is dumberest." Korg answers

Korg heals up Finrod to serviceable condition and the quartet head north, following Gronar's advice and looking out for troll droppings.

They cross a swift moving, shallow, bitterly cold stream and emerge onto a worn path.

"Looks like we're getting somewhere. There are quite a few tracks here." Finrod points out

"Well I for one am glad to hear that we are not getting nowhere. At least we're somewhere, had we been nowhere I would have surely mistaken it for somewhere and been thoroughly confused, because nowhere sure as hell looks a lot like somewhere. No?" Paquito comments

"You're a moron." Finrod says

"No. I am a minotaur. Could it be that you have somehow missed that I have two very impressive horns atop my genius head?" Paquito replies

Shaking his head in disbelief, Finrod advances down the path towards a small forest. The party walks about two hours before Finrod halts the group, and alerts the party to two towers that stand guard on either side of the path about a mile ahead. The trees end in about twenty feet from them, so Finrod thought it better to stop here than risk one of the giants stepping out of cover.

"Gronar want to see who is home, lets go knock." The hill giant says

"What if there are more of those burning trolls?" Finrod asks

Gronar halts, spins on his heels, and returns to Finrod. "Elfy have good point, what Elfy plan?"


----------



## pogre

> "You're a moron." Finrod says
> 
> "No. I am a minotaur. Could it be that you have somehow missed that I have two very impressive horns atop my genius head?" Paquito replies




Ya' know - there's nothing that says he cannot be both


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Hill Giant Playhouse Theater*

The party creeps up to the left tower, making sure to take a wide berth and sticking to the forest growth for as long as possible. They notice that the top of the tower has collapsed and a few stones have also crumbled near the top of the tower. 

The tower appears to have faced the weather for centuries, it's stone appears gray and dirty when contrasted with the grass beneath it. It's former entrance is now shrouded behind a billowing fur rug that acts as a makeshift door.

The part scurries across the open ground as fast as they can and reach the tower within twenty seconds. Hearts pounding fast hoping that their approach has not been detected by anyone in the tower. 

Listening intently for any sounds that might emanate from the building, the party picks up far off clanging sound that might be from a forge nearby. Other than that, no sounds are heard on the breeze.

Gronar pushes himself off of the wall, and spins to face the fur covered opening. He takes out his long spear and shoves the point into the blanket, then gives the spear a few sharp twists, allowing the material to catch on the tip. He then rips the fur free of the door frame and throws the spear to the ground on his right, and draws his greatsword in the same seamless motion.

Dim emptiness confronts the party.

Gronar enters first, then motions for the rest of the party to follow. Inside the tower, the long burned out husk of a campfire still sits unmolested on the dirt floor. Beside it lies a neatly stack rope, cobwebs and a couple spiders reside in the hollow of the rope ring indicating that the rope may have been here as long as the campfire.

Finrod looks over the stonework on the inside of the tower, at first he grazes his hand over the wall. When soot and grime adhere to his hand and are erased from the stone, his eyes catch a subtle brilliance unseen through the years of neglect. Wiping away the dirt with a purpose now, Finrod clears off a square foot section of wall and discovers a beautiful sheen left unmarred through the years. It's surface reminds Finrod on that seen on a pearl.

*whistling* "That sure is pretty, where do you suppose this material came from, or for that matter what is this material?" Paquito asked, almost salivating to the extent that the words where difficult to speak.

"Not knowing exactly what this is, my best guess is it's carved from a pearl." Finrod answers, shifting so as not to get any of Paquito's mouth drippings on his boots.

"A single pearl? Surely you are mistaken. No?" Paquito says, running his clawed hand over the wall.

"What Elfy find?" Gronar inquires, hunching over to fit in the small tower and not have his head poke out the top. 

"Nothing, well it might be nothing. Just an unusual material choice for a wall that's all.

"Nothing?! Hah! Pointy here jests. No? This wall is the most expensive thing we've found! I say we dismantle it and carry it back piece by piece to sell it off at Mirwood. No?" Paquito excitedly relates to the giant

"Really? Why take apart? Gronar carry pointy tent back to elfy town all by self." Gronar answers

"Hey Elfy! How big do trees grow?" Korg chimes in from outside the tower

Stepping outside wearing an exasperated look on his face, Finrod confronts the hill giant's question.

"Why, what does it matter?" Finrod asks

"Korg not see one that big before." Korg relates, pointing down the path about a mile down.

Finrod follows the giant's finger until it rests upon what looks like a side of a mountain. "That's just a mountain, there was probably a river running through here, and the rippling effect you're mistaking as tree bark was caused by water run off from above." Finrod answers

"Then why are there leafy things on top." Korg ponders aloud

Finrod looks up the mountain slope and watches in disbelief as the rock he thought it was splits in two like a branching tree, then again, and yet again. Soon the resemblance of a five-hundred foot tall, three-hundred foot wide tree comes into view. It never occurred to him that this could be anything more than a cliff face, and so never bother to look more closely until Korg pointed it out.

Joining their companions outside, Gronar and Paquito marvel at the structure as well.

"Is it a real tree? Or carved to look like a tree?" Paquito asks to no one in particular

"I don't know. If it's real it's certainly the largest tree in existence." Finrod's words trail off as he stares at the monumental object

"I take it back, this tree is the most expensive thing we've found so far. Let's go back to Mirwood and sell maps to this place. No?" Paquito breaks the silence

"We don't even know where we are." Finrod answers

"Wrong. We know we're here, which is somewhere, which is a place on some map. No?" Paquito replies

Not wanting to get into another argument, Finrod walks away from the minotaur and turns to face the other tower on the opposite side of the road. Squinting, he notices the faint trail of smoke wafting out from underneath the covered top of the tower.

This tower appeared, on the exterior at least, to be in much better condition than the one they'd just been in. For it still retained it's cone-like top and none of it's stones had fallen from it's walls. Untrained as a ranger, Finrod could only guess as to whether the smoke was from a recent fire or a current one. 

"I think we should check out that tower before we do anything about the tree." Finrod announces, pointing across the dirt path.

"Why? There's not going to be anything worthwhile in there. No?" Paquito responds

"I want to make sure it's unoccupied before we press on." Finrod replies, while pointing at the lazily meandering gray line escaping from under the rooftop of the tower.

"Fine, but there better not be any burning stinky trolls in tower, or Gronar get mad at Elfy." The giant says as he strolls across the dirt walk-way

The party coalesces on the path side of the tower, wet crunching sounds can be heard through the stone wall.

"Somebody's home." Finrod whispered

"I think that was my stomach. No?" Paquito says sheepishly

"Maybe we can take them by surprise? Gronar, go around to the front door and tell them it's time for a shift change. When they come out to investigate, we'll cut them down." Finrod says proudly

"What makes you think there are guards in there? Some foreknowledge of an ambush you have. No?" Paquito inquires

"Korg think plan is nurture." The hill giant interjects

Gronar sighs loudly and shuffles around the side of the tower to the entrance, also covered by another makeshift fur door.

*knock* *knock* Gronar bangs on the stone facade near the door

"Who goessss there?" A hissing voice responds

"Grona..." Gronar is cut off by Finrod's shushing him.

"Don't use your name. Just tell them shift change." Finrod whispers through clenched teeth.

"Who goessss there?" The voice says again, this time more forceful

"Not Gronar here to change shift." Gronar replies. Finrod slaps his forehead in dismay, while Paquito begins to inch away from the tower and Gronar's position.

"What issss the passssword?" The voice calls out

"Not Gronar not know what password mean. Not Gronar say you leave tower before Gronar kick you out." Gronar shouts back

An uneasy silence pervades over the group, as they wait for a response.

Finrod catches Paquito slinking away and throws a rock against his head. Paquito spins to face his assailant and spies Finrod pointing at the fur door in front of Gronar.

"Burn that down." Finrod whispers

Annoyed that his hair become messed up from the rock, Paquito stands and sticks his wide tongue out at Finrod.

"My good man perhaps you once again have forgotten that I am in fact not a mage. Although I do play one on stage, perhaps that is where your confusion arises. No?" Paquito speaks to Finrod

"Just do it!" Finrod yells, unaware of the lanky killer that has crawled out onto the side of the tower above him and Korg

Paquito spots the black, oily colored troll in time to unleash a _scorching ray_ at the beast. The line of flame hurtles into the troll and sets the creature on fire.

Finrod and Korg both duck as the stream of conflagration passes over their heads. 

"The door stupid!" Finrod shouts as he returns to a standing position

Paquito ignores the elf as the troll's carcass falls from the tower and lands on top of Finrod. Causing the elf to slam into the ground face first, the oiliness of the troll causes a splashing effect on the fire and Finrod's cloak catches aflame while he's pinned beneath the troll.

Korg acts quickly by stomping out the fire with his foot. Paquito runs up to Korg and waves him to stop, so that he may pull off the shriveled troll and reveal a broken and battered elf underneath.

Gronar watches the action to his left intently, letting out a small giggle as Paquito pulls the beaten elf from under Korg's foot. His eyes never catch the flurry of movement from the covered door, as a large troll's hand rakes it's claws over the giant's chest, sending the astonished giant crashing back onto his haunches.


----------



## Jon Potter

I suppose it's a hazard of working with giants, but the elves certainly do seem to get squished a lot.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Rage of the barbarian*

Gronar backs away from the covered door, a breeze he can't feel seems to cause the fur covering to undulate like a slow snake. His right hand moves to his chest and he feels the gouges raked across his breastbone, pulling his hand away he feels his blood dripping off the ends of his finger tips. Gronar licks the lifeblood off his fingers as a slow burning rage takes hold in his heart. Gronar uses his own blood to fuel the fire of hate that his heart so wants to fan.

Paquito hefts Finrod up off the ground, and shoves him towards Korg.

"Heal him." Paquito mutters 

The minotaur takes a step back and focuses on the wooden cap to the tower. Old and weathered, the wood stands defiant against the cold north wind that assuredly blows across it's faded planks. "This ought to burn easily" Paquito thought to himself.

Caught off guard by the incoming elf, Korg's attention is slapped away from the bleeding Gronar back to the burnt, battered husk of Finrod. Clasping the elf's head with both hands, Korg unleashes the most powerful healing granted him by Umtala. Finrod's face loses the bruising tinge caused by the foot of Gronar. His nose, once twisted and smashed into his skull, rights itself and protrudes back to it's original distance from his face. 

A low growl escapes from the snarling lips of Gronar, astonishment and pain mix to reach into his heritage and pull out an internal rage that resides in his race's past. Adrenalin is pumped frantically throughout his body as his mind focuses his eyes like a tunnel onto the fur covering and the despicable creature that lies cowering behind it. His tongue sought out the air around him, he did not taste fear.... yet. This creature must be taught to fear him, the creature will be taught the limits of it's own mortality.

Gronar shifted his weight and secured the balls of his feet beneath him, in one fluid movement the hill giant dove at the pelt of the animal guarding passage into the tower's interior, guarding the whereabouts of his victim. 

Paquito mouthed the words of his spell softly, no need to alert anyone else what his thinking was. Korg and Finrod weren't going anywhere and Gronar could handle himself. His verbal machinations completed, power surged up through his feet and propelled itself up and out towards the clawed hands of the minotaur. Paquito allowed himself to savor the feeling like an addiction for just a moment before extending his hands up and towards the wooden top of the tower. A stream of heat and fire erupted from Paquito's hands, the stream roiled in flight as it raced towards the dry cracked roof and freedom from the constraints the spell placed on it. 

The scorching ray slammed into the wood and engulfed the dehydrated material like a child finding it's lost blanket. The wooden beams lit up like tinder, free from the small are the spell forced it into, the fire relished in moving over every inch of exposed wood, then it found the underside of the wood. Deafening snaps and cracks echoed off the far away tree-like structure and as if a thousand years of weight had been lifted from it's shoulders, the roof gave in and collapsed into the center of the tower. 

"Korg save Elfy life again. Korg think make Elfy pay for prayers." The hill giant contemplates aloud

"Sure I'll pay up right after you reimburse me for the damage you did to me pack while stomping on it." Finrod answers

"Korg saving Elfy then too, Elfy pay double." Korg replies, as he watches Gronar fling himself into the tower. "Wait, Korg go help Gronar."

Finrod relaxes a bit, his nose still hurt and was a little swollen, but he could breathe out of it. He grasped the hilt of his elven longsword and in the reflection of the blade, saw the stream of fire crash into the top of the tower. Finrod stumbles forward in haste, vowing not to have anymore burning troll carcasses land on top of him again. He was just about to ask Paquito what he thought he was doing when then roof collapsed, drowning out any hope of conversation.

Gronar's body as bulky as it was glided through the air like a practiced gymnast. He timed the swing of his greatsword so that the fur door would come in contact with the minimalist amount of blade. Gronar didn't want to face his victim with the blade of his sword wrapped in smelly fur.  The fur gave passage willingly and Gronar landed on his chest, bounced up enough to get his knees under him, then squinted his eyes looking for movement. 

Gronar knelt on a dirt floor, but his aching knees told him there was stone not that far beneath him. The walls were as undecorated as the last tower and just as filthy, he spotted some deliberate dark markings on the wall to his left, and thought them writing which was beyond his grasp. His query made no attempt to leap at him through the dirtied air, Gronar gripped his hilt tighter, he hated sneaky types. 

He vision alighted up the walls towards the roof and fell upon his prey climbing nearly towards the top. Gronar's heart sank and this pushed his rage even further. "How dare stinky troll try to run." Gronar thought, then a cascading roar fell upon the tower's interior as the roof caught fire. The troll paused unsure of what to do, it looked back down at the stoic Gronar and again at the burning roof, and decide to continue it's climb. 

Gronar pivoted beginning a move that would get him outside of the tower and hopefully around it before the troll could flee. Then the crackling sounds increased and Gronar froze, peering up at the roof, he watched as it come crashing down. His eyes went to the troll and watched as the creature lost it's grip on the tower's wall and was tumbling down towards the floor ahead of the burning roof. Gronar held his breath, held his hands, and held his gaze, the twisting troll's form dropped closer to the waiting giant, it's eyes locked onto Gronar's and it flexed it's claws and legs. The troll turned and positioned itself for a raked landing upon Gronar's body, but the hill giant was ready. 

Gronar knew the card he held was better than the one the troll was going to play. Just before the troll could strike at him, Gronar turned his blade flat and swing it up like a club at the falling troll. The sword crumpled the falling troll and threw it's broken body up and into the falling debris of the roof. Gronar then brought his sword's hilt back to his face as he ready for the troll to impale it's burning form onto his blade. The troll caught fire and squirmed against it's mortal foe as the weight of the roof brought it's body down and through the blade of Gronar. For the giant, the world went black and red and centuries old wood aflame with hungry fire slammed into. The giant stood his ground as the fire licked it's way around Gronar exposed flesh, when the sound of falling roof had ceased, Gronar opened his eyes to stand in a field of fire with his victim staring back at him. Gronar's blade was pushed up through the troll so that it's mouth was forced open by the invading sword. The tip of Gronar's greatsword poked out from the top of the troll's oily haired head. His legs burned and his nostrils flared looking for oxygen, but he heart felt at peace and the rage slowly seeped from his muscles.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Can you trip like I do?*

Gronar felt the hand grab the back of his hair, but he was too slow to slap it away. His body was jerked back out through the tower's entrance by Korg.

"Dumb Gronar, fire will make skin blister, and Korg almost out of heal miracles." Korg said flustered at Gronar, his verbal attempts to get his friend to remove himself from the burning edifice had proved fruitless. 

Gronar stood up to face Korg, and wiped away the sweat that was streaming soot and grime into his eyes. Korg noticed then a change of hair color in Gronar.

"How Gronar hair get that way?" 

"What way? Burned? Gronar was just in fire, that what happens when hair catch fire." 

"No, Gronar hair is like wolf's hair." 

"Gronar has choosed to go down path of the Barbaars*, Gronar will not let stinky trolls push Gronar around no more." 

The party heads back to the icy river and follows it a bit upstream, before veering off into the woods to look for a place to rest for the evening. 

Finrod locates a clearing big enough for the giants to lay down in and unpacks his supplies to make a campfire with. Paquito and Korg clear away the flat ground of twigs and fallen rotting logs. Korg spots a sturdy tree on the far side of where they entered the clearing and slumps down next to it. 

Finrod makes sure to set the fire small but intense, not wanting to alert any visitors, as any visitor they would receive out here was likely to be hostile. Korg tends to his exhausted friend while Paquito stretches across the ground to stare at the overcast evening sky.

"What does Barbaars mean?" Finrod asks Paquito, the elf's words shatter the silent daydream the minotaur was having.

"What?" Paquito responded irritated at the elf, hoping the elf would drop the subject.

"What does Barbaars mean? I heard Gronar saying he was going to follow their path. I want to know what the creature is." 

"What makes you think I would care to know what comes out of his head? I am a poor fungal sage not a linguist. Though I do admit to being cunning. No?" 

Annoyed at Paquito's lack of a response, Finrod leaves the fire and heads towards Gronar, aiming to ask the giant himself.

"Where are going?" Paquito asked as the elf passed him

"I'm going to find out what that word means." 

"But the fire will get cold, you can't just leave it like that. No?" 

"You can tend the fire I'll be back in a moment." 

*sigh* "Fine, if I tell you what it means will you sit down and keep me warm?" 

"Elves don't snuggle." 

Having never heard Finrod give a smart assed reply before, Paquito assumed the elf was being serious and had mistook Paquito's request.

"Yes, I've heard that about your kind. No matter, I can just impale you and then snuggling doesn't really become an issue any longer. No?" Paquito answered trying to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"Yes, your kind have shown a great propensity for hurtling themselves at a goal, unfortunately that goal appears to be mass suicide at the hands of greater races." 

"You seem to be handling the part of Korg's hand puppet extremely well for someone with an ass as tight as yours. I shall hold him, and pet, and squeeze him, and call him Elfy. You live the good life. No?" 

Finrod spat at Paquito then kicked the fire out.

"What was that for? How am I going to keep warm now that you won't snuggle with me?" 

Finrod became incensed, he wanted to gut the talking bull and find his way back home. His hand reached for the hilt of his blade as he flung open his cloak to reveal his intent to Paquito.

"Oh, is it time to shave my back again, so soon?" Paquito answered as he turned his back to the dying fire and Finrod.

Hatred boiled inside the elf, now Paquito mocked his abilities, he had gone far enough and Finrod was going to make sure he didn't go any farther.

Finrod unsheathed his longsword and lunged for the kidneys of Paquito. A larger sword sliced down and drove Finrod's blade into the ground before it could reach Paquito. The larger blade twisted and the torque on Finrod's arm was too great to bear and the sword leaped from his hand to rest upon the ground in front of him. 

Gronar stood above the small elf with a look of distaste. His arms retracted and he pulled his sword away from Finrod's blade.

"Why Elfy not fight stinky trolls like that?" Gronar asked, wondering why Finrod had shown passion and determination only when Paquito was concerned.

"That worthless sack of manure insults my very existence, I wish for him to be gone from my company." Finrod answers, his eyes never leaving the back of Paquito, who is chuckling softly to himself.

"Gronar think you fight stinky trolls like you fight Pokey, then maybe Gronar not have to be Barbaars." 

Finrod looked up at Gronar at the mention of that word, in the light of near dusk and the shadowing of the surrounding trees, Finrod was certain the hill giant's mouth was bearing sharpened teeth.

A low growl issued from Gronar's mouth and Finrod slinked away. Paquito turned over and stared up at the towering giant, suddenly feeling smaller than he had ever remembered being. Paquito shifted his weight and sought to stand, a snarl almost like a hound's snapped Paquito back on his heels.

Paquito knew what a Barbaars was, and now looking at Gronar in the closing light of the day with his bared teeth, sliver hair, and the slight hint of red in his eyes, Paquito now knew what kind of Barbaars Gronar had become.

The night moved slowly for Finrod, Gronar had ordered him to take watch the whole night, claiming it would make the elf hardier and not so soft. Finrod had been absently picking up small stones and chucking them across the clearing, when a barely audible sound came from his right.

Finrod spun on the ball of his right foot, while at the same time dropping his body to the ground. He slowly retrieved his bow making sure to keep it under him as it's glow would surely give his position away, then he pulled out an arrow shaft and held it in his right hand. "Ambush" He though to himself, his superior vision scanned the trees and he flexed his pointed ears trying to pinpoint from where the sound had come from. 

Finrod saw the huddled movement near the clearing's edge, and raised up on his knees and loosed an arrow as he yelled "Ambush!" 

Gronar jerked awake at the scream, and leaped to his feet, forgetting his weapons for the moment as he tried to ascertain what was going on around him. Korg had also sat straight up, but Paquito still laid sound asleep. Gronar saw Finrod notch an arrow and fire into the tree line ahead of him. 

"What is it Elfy!?" Gronar shouts

"Trolls, two of them. Plus a huge bear, they appear to be dragging a body along with them." Finrod shouted back

Gronar grabbed his long spear from the earth floor, and watched as three trolls and a bear the size of Korg walked into the clearing. Gronar started to charge the nearest troll, but watched as it's hands went up as if to say "stop". Which is what Gronar did, entangled in the very grass beneath he feet, the troll's magic had caused the vegetation around them to come to life and hold their prey fast. 

Finrod, Gronar and Korg stood trapped in the midst of the clearing, while Paquito snored loudly in his sleep. 

Gronar braced for what would come next, he knew he could outreach the trolls, but could he take out the bear also. Anger swelled up inside him as Gronar pushed his body over the edge and allowed the rage to take hold.

Instead of pressing their advantage, the troll shaman waived the bear on and then he stepped back to follow the huge ursine. It barked out an order and the two remaining trolls began to circle the party. 

Finrod noticed a body on a stretcher being dragged behind the bear. It moaned softly as the stretcher bounced over a downed tree. "Still alive" Finrod said to himself

"Hurry! We must save the prisoner!" Finrod pointed at the back of the bear.

"Korg not care about retreating enemies, Korg worried about fighting ones." 

Gronar's enhanced strength allowed himself to pull free of the grass, he grabbed Korg on the way as he tread a path through the foliage. The trolls stopped their advance, awe stricken by the sight of Gronar "winning" against their leader's spell.

Finrod twisted his body and sliced through an enlarged dandelion. He raced around to meet up with the giants, who had turned their backs and were waling away from the trolls.

"Where are you going? We have to save the prisoner." Finrod shouted frantically

"No, Gronar not have to save anyone but Gronar and Korg." Gronar looked up and saw that the trolls and restarted their advance on the party. "Wake up Pokey." Gronar ordered

Finrod ran to Paquito and shook the minotaur as violently as he could then stood up to find where the trolls had gone, he heard the large footsteps backing away from him, turning he found Gronar and Korg continuing to retreat from the battle.

"I can't fight them alone! What are you doing?" Finrod shouted

"Gronar saving Korg and Gronar." The giant announced and with a flick of his wrist, the hill giant flung out his massive spear and clipped the shin of Finrod causing him to collapse face first on the ground.

Gronar looked up and saw opportunity come across the faces of the advancing trolls, and knew Finrod was right. He wasn't going to be able to fight them alone. Gronar turned and sprinted away from their camp. 


_*barbarian- it's a Dutch word but it sounded Jotun-like so I used it_


----------



## spacehulkster

oh-oh We're getting to the place where Paquito shines like a firecracker, No!  Can't wait


----------



## Jon Potter

Okay. I need a refresher here. Is Finrod an NPC? If not, is his player looking to start a new character? If the answer to either of those is "No" then I have to take exception to Gronar's behavior here. Granted, it's clearly in-character, but I think it's a case where in-character should have been sacrificed for the sake of the game.

I don't know the whole story here (obviously) but I always think it's unfair for one player to make a character that makes another player's character untenable. Of course, I guess that Finrod's player could be at fault here, playing an elf when everybody else is playing a monster.

And I also have the niggling suspicion that Finrod is an NPC - in which case he deserves what he gets.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Okay. I need a refresher here. Is Finrod an NPC? If not, is his player looking to start a new character? If the answer to either of those is "No" then I have to take exception to Gronar's behavior here. Granted, it's clearly in-character, but I think it's a case where in-character should have been sacrificed for the sake of the game.
> 
> I don't know the whole story here (obviously) but I always think it's unfair for one player to make a character that makes another player's character untenable. Of course, I guess that Finrod's player could be at fault here, playing an elf when everybody else is playing a monster.
> 
> And I also have the niggling suspicion that Finrod is an NPC - in which case he deserves what he gets.




Finrod is a PC.

and here's a little OOC backstory:

The players knew they were getting another party member. I think Finrod's character used a little OOC knowledge and assumed it was the body the bear was dragging. He tunnel visioned into believing the party had to "save" the prisoner in order to gain the new party member. I of course stayed mum about the whole thing. Gronar, Korg, and Paquito's players didn't want to get into a losing fight. Sure they had the trolls outnumbered, but Korg was completely tapped. I think they knew they might be able to hold off the 2 trolls and the bear, but the shaman gave them pause. And when Finrod kept pressing the issue Gronar tripped him and ran, hoping to save his own skin. 

The table gasped and defeat washed across Finrod and Paquito's face, but instead of chucking their characters...... you'll have to wait for the next update to find out.


----------



## spacehulkster

ah yes, thier (the giants) true colors were finally revealed.


we're gaining a new PC???


----------



## hwoolsey

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Gronar, Korg, and Paquito's players didn't want to get into a losing fight. Sure they had the trolls outnumbered, but Korg was completely tapped. I think they knew they might be able to hold off the 2 trolls and the bear, but the shaman gave them pause. And when Finrod kept pressing the issue Gronar tripped him and ran, hoping to save his own skin.




Korg was completely tapped, Gronar was down more than half his HPs, and Finrod shot one of the trolls (I know that didn't get into the SH, but I'm willing to grant Hairy some poetic license) when they appeared to be passing us by without noticing us after everyone woke up to watch them.

I admit my behavior was not what I would usually expect of myself, but I really didn't want to see most of the party get killed because one player wanted to start a new character. I figured if he got caught he could get his new character into play without killing off the rest of us, and did something that I normally wouldn't.

I'll admit this looks like justification after the point—all I can do is point out my behavior as Heinrich in Pogre's story hour as evidence that I usually put the party first. And, in fact, felt I was doing that in this case as well. It just usually doesn't require betraying one member of the party to save the rest.

Hank


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

spacehulkster said:
			
		

> ah yes, thier (the giants) true colors were finally revealed.
> 
> 
> we're gaining a new PC???




I forgot, he did provoke them! Bad DM   

This may have been when all of my e-mails to you Spacehulkster were bouncing. I know Finrod's and Gronar's players knew about the new little helper (which everyone will meet just prior to the succubus encounter) and then now of course there's Nameroc's new PC as well, so there's actually 2 new PCs coming.


----------



## Jon Potter

Well, having all of the facts does soften my opinion of Gronar's actions. The fact that Nimrod was provoking and unecessary combat when the rest of the party's resources were depleted (metagame thinking aside) makes it all see much more reasonable.

I hope no one's upset my my comments. This was the first post where instead of laughing outloud I found myself thinking, "That's not cool."

Then again, it's easy to second guess someone out-of-game. I'll try to make sure I get all the facts first next time.


----------



## hwoolsey

I have no problem at all with your comments - had I seen my actions and not known the back story I'd have thought I was a real a$$h0!e too.   

Seriously - no problem at all on my part.

Hank


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Nothing shall grow here, ever again. I mean it.*

Paquito tossed in his sleep, his favorite dream filled his senses. His harem looked good he thought, his mind had tried to fill in every race he had ever met or heard of and the room was bursting with bodies. Shouts and screams of retreat sounded outside his castle's window and he went to go tell them to "shut up". Paquito peered out below at the sight of Gronar yelling "Gronar save Gronar and Korg" it seemed odd, but hey, at least he was running away from his harem and not towards it. 

All was right in the world, a warm breeze wafted the smell of troll sweat and elf fear into his nostrils and he recoiled and the stench. 

"Who let the nasty troll concubine in here again?" Paquito thought aloud. 

His dream world shattered however at the sound of a fallen body next to him. Paquito open his eyes and saw Finrod hit the ground and his ears picked up the sound of snarling jaws running at him from the other side of the fire. Paquito propelled himself off of the grass floor and began racing after the two fleeing giants.

"Paquito! Help!" Finrod shouted

Paquito had just broke into a sprint when the sound carried to his ears, he slowed and twisted to see who was yelling, when his right hoof rolled on a small stone and Paquito fell to his hands and knees.

Finrod saw Paquito trip and hoped he would come back for him, the two trolls bounded around the fire and leaped into the air. Finrod knew there would be no outrunning of these trolls and braced himself for impact. 

Finrod closed his eyes, and felt the feet of the first troll collide with his shield, then a clawed hand ripped the shield from his arm, breaking the strap in the process. Two more claws rained down on his face, as deep gouges were cut into his cheeks and collarbone. Finrod swung his longsword in a air arc hoping to get one of the trolls to back away. 

The left troll spun safely away from Finrod's swing, while the other troll clamped it's jaws into the unprotected shield arm of Finrod. Pain shot through the elf's shoulder as he tried to roll over to dislodge the troll's teeth. His maneuver tore a large chunk of flesh from his left forearm, but the arm was free. 

Paquito pushed himself back to a standing position and immediately crumpled back to the ground. A horrible pain shot through his right hoof and he couldn't bear to put any weight on it. Grabbing the ankle, Paquito pulled the hoof in for a closer look. 

"Great, I've got a rock in my hoof. How am I going to escape now?" Paquito muttered

"Paquito! Where are you?!" Finrod shouted back.

"I'm injured! You have some healing for me? No?" Paquito answered

"What's wrong? Can't you blast them from there?"

Finrod beat away a lashing claw and kicked the shin of a troll.

"I am in pain. Does this concept seem alien to you? I am in dire straits here. No?" 

Finrod swung for the foot of the next troll, but it jumped up and landed on the blade, forcing the sword from the elf's hand. Defenseless and bleeding, Finrod reached into a belt pouch and pulled out a smooth stone.

"Close your eyes Paquito!"

"Why?" 

Finrod fell back and launched the stone at the left troll, the troll swatted it away like a bug, and the stone landed between both trolls. A brilliant light shot forth from the stone, blinding both trolls. 

Paquito watched the white light fill his vision and then all went dark. "Stupid elf" Paquito thought

Finrod backed away from the wildly swinging trolls, and stood up, he dodged the blinded blows from the trolls and reached in to retrieve his longsword from the ground and began to chop away at the troll's arms.

Paquito decided sitting there blinded in the grass, holding his hoof wasn't the safest option, but he wasn't going to let Finrod know any different.

"The trolls are blinded. No?" 

"Yes isn't is obvious!" 

"No, from your flailing about I figured you had expelled some sort of noxious gas and they were retching. No?"

"Are you going to help or just sit there?"

Paquito paid close attention to where Finrod's voice was coming from and aimed a _scorching ray_ just to the left of his voice. The stream of fire slammed into the earth next to Finrod and the grass briefly caught fire, the heat caused the troll in front of the blast to dive back onto his rear and roll on the ground trying to put out a fire that wasn't there.

"What was that?"

"What did it not work?" 

"You almost got me."

"Well move out of the way. No?"

"Aim higher you moron."

Paquito steadied himself again and aimed a little higher this time. The bolt of fire arched it's way over the prone troll and landed behind it. The troll screamed in imaginary pain, which caused the other troll to pause in it's search for the elf. This allowed Finrod to carve a gorge across the troll's back, black blood erupted from the troll and spilled across the ground.

Paquito's eyesight began to clear up and he could see the downed troll and the bleeding one. He staggered to his feet and limped up to get a closer shot. He aimed for the standing troll but undershot the ray and it burned the space between the two trolls.

"Quit toying with them and just blast them already!"

"I have a scorched earth policy for these things, please allow me to do me job. No?"

"What are you talking about?"

"After scorching the earth, I will place salt upon the land so that nothing may grow here. No?"

"That's insane! They're cannibals, they could give two squats about brown spots in the grass!"

"Maybe but the fauna might get spooked enough to flee this area and then they will starve. No?"

"No! you've burned what? Fifteen square feet out of eight-hundred, it's not going to matter."

"Hmrph! Shows how much you know. No?" Paquito had now limped his way to Finrod's side. The elf still worked on the standing troll, his blows only glanced across the troll's hide, and even the deep cut he had grooved along the back of the troll had stopped bleeding.

"We're not going to make it unless we can burn them."

Paquito rummaged through his backpack

"What on earth are you looking for now?"

"Aha!" Paquito sounded as he pulled a small salt block from his pack. He turned to face the elf and wiggled his eyebrows and gave Finrod a thumbs up.

"You carry salt in you backpack?" Disbelief echoed across the elf's face

"I told you I'm going to salt the earth. No?"

"Light them up with fire first!" Desperation forced it's way into Finrod's voice

"With what? I don't carry flint and steel, no do I carry tinder twigs. I think it's time you became a man. No?" Paquito said as he broke off a piece of salt, threw it to the ground, and crushed it under his good hoof.

The trolls stopped flailing about for a second as their vision began to clear. Vicious maws turned towards the elf.

"Great now they can see again." Finrod announced

"What! I thought you said they were blind? No?" 

"It doesn't last forever, you gonna help now?" 

Paquito watched as the prone troll bent his legs underneath himself and flung his body up onto his feet. 

"Burn it!" Finrod yelled

Paquito aimed his ray again, but the troll twisted away and the ray blasted into a backpack that had been laying near the campfire.

"Oops, appears my aim is a little off. No?"

"That was my backpack you idiot! I'll kill you first." 

"Duck." Paquito's word had barely registered in Finrod's ears before he saw Paquito open his mouth and a bright orange glow appeared at the back of Paquito's throat.

Finrod fell to the ground as fire erupted from the mouth of Paquito, deep frying the two trolls and blazing away all signs of vegetation around them. Paquito closed his mouth and the fire ceased. Finrod looked up at Paquito in disbelief.

"Why didn't you do that first, instead of blowing my pack up and making me defend both of us at the same time?"

"I'm injured, I don't think clearly when I'm in pain. No?"

The low rumble of stomping feet issued the re-arrival of the fleeing giants.

"Good job Elfy! See Gronar make you fight like giant, and Elfy then gets hair on chest like Gronar." Gronar slaps Finrod's back and knocks the elf to the ground.

"Hey Korg, got any healing? I've got a major issue here." Paquito says over the bleeding form of Finrod

"Elfy look like bleeding bad? Maybe Korg have some flowers for Elfy first.?" Korg says

"He'll live. Let's talk about me. No? I mean who saved us all from dying at the claws of the stinky trolls huh?"

"What wrong with Pokey?" Gronar asks

"Look at this!" Paquito raises his hoof to show the imbedded stone.

Gronar looks down at the exhausted elf and then back at Paquito. "Gronar think Elfy saved Pokey. Korg help Pokey first, Gronar has tool for Pokey's owee." Gronar says with a blackened tooth smiled.


----------



## spacehulkster

AAH, fire breath.  another benefit of being half-demon.  

Just another thing to plague Finrod with!  
maybe some day I will adopt him, No?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Feeling a little down in the dumps*

Finrod convinces the giants that the party needs to investigate where the trolls were taking the captive. If it was an elf then he would be duty bound to attempt to bring as many back home as possible, and he would need all the help the giants could provide. Flattery got Finrod everywhere, and the giants agreed to help, Paquito came along as it was better than being alone and bored with a block of salt.

The party retraces their steps back to the edge of the woods where they attacked the troll outpost. They see no sign of bodies and assume they've lost the element of surprise. Paquito sends Chip towards the massive tree to scope out what is inside. An hour later the Chip reports back that:

a) The tree is real and alive, and not carved of stone.

b) There are three subterranean levels

c) There is an unguarded back entrance through a cistern into the first sub-level.

d) There were hundreds of voices, none however spoke the language of the earth and Chip could not reproduce any of the voices.

The party decides to tackle the back entrance, so they make a wide circle around the wood's edge and then enter a small drainage ditch that leads to the cistern.

"Ugh! Who up there needs to change their shorts? A stench like that is most assuredly caused by the gigantic evacuating bowel of a Largus Idoitous. No? Paquito comments

"Pokey pet rock not say anything about smell." Moans Gronar

"Chip does not possess olfactory senses, it would be impossible for him to detect even the slightest bit of dragon dung, let alone a rivulet of urine. No?" 

"Well, I think we now know why the rear entrance is left unguarded." Finrod speaks up

"Speak for thyself, I for one always have my rear guarded. You get locked in a room with a rutting minotaur bull, you won't want to hear those words. No?"

"It's like you've taking training in breeder, and taxidermy. I can only imagine what life at sea was like with you. Adrift, no place to dock. Dozens of scurvy lice infested sailors, who only care where their next meal comes from. All of them having to put up with your crude jokes and innuendoes, it's a wonder any actual sailing got done at all."

"Well, when you're out of port for that long, it's always good to come prepared with a lot of seamen. No?"

Gronar hushed the rest of the party as they reached the rusted gate partially covering the cistern. Peering around looking for any sign of guards, the party moves out to observe as much ground as possible, while Gronar went about tearing the broken gate out from the damp stone around it.

A couple of grunts, and Gronar had freed the metal grate, tossing it aside, Gronar heads into the dark passage as his eyes quickly change to soak up the faintest bit of light in the passage. The rest of the party follows behind Gronar, who goes in approximately sixty feet before he sees faint light streaming in through a hole in the ceiling up ahead.

Finrod sneaks past Gronar and peaks his head out and up at the light coming in, it appears to Finrod to be a drain and he whispers back to the party his discovery. Gronar moves out under the shaft and stands up, the drain is covered in a slick moss and Gronar can hear shouting coming from somewhere in the room above. 

A loud whip crack, sent a shiver down Finrod's spine as he imagined scores of elves being lashed by the trolls. 

"I need to get up there." Finrod commanded

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Elfy need to keep loincloth on, what if hot trolls are up there?" Gronar asked

"I've never known a hot troll before, If you cut off their nose are they still considered hot? Or can they regenerate their hotness. That would be mighty impressive. No?"

Gronar gives the drain grate a preemptive shove to test it's sturdiness, satisfied that the whole drain will come off instead of breaking apart, Gronar forces the drain off of it's entombed spot on the floor. 

Finrod clambers up the shaft and props himself up on Gronar's chest. "Ready?" He says while giving Gronar a nod

"Yes," Gronar answers, and grabs Finrod across the torso, pinning his arms to his sides, and then Gronar sticks Finrod up through the drain and into the room above. "Gronar remember Korg's plan from before."

Finrod observes a huge room one hundred feet long and half that wide, Finrod sees a rubble pile at the far end of the room, and an exit twenty feet up on the right wall. Finrod sees the two gangly trolls first, they lazily wander through about two dozen seated smaller creatures, some appear to be goblins and the others orcs. The smaller creatures labor in front of several buckets. They seem to be dipping something small into the buckets and then tossing whatever it is into another bucket nearby.

"Let me into the room." Finrod tells Gronar

Gronar obliges by tossing the elf up through the drain and then forward about twenty feet, landing a sword's breath away from a troll. Gronar pulls his spear from his pouch and manages to get the thing up and through the drain hole. Gronar uses the extended reach afforded him by his long arms and long spear, to skewer the nearest troll through the back. The troll dropped to the floor as Gronar tried to shake the troll loose of his spear. Finrod took this opportunity to slice into the troll's throat, as it's capacity for spoken communication has been brought to nil.

Gasps run through the smaller creatures as the other troll calls out, but upon hearing no response wades through the sitting creatures towards Finrod. Gronar follows up his strike by forcing himself to squeeze through the drain. Gronar skewers the charging troll, as Korg appears and jabs his spear into the face of the charging troll.

The party cuts down the second troll, they then behead them both and set them on fire. 

The smaller creatures clap and shout when the last troll falls, The jingling of metal alerts the party that these are slaves as they are all chained together around the buckets. A closer look reveal the half of the slaves are goblins and the other half are orc. Gronar steps up and takes aim on a length of manacles, he is waived off by Finrod.

"We don't need to make that much noise, not when we're trying to be discreet."

Gronar nods his head off to one side, signaling to the slaves that they had best get moving if they valued their remaining life.

Paquito peaks around the corner to the left and covers his mouth in disgust, before whispering for Korg to come up to his location. 

Gronar and Finrod kick over a bucket and watch as hundreds of brightly colored teeth cascade out of the bucket. Apparently the slaves were cleaning and dying these teeth and then they would dip them in colors and then separated by color.

"That's odd." Finrod says aloud

"Why? Where Elfy think ceremonial necklaces comes from? Necklace tree?" Gronar begins laughing at his thought, when Korg calls out for the other two party members to join them at the exit to this room.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Mercy is for those with the wisdom to recognize it.*

Korg arrives next to Paquito and peers into the next room. A large wide ladder descends from the ceiling and ends in the middle of the room. Other than being a rather large ladder, Korg sees nothing else of note as to why Paquito called him over. 

"A ladder?" Korg shrugs in bewilderment

Paquito shakes his head in response and points to the right wall. There chained to the bark wall are two tall emaciated ogres. Their eyes open wide and red, their mouths appear to have something in them keeping their jaws from closing.

Korg looks back at Paquito and furls his brow, then waives over Finrod and Gronar. The pair look over the ogres and are also perplexed at their current state.

"Maybe they are prisoner like elfys?" Gronar wonders 

"That would seem to be the best guess, I don't want to think about other possibilities." Finrod replies

Gronar steps into the room, upon seeing the hill giant the ogres turn their heads slowly in his direction and begin moaning in agony. Gronar gets within reaching distance of the ogres and stops there.

Gronar sees that the both of the ogre's knees have been crushed, their joints are bent are horribly odd angles. The ogres are help up by chains that are just low enough that the ogre's feet touch the ground. Their eyes have been sewed open with thick black thread, their pupils are a maddening red and only glisten near the corners of their eyes. A thick piece of wood has been shoved into each of their mouths, breaking every one of their front teeth and causing large splinters of wood to sink deep into the front of their jaws. 

Gronar winces in pain as both ogres moan pitifully, Gronar wonders if they even have tongues left or if those were ripped from the floor of their mouths when the blocks were thrust in. Unable to even shed a tear of pain any longer the ogres whine and moan at the hill giant.

Gronar grabs the wooden block in each ogre's mouth and slowly retracts the gag. He tosses the wooden blocks behind him and they skitter across the dirt floor. Gronar bends over to get a closer look at the black thread keeping their eyes pinned open as the ogres spit and hack up bits of dried blood. Gronar hears the swift intake of air into each ogres lungs and his eyes go wide just as he recoils his head from the sickening screams that issue forth from the ogres' mouths.

The rest of the party cover their ears, Paquito then realizes what the ogres are doing there.

"Gronar! Kill them!" Paquito shouts over the din

Gronar shoves his big hands over the ogres' mouths, trying to get them to quiet down. The ogres twist their heads in defiance and gnaw the palm of his hands with bloody splinter filled gums. Gronar pulls his hands away quickly and gives each ogre an elbow to the nose, followed by a kick to each of their abdomens. Out of breath, the ogres take a pause from their screaming.

"Kill Them!" Paquito shouts again

Gronar looks back at Paquito and then again at the ogres. Gronar wonders what kind of pain the ogres must be going thru and he brushes off Paquito's request. Gronar reaches up and grabs the chains holding the ogres up.

"Korg come help heal ogres." Gronar calls to Korg

Korg starts to head into the room, but Paquito grabs his forearm and shakes his head no. Gronar growls at Paquito's interference, but then he hears the sharp intake of breath again from the ogres as another blast of moaning sound issue from the ogres' mouths. Gronar pulls his hands away and presses a finger to his lips, he pleads with them to be quiet, but they seem to not hear the hill giant's words.

Gronar realizes that he has probably let them scream far too long to not have someone come looking into the noise, and steps back and with one motion, beheads both ogres. He then grabs his spear just below the point, and severs the thread keeping their eyes open. Gronar has to unpeel their eyelids and forcibly set them down over their eyes, but he manages to close their eyes to death.

"Why Pokey not let Korg help!" Gronar's voice was more of a shout than a question.

"Because they weren't prisoners, they were lookouts. No?" 

"But that makes no sense, who would do such a thing to their own kind?" Finrod asked

"Who says they were friends of the trolls? A better question for you might be, if they do this to ogres imagine what they're doing to the elves? No?" 

Finrod's heart beat a cold pulse through his elven veins, "Lets find them quickly then." 

The party retreats back to the tooth coloring room and proceeds south where the room ends in a hallway leading west, turning the party sees two trolls whipping a small force of kneeling beings who are clearing away some rubble against the southern wall. 

The two trolls never hear their death approach, as the party quickly comes up behind them and takes them out with quick efficiency. They then look over the chained slaves, half orcs and half goblins. All of their feet have been broken or crushed, ensuring that there would be no escape. Their fingers are all bleeding and most of them have the white of bone jutting out of their bleeding fingertips.

The slaves all mumble something to the party, after a few tries Paquito hears "kill me" spoken in infernal by one of the goblins.

"Lets leave them, they're not who we came for." Finrod speaks

"Gronar say free them, or Gronar not help when elfy finds other elfys." 

"They want to die, let's end their misery and move on. No?"

"Korg will try to heal them." Korg moves up and places a hand on the nearest goblin. A blue light radiates outward and the goblin collapses.

"Why Korg kill snot*?" Gronar asks in stunned disbelief

"Snot not dead, snot is resting, see?" Korg points out that the goblin's chest still moves with the breath of life.

"The wretched things are near death. Korg could waste all of his healing powers on these things, and it still wouldn't be nearly enough. All that will get us is no help when we're injured." Finrod exclaimed

Gronar thought over the elf's words and knew that he spoke true. "Korg, let Pokey kill rest of them." Gronar said to his friend

"Korg not let piggies and snots die because elfy afraid of getting bruise." Korg spat indignantly

Finrod and Korg began a shouting match that had Gronar soon involved as well, and when they were good and engaged in the argument, Paquito fired up a _scorching ray_ that put an end to all of their suffering.

Korg's mouth gaped open and then slowly closed as the hill giant made his way to face Paquito. "That was very bad thing, very bad thing." The hatred in Korg's voice was almost replaced by the sadness in his heart. Korg turned and walked away from the minotaur.

Paquito looked up at Gronar and Finrod who both gave knowing nods to the deed Paquito finished, then Gronar went to console his friend as Finrod scouted out the end of the hallway.


_* hill giant's term for goblins_


----------



## spacehulkster

Well, no goblins and Ogres, there go two possibilities as characters for Matt and John!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*All I wanted was a nose job, but this is ridiculous.*

Finrod comes to the end of the hallway and finds that although the hallway makes a ninety degree turn to the west, there's a cube shaped block sitting in the middle of the turn. With only about four feet of space to maneuver around the block of stone. It then occurs to Finrod that this is the first thing made of stone that they've come across thus far. Finrod steps back to try to see if the stone fell into place, but can detect nothing out of place with the ceiling.

Stumped, Finrod rejoins the rest of the party and tells them of the stone block. 

"Finally, stinky trolls use good building material." Gronar points out

Their interest piqued, they party approaches the block. Looking around the west side of the block, they see two rooms side-by-side about fifty feet west of the block. Both rooms have their doors shut, as they look back at the stone block, they see that it too has a door built into it's west facing side.

The party takes the long way around to ensure their safety from ambushers, then congregate at the stone block's door. Crude writing and arcane symbols decorate it's surface. 

"Keep out, go away, bad things below." Paquito reads aloud.

"It doesn't say that, it says.... oh, I guess it does say that." Finrod reluctantly concurs

"This must be where they keep the prisoners, only a stupid troll would write on here to keep out when it's such an obvious double negative on their part." Finrod states

"Why elfy think that where other elfys are?" Gronar asks

"Because, how many trolls do you know read? Which begs the question, why write these words here if no one in this place can read them?" Finrod answers

"Very good point elfy, but, Gronar think we need to look in those doors. Gronar want to make sure no stinky troll sneak up behind Korg." 

"A good suggestion as well my towering pillar of pain bringing. No?"

The party shuffles up to the first door, the iron scent of fresh blood hangs oppressively in the air.

"Pokey you smell that?" Gronar asks

"Whomever smelt it dealt it. No?" Paquito replies

"What are you eight years old?" Finrod replies

"In elf years? No." Paquito responds

Korg ignores the spat, and gently pushes the door inward. The hinges creak slightly as the smell of bleeding to death floods Korg's senses. Finrod catches breeze of the smell, turns to the open door, and begins to retch upon his feet.

Blood trickles out of the open portal, it's source comes from eight goblins chained to a stone block midway into the sixty foot long room. All of the goblins are missing both of their ears, their chins, fingers, and toes. Plus all of them have had at least one leg sliced off, two goblins are missing both legs. They pull their load so slowly that it barely makes a sound as it scrapes across the wooden floor.

At the back of the room stands a green troll, it's back still turned towards the open door and the party. Gronar seethes with anger a disgust and shifts his weight to begin a charge, when a voice booms from the rear of the room.

"I've been expecting you. Took you long enough to get back here after you made the ogres cry. Tell me, did they hesitate before they completed their duties? I'd hate to have to turn them into mindless slaves because they failed in life to perform what they'll be doing for the rest of eternity." The troll speaks without turning around.

"Troll let snots go free now!" Korg shouts

"The snots as you so eloquently call them, are free to go. They merely need to cross the room's threshold with their cargo. The winner will receive the gift of immortality, forever in the service of my master. It is a wondrous gift, therefore the recipient must have the constitution to withstand the gift. This is way these tests are required of them." The troll answers

"You're a sick, sick freak. I'll show you the meaning of pain." Finrod charges into the room, leaping away from the streaming blood and landing to the left of the short stone block the goblins are pulling.

The troll turns slowly, and reveals a Frankenstein patchwork body. The troll's face is a composite of at least three other trolls, it even includes the presence of a third eye, embedded halfway down the troll's right cheek. It peers out at Finrod through a cloudy iris. A glint of metal catches the elf's attention as the troll slowly twists a wickedly curved blade in it's left hand, it still drips of goblin blood.

"You have come willingly? Oh such is the glory of the master, he sends me more fey to play with. Shall I add a strap to the block?" The troll asks Finrod

With those words, Finrod leaps at the troll and slashes his sword down upon the outstretched left forearm of the creature. His blade slams into the trolls arm but it doesn't bleed, nor give ground. It feel to Finrod like he sliced his sword into a sack of sand.

The troll spins his torso and uses it's right fist to slam into Finrod's ribcage. Audible crackles are heard throughout the room as the momentum of the troll's blow flings Finrod back against the wall behind him.

Gronar wades into the room, and levels his swing to the troll's neck. Much stronger than the elf, Gronar's attack slams into the troll's body with much greater force, but it has much the same effect as Finrod's blow. Gronar looks puzzle for a moment as his blow did not cut very deep into the troll if it was flesh and bone.

"Pokey, no kill snots." Korg says to Paquito with a wagging finger just before he too enters the room and snatches the stone block in his powerful grasp. 

"No please, don't kill them yet. I need to know which one dragged it the farthest. If you go killing them now, I'll never be able to finish my work." The troll laughs maniacally at Paquito

"The ogres, they were your handiwork. No?" 

"Oh no, they were sent by the master. I heard their heads roll across the floor, I know they will need to be replaced. While I've never had the pleasure of working on a minotaur before, I feel the ache to do so now, I relish the opportunity to he you reassigned." The troll lick his lips across broken skin at Paquito.

Paquito releases an incensed _scorching ray_ at the troll, the stream of fire erupts squarely over the troll's chest.

"Burn, yes, oh burn, burn. Just like daddy you have to feel the burn to appreciate coldness of death." A hysterical laugh bursts from the troll.

Finrod rights himself against the wall, as Gronar slams his sword into the head of the troll, this time a black viscous fluid seeps slowly from the open wound. The troll rushes Gronar, leaping onto the stone block and Korg's hand causing the goblins to collapse into their own blood from the added weight. The troll whips his knife out at Gronar and cuts a nasty scar across the giant's cheek.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. a scar for a scar, and a womb for a womb." Laughs the troll

"Disgusting freak!" Paquito shouts as he shoves _magic missiles_ into the troll's chest.

Korg quickly removes his hand from under the troll, causing the troll to lose it's balance and fall backwards onto it's back. Finrod and Gronar each cut into the troll, ripping open a deep gash into the troll's torso. The troll gasps as it staggers to it's feet, amid another swing from Gronar and Finrod. Both attacks slice across the troll's back, and the creature wobbles and falls to it's knees, where it teeters and finally tips over onto the wood floor.

Gronar rushes to stand over the troll's body looking for any signs of movement. Finrod limps over to Korg as the hill giant helps two of the better off goblins off of the floor.

"These trolls, they are severely deranged. No?" 

Korg begins to patch up the goblins as Finrod arrives by his side.

"Why even bother, we don't have the resources to heal them back up, not can you regenerate missing body parts." Finrod asks

"Umtala teach Korg that life better option than death." Korg answers

"And a fine credo it is, which is why it is a good thing that none of these goblins worship Umtala. No?" 

"Pokey, Korg say no kill snots! Pokey no want Korg to teach Pokey about spear to face lesson?" Korg says with a booming voice.

"Gronar want to see that lesson!" Gronar answers for Paquito

An argument soon ensues as a minute goes by with no end in sight, until a shrill scream escapes from Gronar's mouth as he topples over backwards grabbing his crotch. 

A quick turn of the head reveals a knife in a troll's hand thrust up into the air, dripping anew with blood. 

"Gronar, why you let troll stay alive?" Korg asks in amazement

"It regenerated." Finrod says as he pivots around to engage the troll, and slips in the blood. Finrod spins his knees into the floor.

Knowing the troll must have just regenerated to the point of consciousness, Paquito takes out his spear. "I'll save you!" Paquito leaps onto the stone block and then pushes off of it, he points his spear down preparing to drive it's point through the entire body of the troll. Paquito however overestimates his jump, and ends up overshooting his target by ten feet and landing on top of the troll's worktable at the back of the room.

Korg winces as Paquito shatters the troll's table. "Pokey! Troll hurt Gronar, not table." 

The troll rises from it's prone position, allowing Finrod and Gronar to once again swing at the creature, they both manage to slice across the troll's hamstrings. The troll once again teeters over and collapses into unconsciousness.

"Korg..... Gronar..... need...... help..... badly" Gronar's voice escapes meekly from his lips.

Paquito pulls himself free from the troll's lab area, he then stands over the troll's body with the spear tip inches from the troll's head. "If it moves I'll stab it. No?"

Korg rushes over to his friend and immediately goes to work healing the damage wrought by the troll. Finrod pushes himself to sit astride the stone block, so that he too can watch the downed troll.


----------



## Jon Potter

But what's the point of being immortal if the chicks don't dig you?   

What's the three-eyed franken-troll's story? Some type of flesh golem? Depraved minds want to know.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> But what's the point of being immortal if the chicks don't dig you?
> 
> What's the three-eyed franken-troll's story? Some type of flesh golem? Depraved minds want to know.




I call it tainted regeneration.

There's a feat (can remember off the top of my head where) that allows trolls to stick severed pieces of themselves back onto their bodies wherever they want. I took this a step further for this troll and made it so he could regenerate faster by using other's body parts. So after he multilates himself he cuts off a piece of whatever race is handy and slaps it on.

Why would he multilate himself? You'll find out in the next room.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> I call it tainted regeneration.




Cool. As always, it's all about the flavor text.   



> Why would he multilate himself? You'll find out in the next room.




I can only imagine...



... and it ain't pretty!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*What's for dinner chef?*

Well I'm back from an awesome GenCon, where I picked up the _Beast Builder_ book from Expeditious Retreat Press.   

Another post or two (depending on how long the succubus takes to write out   ) and the story hour will be caught up with the summer long hiatus. So it's a good thing that the game will resume this Wednesday!   

The party quickly dispatches the downed troll after Gronar gets some much needed healing.

"I think we should assess our assets and cut our losses before we lose any more of them. No?"

"What are you trying to say?" Finrod replies

"Nothing that anyone here hasn't been thinking. No?"

"You're saying something." Finrod answers

"Well, I see three possibilities, one the elves are dead, two the elves are dead, or three the elves are DEAD. No?"

"Well I, for one, do not live my life through assumptions and second guesses. There's one more room to clear out and then we can head below and prove you wrong."

"There is some sick twisted depravity going on here, I don't know what is up with these trolls, but they're not right in the head. No?"

"How gross can next room be? Gronar ok to kill more stinky trolls."

"Yes, Korg think can only get better now." The hill giant said with a smile

The party reforms their ranks outside the adjacent room's door. Gronar tries the handle and it turns for him, he thrusts open the door and it collides against the wall behind it.

Two orc bodies lie upon stone tables attended to by two trolls. The left body is that of a male, his left arm is missing at the shoulder and the troll near him shoves a severed troll arm into the socket and begins to sew the arm in place. The right body is that of a female, her very pregnant womb has been cut open revealing a bowl shaped blood receptacle. The troll nearest her dangles a flank of troll meat inches above the red fluid, a bubbling effect slowly spreads out across the surface of the blood. 

"Yes, yes, time for breakfast." The troll says as a long snout erupts from the pool and snatches the meat out of the troll's hands

The party's presence goes unnoticed as Gronar quickly slips into the room and cuts his blade through the air and into the back of the right troll

"Ow! What'd you do that for?" The troll screams as it turns to face it's attacker.

The other troll also turns and takes in the full view of the party, "Oh look chef, one of the elves it trying to escape. They're so cute that way, always thinking they're morally superior."

"True Twitch, but just like all the other elves, he couldn't do it by himself. He had to go get two big nasties to kill us for him. Such cowardice I've only ever seen in hill giant mothers as they throw their infant children at an approaching enemy, hoping they'll get their fill of baby meat and ignore the juicer cuts off of the grown-ups." The other troll responds

Gronar flies into a blood rage and begins hacking wildly at the troll he just cut into, the troll however seems to be a step ahead of Gronar as most of Gronar's attacks slam into the wooden floor where the troll had been standing.

"Ooh, Me likes this one chef, he fights with adrenaline, with heart. Unlike the elves who only seem to be able to fight with their sphincters." Twitch comments

"We'll see how well your sphincters work after my sword widens them up about four feet!" Finrod shouts

"Hold dainty one, they are just trying to goad you into a fight. They must have a purpose to their rambling madness. No?"

"Obviously they have renounced their wicked ways and wish to be put to death immediately." Finrod replies

"Ooh, close. Call me loony, but I believe it is you that they want put to death. No?" 

"Are we even on the same plane? Of course they want me dead, and you'll be next if they get through me." 

"Pointy you state the obvious to such a degree, that I can only ponder as to the depths of your gregariousness. No?"

"What language are you speaking? Get in there and help, or guard the hallway."

Paquito mulls over his decision as Korg and Gronar fight to a stalemate with the trolls. Finrod enters alongside Korg and draws his blade.

"What Elfy waiting for? Korg's death?" 

"Are you saying you need my help?" Finrod answers

"Isn't that what Korg just say?"

"You were right chef, the hill giants do throw their babies before a superior foe." 

The other trolls giggles at the appearance of Finrod to the fight, "Make sure you bite slowly, there's not very much meat on the babies."

Finrod flicks his blade out at Twitch and cuts the troll on the inside of it's forearm.

"Oh the baby wants to play? Well, baby see how your pathetic wound closes and heals up before you can get in another swing? Useless stack of flesh on worthless bones." Twitch taunts Finrod 

Korg steps off to his left, turning his body ninety degrees to the troll, a move that confuses the troll until it sees the bright orange glow from a _scorching ray_ leap from Paquito's hands and strike the troll in the face.

Disorientated, the troll bends over as it wails in pain. Korg happily decapitates the creature ending his duel. Astonished at this turn of events, Chef centers his anger on ending Gronar's life. However outnumbered now four to one, the last troll soon falls.

"Gronar think we should leave now."

"I can't, I need to know what happened to the elves. If any of them are suffering because of these trolls, I owe it to them to get them out of here."

"Korg agree, Korg would not want friends to be here either." 

"What about those two or three? Should we not end their suffering as well? No?"

Finrod and Gronar look over the two bodies, "I think they're already dead."

"Gronar think they not live." 

"Well, let's hurry then. This place gives me the creeps. No?"

The party exits the room and silence reigns over the former battleground, as a lone tear seeps from the eye of an elf that got left behind.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> The party exits the room and silence reigns over the former battleground, as a lone tear seeps from the eye of an elf that got left behind.




Well that just sucks!  

Do we get to find out what happened here?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Well that just sucks!
> 
> Do we get to find out what happened here?




That part was included as a little reader foreshadowing. Assuming the party makes it to the adventure's finale (which with 4-5 more PCs I like their chances), what's going on will be revealed. Since there's nothing the party can do about this room, and I wanted to convey a sense of paranoia for the new PCs.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*For the readers*

This is for the story hours readers. It's a little background on why the trolls are a little bloodthirsty, the party knows none of this yet. They will get to see the results tonight though!   

"Pile those bones near the door, there's no more room at the back of the hall. The altar must be clear for the calling to work."

"What shall I do with the blood?" 

"All of that gets poured into the altar."

"The altar cannot possibly contain all of it. "

"It won't have to, once the gate is opened the remaining essence will be drunk by our master after he steps through. Unless you'd like him to feed on you once he arrives."

The point taken, the troll turns and leaves the shaman alone in this former church now turned hall of bones. Over one hundred thousand cubic feet of bones lay about the central altar, which was once a magnificent tree whose roots drank from the blessed bowl that still cradles it's massive girth.

The tree's branches which were used to support the entire structure had been cut and whittled away weeks ago at the shaman's behest. Now only a solitary spire of wood held up the ceiling and the rest of the troll's new house. 

The shaman was careful not to kill the tree, yet, as he still needed it's inherent magic to power the gate that was to bring their demonic commander into their ranks to lead them to war against the mortal races. Thousands of elves and gnomes were properly sacrificed to bring him this close to the beginning, which is what he told his tribe tomorrow would be. 

Vaprak's glorious return to the prime plane would signal an end to all opposition, even those massive frost giants wouldn't be able to withstand the terror and rage that is now gasping for life just out of reach of the shaman's fingers, and in less than an hour those gasps will be hearty breaths. 

The main door reopened and a one-eyed goblin staggered in.

"Master there are intruders in the prisoner block, they've killed Twitch and Chef." The small raspy voice is almost absorbed by the deadened floor.

"Quickly then, tell the others we start the ceremony now! I will not have interruptions!" The shaman's voices resonates through the marrow of the deceased.

Soon the former elven church echoes with the sounds of bones snapping as dozens of trolls crawl over the mounds of bones to view the spectacle that is to take place. Goblins given semi-regenerative capabilities through experimentation and augmentation, have been lashed to the tree's trunk and constantly drip blood into the basin below from various wounds on their chests.

The shaman and his acolytes, form a circle around the basin and begin the chanting ritual. The air in the former church grows taunt with the flowing magical energies. Even with their darkvision, the troll's sight grows dim as the shaman's word reverberate off the walls.

A great sound of wind rushing to fill a vacuum fills the ears of the gathered hosts, it emanates from the basin itself. Within seconds the tree begins to slowly spin on it's roots and sink into the basin. The assembled trolls push and claw their way for a better view, as the basin has turned into a twisting maelstrom of blackness and void. 

The chanting stops as the descent of the tree increases, it's life force is ripped from it's core as white sparks of living essence leap from the tree only to be sucked down in thru the gate. The last fifty feet of the tree breaks the sound barrier as it is pulled into the abyss. The shockwave topples and stuns the watching trolls. 

Pride and wonderment smear their stain across the face of the shaman, as his tribe stagger to regain their footing amid fears of what is to come. Smelling their fear all around him, the shaman turns to his people.

"This is the day of reckoning, the day of the troll! Tomorrow will the beginning to a kingdom the likes none have ever witnessed, and you will all play a part in it's birth!"

The shaman's words calm the assemblage for a moment before small red lights spread over the floor of the desecrated church. The trolls are gripped with terror as the eye socket's of every skull erupt with a red hatred for life. The dozens of trolls try to flee, only to be brought low by the gnawing jaws of the skulls. 

The troll's darkvision is a aglow within a sea of hate, then in an instant all is dark. The last vestiges of holiness strain to contain the pressure that aches to rip the church asunder. The earth moans in protest as the gate explodes in a shower of blood.

The fluid coats every inch of the church and a low guttural breathing can be heard. The sound appears to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Yet blackness, even within their darkvision, reigns. 

"My Liege?" The shaman asks in a way that suggests an uncertainty rather than an absolute.

A roar pierces his ears and fear grips the shaman for the first time, for he hears not one roar, but three.

"What have I done?" The shaman voices, as his head is plucked off his shoulders and into a waiting hungry maw.


----------



## Jon Potter

S-W-E-E-E-E-T!!!

Or should I say, Y-U-U-U-C-K?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Way to pretty elf.*

The party retreated back to the door with the warning on it, and Gronar ripped the metal door from it's hinges. The room beyond yielded only a dark shaft containing a wooden ladder leading down. Gronar leads the way, followed by Finrod, Paquito, and finally Korg. 

The ladder emerges at the end of a dark corridor, the ladder is attached to the wall as the corridor stretches out to the east from here. The party moves quickly up the hallway and after sixty feet a light can be seen from up ahead, slowing their pace the party stops just out of the direct light entering the corridor. 

The room ahead is occupied by three passed out trolls, snoring loudly as their heads rest upon a large wooden table in the center of the room. The light in the room comes from something on the nearside wall and cannot be seen from the party's current vantage point. The light also illuminates several wine barrels stacked against the north wall, some of which have been overturned.

Gronar decides to strike while the cuttin's easy, and charges into the room. His primal scream awakens the nearest troll who raises his head in alarm, only to watch Gronar's blade slice three inches off his forehead and drive the rest of his head through the thick wooden table. 

Finrod bounds into the room, running out from under Korg's legs. He charges the last remaining troll on the north side of the table, slicing into the beast's back. The troll screams in pain as he flails his arms in vain to keep Finrod at bay. The troll's sudden movement jars the final troll awake and he stands up to defend himself. Gronar sees this movement out of the corner of his eyes, and he lashes out with his spear on instinct. The thrust shoves the troll away from the table and it lands on it's back startled. 

Paquito shoves Korg out of the way as he saunters into the room.

"Hey, why Pokey push Korg?" 

"You make a fine door. No? Perhaps next time I am faced with such an obstacle I shall endeavor to pick the lock instead of seeing if it is first locked. No?" 

Paquito spies a coal oven, which is giving off the light for the room, to the right of the entrance. Moving there, Paquito retrieves a burning piece of wood an a red hot lump of coal.

Gronar slams his blade through the shoulder of the troll Finrod attacked, sending it's arm flying across the room. It's body slumps into the wooden bench it had been sleeping on, Gronar pivots the blade as it reaches it high point, and drives the sear back down at the prone troll on the other side of the table. Gronar's first strike hits the floor next to the troll's head, his second jab merely grazes it's left calf. 

The troll pushes itself to it's feet and starts to run down a southern exit from the room, Gronar rotates his hands and attempts to trip the troll. It almost succeeds as the troll hops for one step but regains it's balance before running into the darkness. Enraged at his failure, Gronar overturns the table and shoves it against the south exit.

Paquito advances towards the two slightly dismembered trolls.

"What do you intend to do with that?" Finrod asks

"Well, I have heard that frigidity in elves can be cured. No?"

"Stay back _Pokey_ , go rut someplace else."

"Relax, I'm going to burn a hole through these two troll's heads. Don't want them sneaking back up on us. Keep your shorts on, you sound frustrated. We'll talk later. No?" Paquito replies as he gives Finrod a thumbs up.

Unnerved, Finrod turns towards the eastern wall and relays that there are two other exits from this room, one to the northeast and one to the southeast.

After assuring themselves that the trolls weren't going to regenerate, the giants barricade the southern exit with everything else in the room, including the coal burning oven. The party then decides to head northeast. 

The corridor is straight for the first ten feet then curves northward, but only five feet wide, all but Finrod have to turn sideways and suck it in to pass through. Once emerging though, there is no mistake as to where the party find themselves now, as a ninety foot hallway extends east and is embraced by six cell doors on the north and south sides of the corridor.

"Great, what would a troll need to lock up?" Finrod mutters

"Oohh, perhaps they have locked up a nymph for quite some time. I bet she'd do anything to escape. Eh? We should save her first. No?"

Gronar moves to the first cell door, darkness pervades beyond the barred window near the top of the door. 

"What do you see?" Finrod asks, expecting the giant to peer into the barred window. Instead Gronar seems riveted to the door's frame.

"Gronar see door with no handle."

"That's because you need keys to open it. Maybe one of the trolls we killed back there has them?"

"Really? Gronar think not need keys."

"What's inside the room? It is a nymph. No?"

"Gronar check." And instead of looking through the window, Gronar grabs the door frame and rips it out of the wooden walls it was attached to.

Gronar tosses the door down the corridor to the east, and waves off a cloud of dust that obscures sight and scent. 

"Hey, Pokey want to know if ninfft in here!" Gronar shouts

"No, it's pronounced nymph. No?"

"Have you come to free me or kill me?" A melodious voice almost sings from the back of the cell.

"Uh.......... which one we doing Pokey?" Gronar asks

"That voice sounded elven! This is a glorious event." Finrod beams and dashes into the room

"Oh, nevermind Pokey, I guess we kill it." Gronar announces

"Wait! I have her." Finrod exclaims 

"Her? Well, this little adventure just picked up. No?" 

Finrod bursts through the fading cloud and lays the bruised form of an elf onto the dirt floor. 

"Korg, a little help please." Finrod asks

"Elfy look like got body on floor by self ok." Korg answers shrugging his shoulders

"No, some healing assistance."

"Oh right, Korg help with that."

Finrod and Korg bandage, heal, and clean off the body. They then help the individual to their feet, while Paquito keeps jumping around looking for a better view.

"I thank you, there was no telling what kind of sick plans the trolls had in store for me. My name is Luciann, Protector of the Fifth." The elf bows to his freedom givers.

"Where are the other elves?" Finrod almost interrupts Luciann

"I know of no other elves, my entourage and I were attacked on our way to Fort Llmarielle. Do you know of this fort?"

"It may have burned down, we seek the elven prisoners taken by these trolls." Finrod responds

"You travel with odd friends." Luciann remarks

"Elfy know who is in charge." Gronar announces, pointing to himself

*meow* a small black cat runs from the room and leaps into the waiting arms of Luciann

"Whoa, two for the price of one. No?" 

"What do you mean minotaur?"

"Nothing milady, just making the comment that two extra bodies in a fight are always preferred to one. No?"

"What makes you assume I am a lady? My surname surely prenounced my status as a male."

"Then why are you wearing lipstick?" Paquito asks

"This is not lipstick! It a coloring of status among my order it is a badge of privilege and I wear it proudly."

"Elfy, you got a purty mouth." Korg remarks

An awkward silence pervades, after a few moments, Finrod breaks it by introducing the party to Luciann. Luciann asks permission to help stand with the party in hopes of freeing the captive elves. Gronar reluctantly agrees after eyeballing the elves' weight and assuring himself that he could toss the fey a good sixty feat if he needed to.

The next two cells are empty, as the group approaches the fourth cell on the north wall, a slight jingling of metal is heard echoing through the cell block.

"Where noise come from?" Gronar asks 

"I believe it is Luciann's chainmail bikini. No?"

"NO! It is not me! And for the twelfth time, I am not a woman!"

"Well, take it from me, they are more trouble than they're worth. Those things caused bad chaffing in Paquito's spaghetti and meatballs. No?"

Luciann turns around and slaps Paquito, "I will not be spoken to in this manner, my honor has been questioned and I shall avenge it."

"Keep your shirt on.... for now at least. Don't be getting all worked up, besides I know a few parlor tricks myself and you wouldn't want me to send you to the nearest kitchen and force you to make me a sandwich. No?"

"Your grasp of the common language is not unlike that of the roper's grasp on a spectre." Luciann answers

"Highly sticky?" Paquito replies

"No, useless." Luciann answers

The pair stop antagonizing each other when they both realize the party has moved near the end of the cell block. The both hurry to catch up.

"While Pokey and Elfy make out in prison, Gronar find breathing dwarf and gave to Korg." Gronar announces

"Hey, he/she/it started it. I had to defend myself. No?"

"Enough, I wish to pursue this avenue of depravity no longer." Luciann tells Paquito.

Once touched up by Korg, the dwarf relates to the party his harrowing escape from an attack of frost giants, only to walk right in the path of a trollish scouting party. Low on spells he stood his ground and was summarily beaten for his courage. He tells the party his name is Omar Forgewarden a burgeoning cleric within his temple. 

Omar asks that the party allow him to travel with them as he wishes nothing more than to have the blood of a dozen trolls on his hammer by sunset. Gronar, impressed with the dwarf's bravado, heartily agrees and asks the dwarf to teach Finrod a few fightin' moves.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the party turns to head back west and check the southern side of the cell block, as the two elves pass the dead end, they both sense something amiss with the wall.

In unison they announce "Secret door."


I have also updated post # 8 with the 2 newest additions, there are 2 more that will be added in the next post.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Omar Forgewarden is a dwarven Paragon/cleric. Just starting on his pious path, Omar may not have a lot of spells, but he's all dwarf.




Ooooh... Paragon. I love racial Paragons but have only had one appear in my own game so far (a short-lived Elven Paragon/Wizard). I think they add a lot of flavor and distinctiveness to the races. Throw in some racial substitution levels and you really get some nice archetypal characters.

Or maybe that's just me. I didn't realize how much of a paragon fanboy I was until I started writing this.   

Anyway, I'm interested to see who the other new additions are. Can't wait!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Of devils and fey........*

The two giants pry open the sealed door, finding handholds tailor made for large fingers. The huge fifty by thirty room is ringed with two shelves, a higher and lower shelf, resting upon the shelves are all manner of equipment. Armor, rings, staves, weapons, arrows, bows, and even a set of drums. 

The party goes wild as the giants raise their arms in celebration, Paquito shoves Korg aside again as he charges into the room to be the first to salivate over the cache. Finrod's excitement is lessened once he catches a glimpse of Luciann's face, the elven wizard bears a look of concern as the three large party members tear into the shelves as if they were gift wrapping.

Silently understanding Luciann's demeanor, Finrod shouts to his companions to halt their looting.

"Why? Elfy want all to self?" Gronar asks

"All of these belongings are from the prisoners here, it should be returned to them." 

"My delusional friend, this is what adventurer's do, they loot the bodies. Apparently this is confusing for you. No?"

"The giants can't use any of this stuff, and I've never seen you with a spellbook so why are you pocketing that one?" Finrod replies

"Who says we're going to free the other prisoners anyway? Therefore I hereby claim this treasure haul until such time as proper ownership can be settled. No?"

"Don't go all lawful on me now, besides you didn't discover it. Korg did." Finrod's mind raced for a better option than Paquito, hoping that Korg would have a moment of clarity.

"Hey! Korg did see treasure first. Korg say we take with us and give back to people who help us kill stinky trolls."

"Hrmm, OK. But, if they don't want to help, or they're dead, then we get to keep their stuff. No?"

"Korg agree to Pokey plan."

Luciann was allowed to enter the room and retrieve his belongings, and while his mind thought of tacking on a few items that weren't his, his heart led him to his items only. Though his mind did record the presence of a crystal ball, a potion, and a ring that if not claimed, he would like to have.

Gronar scooped up the remaining items in large sack and tied it around his spear strap, so that it wouldn't interfere with his walking. The party exited the room and continued on opening the southern side of this cell block.

The first cell was empty, but as they neared the second cell, the party heard a small voice like that of a child's, coming from further down the cell block. 

"Free me, please."

"OK, Gronar be there in little bit!" Korg shouted out, speaking for his giant friend.

"Please, I can be of assistance."

"No, Korg think you not going to be able to help Gronar rip off doors!" Korg shouted back

"I am a healer."

"Korg not sick!" 

"I wasn't talking about you."

Korg hesitated before shouting out a response, he looked at Paquito for guidance. Paquito shrugged his shoulders, and replied "It must be sick and hallucinating, hell it probably wants to steal your treasure."

Enraged Korg shouts back "Korg say you no can have my treasure!" 

"I don't want your treasure, I want to help." 

"Go away voice in head." Korg shouts as he slams his palm into his forehead a few times.

Gronar manages to get the second cell door off, and spies the form of a prone human lying end the back of the cell.

"Korg, come check see if this one dead." Gronar asks

Korg staggers over to the cell and shouts "Wake up!" the man doesn't move.

Korg takes his spear out and points it at the human, "Wakey, wakey." Korg says as he thrusts his spear point into the back of the man, intending only to prod the individual, Korg miscalculates and prods the man's lung onto the back of the cell wall. Air escapes the man's one good lung quickly and the minimal bleeding that occurred when his back was pierced quickly slows to a trickle.

"Oops. Heh, this one dead." Korg announces

"Sweet! That's one less claim jumper. No?"

Gronar removes the next two doors, only to find empty cells. He removes the third door and a small dirty figure coughs his way out from inside the cell.

"Look it is dwarf baby." Gronar announces

The two elves move up and peer around Gronar.

"That's not a baby, it's a gnome." Finrod says in amazement.

"Korg have one of those of front lawn back at home, only Korg's not move and cough, also Korg's not in dungeon trapped by stinky trolls."

"Coop, the barbarian. Where you in time? Is he still alive? Where is he?" The gnome demands

"Ornament mean human lying on floor down there?" Korg points three doors down

"Yes, where is he?" The gnome presses

"Huh? Korg not paying attention." Korg replies, as he sizes up the talking lawn ornament, thinking that this must be the smallest walking creature he's ever seen.

"Oh yeah, we found him, but it looks like someone got there before I could heal him. Someone had speared him through the back in a most cowardly fashion. We came across him on a day when I had not asked my deity for the divine ability to return the soul to it's former body. It is indeed a sad day in the life of the Great Paquito. No?"

The gnome breaks down and sobs on the dirt floor. "I kept telling Coop to hang in there just one more hour, that help would arrive soon and I could heal him. Alas, three days of such pleading were more than his body could take." The gnome relates

"Well, if it makes any difference to you, I did speak with his departed essence and he gave us permission to use his fierce weapons we located against the foul creatures that kept him captive here. No?"

"You spoke with him?" The gnome's eyes light up "Is he angry that I could not help him?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest. He did mention a highly irritating voice that kept him up all night, but as he didn't speak common he had no idea what the voice was saying. He only wished that it would stop yammering, he was grateful that we found him and gave him a proper burial. Probably why he let us use his stuff. No?"

"Oh this is a most sad day indeed for my faith, I have failed to deliver in a promise. I should go and say my peace over his grave." The gnome laments

"I wouldn't do that padre, it's pretty sick and twisted in there. Looks like they kept forcing him to have relations with a barbed devil. It not for the sane of mind to view that sort of thing, best we press on and if you would like to feel useful again, I've got a few nicks and scrapes that could use a healer's touch. No?"

"Of course my pious brother, but why could you not heal thyself?" The gnome asks

"I'm not that kind of cleric. No?"

The gnome introduces himself as Ratchet, a traveler in service of his deity, he was studying an usual rock formation when he was blindsided by umber hulks, and dragged here. He relates that he's been incarcerated for a week, and hasn't seen anyone in that time, not even food rations.

"Why Ornament not use magic to escape?" Korg asks

"My cell kept me from using almost all but the most basic of spells, you get used to purified rat guts after a while." Ratchet answers

The party finishes removing the remaining cell doors on this block and returns to the wine barrel room and heads to the southeastern exit. The hallway mirrors it's northern cousin and the party emerges in another cell block. Gronar starts on the first northern door and rips it off it's hinges.

"Wha... is my time up? I made it perfectly clear I was not going to accept out on good behavior." A near elven-like voice called out from the room

"Gronar open door so you can leave now." The hill giant says with a smile

"That seems hardly the actions of a law abiding citizen, I demand you turn yourselves in immediately." 

"Gronar not know about that, Gronar just kill stinky trolls and tear off doors with people inside." Gronar answers

"What say you? Trolls, my captors dead? Well, that's a torture of a different scream. I transfer my debt of servitude onto you then, my new captures." A well built man exits the room, he would have been mistaken for an elf were it not for his pale white skin and row of horns atop his bald head.

"Aw great, we got Elfy that wants to be like giants, Elfy that wants to be like woman, and now Elfy that wants to be like Paquito. Why can Gronar not find Elfy that want to be like Elfy?" Gronar states, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"I am not, nor ever shall be an elf, what I am is not of much consequence compared to the multitude of services I can be expected to perform while in servitude of you." 

"You can teleport in some hot chicks? Or at least teleport me to some. No?"

"I would gladly send you to the harem of the salamander king, there are hot chicks aplenty there."

"Yes, yes that would do nicely. Whenever you're ready. No?"

"No, I am not ready. I must requisition my staff from my former captures prior to sending you to your doom."

"Oh you mean this?" Paquito produces a long slender gnarled staff from behind his back, "Sorry, I was using it as a crack scratcher. No?"

"What! You insolent little toad! I will have you arrested for vandalism what kind of inhumane person would do that to another one's belongings?"

"Uh, it felt good and fit right. You know one plus one equals tief, I'm mean three. Why would I say tief, I mean that's just so outrageous? No?" Paquito gives the stranger a knowing wink

Caught off guard, the tiefling backpedals, "Well, no harm done I suppose. You get someone to purify this runny liquid on it and we'll call it even."

"He's not that kind of cleric." Ratchet speaks up

"From where do you hail good friend?" Luciann asks

"You can call me Lothred, and I am not from around here, nor am I your friend, sister." Lothred replies

"I am not a woman!" Luciann sighs as he walks to catch up with the giants who've moved on up the cell block

Finrod eyes Lothred suspiciously before moving along with Ratchet, once they are out of earshot Lothred turns to Paquito.

"You tell them anything about me Tannar'i blood, and I'll make sure your afterlife is spent in some nightmare filled quasi-reality somewhere in the nasal passage of Orcus himself." Lothred threatens Paquito

"Sure, next time you try and send me to some Salamander king's palace of joy, I'll not hesitate to show you why they call my special move a gore! I'm keen to your ways, you're not going to pull anything over on me, I happen to know for a fact that salamanders are some kind of lizard offshoot and that's just sick. No?"



post #8 also update


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

I just finished the thread.  It sounds like multiple new PC's or NPC's have joined at this point in the story.  You've got me looking forward to future events here.  Let me make sure I have this right.  They were headed on a geas, for the Elf to find the Giant inside?  Then they went through a portal to some kind of Northern land, or alternate universe?  I feel like I've missed something important here.

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> I just finished the thread.  It sounds like multiple new PC's or NPC's have joined at this point in the story.  You've got me looking forward to future events here.  Let me make sure I have this right.  They were headed on a geas, for the Elf to find the Giant inside?  Then they went through a portal to some kind of Northern land, or alternate universe?  I feel like I've missed something important here.
> 
> GW




Nope you've pretty much got it, they went through a portal and were teleported far to the north. Finrod is still geased, and the party in an attempt to wander back to familiar lands, has taken a side trek and turned it into a campaign.

Although Paquito (who is never lost) knows exactly where they are, but has yet to share this info with the party. Maybe he knows more than he's willing to impart? Although the additions of Ratchet and Luciann will help them navigate the local area much better. 

Everyone listed in post #8 is a party member, but there will be a few NPCs found in the next post (including the long awaited Paquito-succubus encounter).

The additions of 4 spellcasters (Omar, Luciann, Lothred, and Ratchet) in the party has really kept the party alive the last 2 sessions, and definately last night.

Thanks for reading!


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Nope you've pretty much got it, they went through a portal and were teleported far to the north.




What the!?! Another reader knwos the SH better than I do?

 

I didn't realize that they had been teleported...


----------



## spacehulkster

> What the!?! Another reader knwos the SH better than I do?




I'm there with you.  When did we step through a portal?
and how do I know where I am?

I thought that the "never lost" feat applied to just being in mazes or dungeons in regards to intuit direction sense.  Am I wrong here?  Cause there's no place like home! 'clicking hoofs 3 times'

DM, you got some splainning to do!


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## Graywolf-ELM

The fourth door I believe, under the place with the blood on tap.  Stepped through a portal into an encounter with mammoth riding frost giants.

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Spacehulkster, you don't remember because you missed that session (the riddle session). Paquito's participation in all 4 door riddles is entirely ad libbed. 

and the text for your minotaur states "is never lost". Whether that means you know you are north of "home" or whether that means you have a GPS hook up in your horns is up for speculation. Of course with your fiendish influence maybe "is never lost" for you means you always know which way to hell?   

And here's a little something special for the readers and party:

The city was under siege, titans battered the outer wall while their little demonic minions ripped the bark off and shredded the roots of the tree. Defeat seemed imminent, every time one of the elven mages stepped forward to defend their home they were beset by dozens of imps and mephits. The demons tossed the mages from the tower and their falling bodies were reused against the tree as ranged attacks by the titans.

Undaunted, Baeluath called forth to his devout and bade them to pray with him for protection from the dark forces as they assaulted the sacred church. For hours they prayed, as the onslaught continued all around them. Inside the church itself, dozens of worshipers were crushed by debris falling from the ceiling or tossed through the open windows by the attacking force.

Then as the titans brought forth the storm of their fury and the sky was blackened and cooked by a thousand bolts of lightning, in the midst of the maelstrom a beam of light shone through. Where the holy deliverance struck the ground, a huge winged being was born. It unfolded it's wings as white as the sun and stood defiant to the titans. It opened it's eyes and spoke only one word "begone" in high elven and the demons withered to dust. 

A cheer arose amongst the city as the chosen protector of Eyther Amrea strode forth into battle against the titans. The titans hesitated and showed fear, but their was no mercy for them, Eyther Amrea's blows resonated throughout the valley, the city shook and heaved with each strike. Trees uprooted themselves and sought safer ground, the forest fauna fled deeper into the woods.

Eyther Amrea cleared the battlefield of every titan and stood victorious amongst the defeated, then it arrived. A titan clothed in blackest armor that reflected no light, chained to his waist were four celestials manacled around their necks. Eyther Amrea beheld this sight and cried out for the death of this titan the one she called Nhagh. The bound celestials wailed in pain as Nhagh strode towards Eyther Amrea, Nhagh's mighty ax dripped with innocent blood as he dragged it's edge along the ground creating a gash that erupted with legions of the dead. 

This mockery of life force rose up and besieged the city anew. Eyther Amrea lashed out at Nhagh but as her divine sword cut into the foul titan, one of the imprisoned celestials withered and died. Nhagh stood unscathed from Eyther Amrea's attack, stunned Eyther Amrea was unprepared for Nhagh's return attack and she was struck down by his massive blow. 

Her power fading fast, Eyther Amrea thrust her sword through the chest of Nhagh. Another celestial withered and Nhagh laughed down upon the broken power of Eyther Amrea. Eyther Amrea knew however, that she had already beaten Nhagh. With the last bit of divine power within her, Eyther Amrea was absorbed by her sword and her power traveled up the pommel and into the blade. Divine energy coursed through the wound she had given Nhagh. Nhagh ceased laughing and watched as his defeat erupted through his skin, thousands of beams of light ripped through the essence of Nhagh and tore the titan inside out. The resulting explosion of divinity blinded all who watched the triumph of Eyther Amrea.

When the battle was over, nothing of Eyther Amrea nor of Nhagh remained, even the undead force had been wiped from the valley. The remaining elves who could see, poured onto the battlefield and rejoiced. The blind elves, sightless but not without faith, reported they could see a small glowing object when they were placed in a position to view the battlefield. Helped into the valley, the blind elves led the rest of the elves to a small white feather that rested on the spot where Eyther Amrea infused her power into Nhagh. 

Taking this as a sign from their deity, the elves placed the feather inside a seamless glass sphere and placed it within the church for all to view. The blind elves were tasked with watching over the Feather of Eyther Amrea, even in death, as their eyes continued to see and watch over the Feather of Eyther Amrea. The eyes of these faithful were removed upon their death and placed around the artifact so that they could continue their chosen duty even after their spirits were alongside Eyther Amrea


Half of this text has come into play already (in game, not yet in the story hour).


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*So what if she's from out of town?*

The ever growing party moves on and two cell doors down, Gronar's efforts reveal a solemn figure chained defiantly to the floor in the center of the cell. 

"Books?" Korg intones "Books that you? Korg see you fall in water and not come up."

A confused look washes over the stout figure, unsure what to make of his rescuers.

"To whom are you speaking of?" The dwarf prisoner asks

"You not Books? You look like Books." Korg answers

"I am Endrin, King of Hammerstone. I am most assuredly not a stack of books. You overgrown goblin."

"OK, Korg sorry to bother puny human's meditation." 

The giants continue on to the next cell door.

"Hey! Aren't you going to free me so that we may have a fair fight? Or at least grant me the dignity to die with a weapon in my hand!" Endrin shouts

Gronar stops and turns to face Lothred, "Elfy know puny human in there?"

"Surely you do not expect me to believe that you are in fact that dense as to mistake me for an elf? I am insulted by your insinuation." Lothred answers

Gronar grabs Lothred around the neck and pulls him to Endrin's cell door, "Elfy get good look at puny human, puny human look like friend?"

"Well, I guess I know who the alpha male is here, and that is a puny dwarf not a puny human." Lothred chokes out from between Gronar's massive fingers

"Maybe we should let him go?" Omar speaks up

"Uh.... No. That would be cutting even more into our treasure haul, you wouldn't want me to have to kill him after I give him all his stuff back would you? No?" Paquito replies

The party continues on as Luciann and Finrod pass before the cell door.

"Hey you tree huggers, I know something about the rest of your tribe. Free me that I may stand again against my captors and shall impart my knowledge of your fellow grass eaters." Endrin shouts

Luciann and Finrod debate for a few moments before acquiescing to the dwarf's request, Finrod slams his sword down upon the iron chains and in time breaks each one off.

"Return to me my belongings and I shall tell you of what I have seen and heard." Endrin demands

Finrod runs to find Paquito, only to trip over the dwarves belongings which were piled outside of the cell door. Looking down the cell block, Finrod locates the party near the end of the hall patiently waiting for the elves to come and check for secret doors. Finrod returns the dwarven king's items to Endrin, who in turn tells the elves that a score of elves were led from the cell block this morning on their way to be sacrificed to the troll's deity, that was about three hours ago. The elves thank him and Endrin stomps out of his cell and turns back towards the way the party came, intent on destroying a few trolls before his time is up.

The elves reach the rest of the party, and commence searching for secret doors at the end of this cell block as well.

Paquito wanders off down the south side of the cell block, peering in through the cell door windows. He passes the first door and looks up at the second door and notices that it is unique to the other cell doors. This door has large silver seals adorning the four corners of the door, and silver bars block egress from the cell door window. A warm soft light seems to glow from under the cell door and through the cell door's window.

"Found it!" The elves shout as a jubilant Gronar and Korg pound the wall trying to loosen the hold on the secret door.

Paquito saunters up to the intriguing cell door, he thinks about peering in through the window but, decides against it and instead bends over as he walks in front of the door and looks through the key hole in the door. Looking in, Paquito sees the most beautiful creature he's ever laid eyes on. She sits on the floor, in the middle of a binding circle, her modesty covered only by red down feathers which sprout from her back and wrap around her like a blanket. Her eyes are the color of the deep ocean, blue, green and bottomless. Her teal hair cascades down and around her shoulders like a waterfall as she shifts a little towards the door.

"Free me." Her melodious words pluck at Paquito's heartstrings, and he lunged for the cell door's handle.

Paquito pulls with all his might, but cannot get the door to budge. Frantic, he tightens his grip on the handle and places both hooves on the door frame and tries again to yank the door off it's hinges. Again he fails to move the door.

"What is your name my soon to be hero?" The woman's voice soothes Paquito's racing heart.

"I am King Paquito Flaccido, Mariner of the Swallowing Sea, Sage of the Tauran Inquisition, and Leader of .... well... my own harem. Perhaps my great deeds have reached your fine auditory appendages even here in this dark, dank, dingy dungeon? Yes?"

"My, you have an enlarged ego. By chance that wouldn't be to make up for your surname would it?" 

"Flaccido is my name, it is not what I do. Yes?"

"Show me."

"Gronar! I need your help!"

"Pokey, Gronar going through secret treasure door. Gronar not have time to open more doors."

"But I need this one open! Please! Pretty please!" 

"Pokey pathetic excuse for giant, Pokey need to grow muscle and open door by self."

"I already did part of that, but it's not helping me open the door."

Frustrated, Gronar goes to see firsthand what all the trouble is for. "Why Pokey not look in window?"

"Uh.. The view is fine down here, helps my back. Yes?"

Gronar shrugs his shoulders and grips the door frame preparing to tear the door free, he glimpses inside the room however and stops his intended goal, and releases his grip on the door. Inside Gronar sees a red bat winged, red devil tailed, demoness with horns adorning her black haired head.

"What? What's the matter?"

"Pokey want Gronar to let demon out?"

"Wha? No, I want the beautiful one out. If there's a demon in there it can stay in there, plus all the more reason to free the damsel in distress. Yes?"

"What is you name, you big strong man. You look like you can handle all that I have to give."

"Gronar not going to tell demon lady what Gronar name is! Demon lady leave Pokey alone."

"But, I seek what you seek, to be alone with the flaccid poking one. Free me so that I may attain that goal."

"Yes! Free her so that goal can be attained! Yes?" Paquito cheered as he shoved Gronar's hands back onto the door frame.

"Gronar not going to free demon lady."

"I am not a demon, what you see is an illusion placed upon me by the hateful trolls. Free me and I shall show you I speak the truth."

"See, she's not a demon lady. You have no idea what it's like being on the road with all guys, or.. maybe... you do. Just let me in for a little while, I'll be good."

"Look in window Pokey. Look at demon lady." 

Paquito stands up a good distance from the door window. 

"Pokey not see anything from back there, Pokey get closer." Gronar says as he shoves Paquito's head into the cell door window, however physical forces kept the rest of Paquito's body from getting any closer. The force of Gronar's shove slammed Paquito's head into the cell door, and Paquito fell to the floor.

"Elfy! Come here." Gronar whistled at Lothred

"I am...." Lothred caught the look in Gronar's eyes. "Yes, coming right away."

"Elfy what you see in room?"

"A succubus." Lothred replies

"Lies! All lies, get up Paquito and free me so that I may prove them wrong as I ravish you in right in front of them."

Gronar helps Paquito to his feet and turns him towards the cell again. "What Pokey see now?"

Paquito's vision clears and the form of beautiful bat winged demoness with horns and a tail come into view. "Okay, so she's a demon. Nobody's perfect, let me in anyway. At least now I'll know ahead of time what I'll be waking up next to."

"No, we go now Pokey." Gronar says as he drags Paquito away from the door.

Lothred peers into the cell at the succubus and studies the pentagram she is imprisoned within.

"Ooh, does the tiefling think he is man enough to free me? I want to see you succeed, unlike you flaccid friend."

"No, actually I was studying your little magic circle there. I think I can add two symbols and have your skills transferred to my service. I think I will remember where to find you, I'm sure you're not going anywhere anytime soon. See you around slave." Lothred walks away amid screams of frustration from the succubus and Paquito.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*An elven point of view. History part 1*

As requested..... here's part 1 of the campaign background:

Copied from ancient elven scrolls, as no other text remains from the time before the chaos:

1472YR-6-18  
	Our temples report strained communication with our deities. Some have even fallen silent. This does not bode well, even the forest spirits seem agitated. The priests speak of sequestering themselves in the temples until an answer can be sought. The humans either do not notice or do not care, or more concerning, maybe they are not experiencing the same problems as we fey are.


1472TR-6-19
	All of our communes have gone silent, even Belasarda does not answer our prayers. High priest Tallienne came to me this morning with grave news that he had prayed for a holy word this morning as he does every morning to place upon our tree of life in praise of Belasarda. However he did not receive the requested blessing this morning. He asked that all elder priests be immediately called to the temple, and that none may refuse this request. The elder priests remained in the temple the rest of the day. News came from our forests scouts that the humans seem to be experiencing something out of place as well. Fawyllere has ordered that an ambassador leave for the human city this evening in hopes of gaining us knowledge of their plight and if it is the same as ours.


1472YR-6-20
	The sun did not rise this morning, the elder priests have yet to emerge from the temple and the remaining healers have all confirmed that their prayers for higher healing went unanswered, only the most basic of healing powers were granted. Panic has stricken the human city, at what would have been high sun, we could see the smoke billowing into the dark sky. The elder priests emerged some time later and declared this a Day of Forsaking. The gods have left us, we were instructed to close all access to the forest by other races and prepare for what is surely to come. 


1472YR-6-21
	I wake today colder than I have ever felt before. Our mages have made rounds and cast protective measures for all city inhabitants. The sunless sky has embraced the warmth of our earth and keeps it for itself. The lighting of the first ever fire within the forest by us seems to have resolved those of us who still had faith, that this was truly the end of all. Word has come back that our defenses were tested by some humans fleeing their burning city. They were dealt with. The Southern sky has a soft golden glow from the human's city, due to the length of time we suspect the city has been ablaze, we can only assume the humans have given up even trying to maintain order.


1472YR-6-22
	The nurturing earth has left us, the freezing air brought snow, wind, and sleet with it this morning. Our mages struggle to keep the communal fire going while maintaining the cold protection for the city's inhabitants. The human wizards must have scryd our position as more and more humans try to break through our defenses. Today marked the first time human magic was used as they tried to burn down whole sections of our forest with their fire spells. Triumphantly we turned them all back however. Our priests continue to report no communication from any of our deities, though they still receive minor blessings at daybreak. The elder priests wonder if this is not some sort of test. 


1472YR-6-22a
	This night has been filled with storms the likes of which our bards could never have dreamt. Lightening courses through the clouds overhead like spreading water. I fear what the morning shall bring , our druids and treants have been unable corral any of this freakish weather. They also fear the earth has turned it's back on us.


1472YR-6-23
	This first blast awoke the city, the second terrified it. The clouds poured their liquid light unto the earth, everywhere blazing streams of electricity punched holes through the dry canopy above us. Homes were set afire, trees were burnt to smoldering twigs in an instant. I witnessed elves evaporated by lightening strikes before my very eyes. Even our children were not safe from the onslaught. The elder priests fell to the earth and begged for mercy. Our mages strived in vain to keep the angry light at bay, only to end up like so many of our homes, burned to the ground. Without warning the clouds abated, the sky cleared and the hidden sun shone brightly overhead once again. The gods had showed mercy, we were to be spared after all. I set about helping to make repairs to the temple, we had just removed the burnt and fallen wood when the ground shook in angry might. Dozens of shakes came one after the other, screams of horror arose from the southern side of the city. Peering over the tree tops and above the treant protectors stood humans of immense size. Towering over the forest like it was an ant hill, the treants rose up in protest and were met with streams of lightening and blows so powerful they ripped the treants apart with one swipe. Mercy had delivered us into the hands of destruction.


1472YR-6-26
	The titans have forbade all writing utensils and supplies. I write this in secret beneath Belasarda's temple, our priests have made contact with an agent of Belasarda. In an hour we have been promised a sign that we have not been forgotten. The titans entered our world like children with new toys. We were no match for their power and our spirits too broken to withstand their might, within an hour the city surrendered. What little we could save, scroll and book wise, has been transferred here, demons run amok through the trees and it is not safe to be out without a titan escort any longer. The elders were all killed in one massive blow and our mages are either dead or in hiding amongst the rest of us. The sign came in the form of confusion amongst the titans, first shouts of disbelief rang out, then one of the titans was felled. The titans gathered their forces in search of whatever had befallen one of their own, as they became inattentive to us hundreds of halflings streamed into our city. They claimed to have felled the titan and were told to amass hear for deliverance. To say I was confused what be too light of a point, however I could not deny the glow of divinity that rose from the ground and encased us all, halfling and elf, just as the titans turned their attentions back to our city. With a great roar of anger, the titans struck the golden orb, the blows at first echoed through our bodies and threatened to kill us as we stood. Then the blows became softer and father away, then silence. Then a voice "You are safe here, I will watch over you until it is time for you to return." The orb disappeared and the form of a vast forest beneath an unfamiliar sky came into view. There was much rejoicing, as the four hundred halflings introduced themselves to the remaining three hundred elves. 



There will be 4 parts Elven, Dwarven, Giant, and Human. Each one with their own take on what happened. The end of this Elven transcript happened over 1800 years ago.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Hot Dawg, this is cool to hear about the background of the setting.  Much thanks for posting this.  I look forward to the other parts.

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Grandma Teifling's recipe for roasted gnome.*

Gronar and Korg force open the hidden door, it scrapes along the dirt floor and halfway through their task, Gronar spies two trolls standing against the far right corner of the room. 

"Stinky Trolls!" Gronar shouts and shoves the door the rest of the way open.

Gronar bounds into the room and catches two other trolls in the back left corner as well. All four of them seem to be waiting for Gronar to advance. The hill giant doesn't make them wait for a charge either. Gronar rushes towards the middle of the back wall, hoping that when he ends his sprint all four trolls will be within reach of his spear.

Gronar shoves his spear through the second to right troll and shouts a challenge to the other three trolls. The trolls stand firm and watch as a tongue of flame flicks itself from a burning hearth on the wall behind Gronar. The flame licks at the back of Gronar scalding his flesh and burning through his hide shirt. 

Gronar spins around to counter attack, but finds the twenty feet to the wall behind him empty. Paquito pushes his way in and throws _magic missiles_ into the far left troll. Korg enters next and moves to cover the only visible exit to the room, that being a door in the near southern wall. Finrod enters and sends an arrow shaft into the troll Gronar gave an appendectomy to. The rest of the party hangs back behind the door's threshold watching the giant's go to work.

"Korg! Something in fire back there, kill it." Gronar orders

Korg shifts his attention to the hearth and watches it intently. Gronar skewers his previous target into the troll on the far right, and manages to stick both trolls on the end of his spear. He then slams the spear tip into the ceiling causing his latest catch to whack the top of it's head. The two remaining trolls charge Gronar, the hill giant swings his spear down on the nearest one and causes that troll to fly into the North wall. The other troll makes it's way under Gronar's swing and slices a wicked cut under Gronar's left arm.

Concern for his friend, causes Korg to forget about the hearth and move to within arm's reach of Gronar. Focused on his friend, Korg fails to see the hearth slap a whip of fire into his ribcage. 

"The stove, there is a fire creature in it. No?" 

"Thanks Mister Obvious, why don't you be helpful and use your body to smother the flames?" Finrod replies

Paquito draws his spear and stands next to the hearth looking for movement within the red-orange coals. Finrod leaps up to the troll Gronar flung into the wall and cuts into the creature's chest, the wound made all the more impressive due to the severe bruising Gronar gave it. 

Gronar discards his shish-kA-bob of troll meat and brings forth his sword upon the shoulders of the troll that cut him. The giant's blows cause the troll to lose the use of it's right arm, Korg then finishes the troll with spear shot through the head of the creature. The hearth licks out again along the back of Gronar, Paquito sees the thin whip-like flame snap out and tries to sever the strand with his spear but his attempt is met with another flame strike from the hearth into the minotaur's left thigh.

Both Gronar and Paquito cry out in pain, as Korg applies healing to Gronar and Rachet moves up to tend to Paquito's heat blister. 

"We need to get that fire out." Finrod shouts

"Gronar get door." The hill giant responds, pointing to the southern exit and the metal door which stands in the way. 

Paquito limps back into the cell block and Luciann helps him sit against the wall. Lothred moves in next to Ratchet as Finrod moves up to cover the hearth. 

Gronar rips the metal door off it's hinges and hands it to Korg, Gronar then peeks into the short hallway beyond, long enough to see the reddish glowing ball of energy hanging in midair and growing by the second.

"Hey Elfy, you see anything like th.." 

KABOOM!!!!

The delayed fireball explodes, the force of which sends Gronar tumbling backwards into Korg. Gronar's massive girth shielded Korg from most of the blaze, but Gronar felt the full brunt of it's force. Dazed and nearly unconscious, Gronar's eyes roll around trying to regain focus, Finrod sees this and fears for what might come through the door and attack the weakened giants. Finrod rushes to the scene of the explosion, but as he runs past the downed giants, the hearth licks out and burns Finrod with it's fire. The elf howls in pain, yet manages to make it to the open doorway.

Lothred watches as the fire tries to engulf the elf, and knowing that the hearth must be snuffed out, picks up Ratchet and tosses the gnome onto the burning coals. The gnome's screams fill the room, Ratchet manages to roll off of the coals and takes some of the hearth's fuel with him. Korg whips his head around to see the smoldering gnome and rolls Gronar off of him, then twists over to smack the gnome, trying to help put out the fire on him.

"You Brawny, fetch one of them trolls and stuff it's body into the hearth." Lothred calls out to Korg

Not knowing who the teifling was speaking to, Korg looks around for someone behind him. Gronar comes to, and shakes the smoke from his head trying to clear it up.

"Grunt, get one of those trolls into the hearth!" Lothred shouts at Gronar this time

"Gronar name is Gronar, not Grunt."

"Semantics. Get a troll." Lothred answers

Gronar reaches over and tosses the teifling the troll Korg had speared, Lothred then heaves the creature onto the hot coals. The hearth soon dies down to a smelly, greasy, smoker. 

Lothred goes to assist Ratchet to his feet.

"Don't touch me! You tried to kill me."

"What? I saved the party, the hearth had to be extinguished. You were perfect for that role, if you're too shortsighted to see the brilliance of the plan, then maybe you should become and giant."

"Don't play righteous savior with me, the troll saved the party, not you."

"I came up with the plan, you seemed to not be doing anything constructive, hopefully you have seen the error of your ways. An idle mind is Grazz't's play thing."

"You're a sadistic jerk aren't you." Ratchet hefted himself from the floor and went to check on Gronar.

Ratchet and Korg brought Gronar to near full health. The party decides to hold up in this room until the clerics could recharge their spell energy. Gronar heads back into the cell block to see if there are any other occupied cells, he passes Paquito, Luciann, and Omar on his way down.

"It doesn't look that bad, you'll be fine after a good night's rest." Omar advised Paquito

"My strut, it will be unaffected. No?" 

Luciann and Omar eye each other trying to ascertain the meaning of Paquito's question.

"The ladies love to watch me strut. No?" 

Luciann and Omar leave Paquito resting there, complaining they needed to find someone who was physically injured. Paquito hobbles up to his feet and hops along after Gronar. They pass the succubus' cell and Paquito implores again to Gronar for him to open it. Gronar presses on paying the minotaur no attention. Gronar works his way down to the second to last door and rips it off revealing a prone body laying against the rear wall of the cell. Gronar and Paquito hear the sounds of forced breathing and yell down for help. Omar wobbles down the hallway and arrives at the cell door.

The dwarf turns the body over, and applies a _cure light wounds_ to the individual. Omar removes the hood portion of a cloak the person was wearing and Paquito's face lights up as the visage of a beautiful elf is revealed. Thinking for sure this one wearing ear rings and a tiara must be female, Paquito bends down for a closer look, he recoils backwards as he catches a reflection of light upon blue scales that cover her throat.

"She is diseased, we will all succumb to it's wasting effects. No?"

"It's not a disease, it's part of her. It's on her arms too." Omar replies

"Gronar can take off scales if Dorf* need it off." 

"If one were to touch her, you would get scales too. No?"

"No, I don't think she's full elf." Omar replies

"Well, as long as she is all woman, that is good enough for Paquito. No?"

"I think we should bring her back to the rest of the group." Omar states

"A fine idea, I shall carry her. No?"

"Gronar will carry sick Elfy. Paquito open last door."

"Heh, if there's going to be a rescuing of a fair maiden, it should be done by a real hero. Paquito Flaccido, Champion of wenches and harlots everywhere. No?"

"If the lady is not fit enough to walk out under her own power, then she should be left here. She'll just slow us up and will be the first killed in a rear ambush assault anyway." Lothred interjects, having wandered his way down the cell block.

"Gronar you carry her." Omar says lifting the elf into the giant's arms

"Have you even considered that maybe she's in here dying for a good reason, perhaps she was convicted of treason against the troll, perhaps she's a murderer, or even a horse thief?" Lothred asks

"He has a point. No? I think Paquito should stay with her and give her a thorough interrogation as soon as she regains consciousness. No?"

Gronar however carries the elf back to Korg as Omar, Paquito, and Lothred continue their argument. Finally Paquito offers a solution.

"Lets go ask the succubus, at least it's driven by a valid motive. No?"


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Campaign History part 2. Dwarven*

Dwarven oral history of recent events as transcribed by Gurnt Stonestrike of Clan Red Granite.

Hammer-4-19
	So it was spoken, so it shall be written. Forever a day of sadness amongst the noble proud, remembered as the day the earth screamed. Our Grandfathers felt the earth shake as the ground wailed in pain beneath the oppressor's feet. Giant's among giants had come to do battle with our noble race. The cowards they were agreed to meet the noble upon the field of battle, only to crack the very foundation of the ground and split our mountain home. The proud refused to concede and fought the titans anyway. Their sacrifice saved the lives of many a dwarf that day. However victory would not be on the plate of the noble that day. The noble proud suspect the elves with all of their sorcery or the humans with their reckless abandon. Especially since neither came to the defense of our home when we stood against the titans.

Anvil-11-19
	So it was spoken, so it shall be written.
Forced to dig alongside our cousins the gnomes for decades. The noble sought a way to free us from the titan's grip. Prayers to Moradin and Ummtharr were prepared, wives and children were informed. At high sun the hymn was sung and the proud were delivered unto freedom when the earth sang and opened it's heart to the noble proud. The earth never trembled in elation so great as that day, when five thousand noble proud servants of the earth strode forth with their gnome cousins and into the mountain. When the earth's song was over it's mouth closed and sealed the noble proud away from the titans. The titans shouts of anger were still heard days after the noble proud were beyond even their long grasp.

Sparking Mithral-2-29
	So it was spoken, so it shall be written.
Centuries of crossing the gut of the earth had brought distrust within the gnome stragglers. So filled with lust for the surface they were, that they ever sought out arteries that flowed towards the surface. The noble proud would not be dissuaded by the weak of faith and marched ever valiantly at the goal Moradin set for the noble proud. This day we call The Fissure. A black rock was discovered unlike any the noble proud had or shall ever hope to see. The noble conferred and agreed it was not the sign set forth by Moradin, the noble proud continued without giving the strange rock a second thought. The devious gnomes however thought themselves better than the noble proud, thought their gods greater than Moradin who had given them their freedom. They claimed the rock as proof of their god's power and refused to leave it's side. The noble proud left them there knowing they would follow eventually.

Defender-9-2
	So it was spoken, so it shall be written.
Day of Treachery. Two more centuries of marching had brought us within sight of our destination. The proud had gone forth to the artery's mouth and reported that the backbone the noble proud waited in would be able to provide ore and fire for hundreds of generations to come. But, somehow the gnomes had beaten us to our home. They sealed up the artery and enspelled the proud who were guarding the artery's mouth, and they were transformed into mockeries of the earth itself. They attacked their former families and the artery began to collapse around the noble proud. With heavy hearts and a fire that that from that day would forever be lit in the forge of the noble's hearts, we retreated. 

Clang-1-1
	So it was spoken, so it shall be written.
The new year brought with it a new chance, Moradin had led us to an alternate artery one far to the north and west of our home. Cold to the skin, but warm to the faith. The noble proud set about immediately building the finest of homes, every detail was checked thrice and within the year what was five thousand built a home for ten thousand. Farms were built and armies were trained. No longer the noble proud, the Citadel of Frostforge became our resting destination, but it will not be our final destination.

Three centuries of rebuilding what the titans took from us and searching for the dishonorable and treacherous gnomes have led us to speculate they still hide. We will find them, and we will take back what was ours. We search tirelessly for the home that was taken from us, we search endlessly for an enemy that will meet the cleaving end of a Frostforge Ax.


Next will be the giant's history.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Excellent.  I'm enjoying the background from different perspectives.

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*History part 3*

Recorded twenty years ago from a commune with ancestral sprits by all the shamans of Clan Avalanche.

Grtuck't of Clan Remembrance:

When the storm lords came to us, and asked for us to join them against the titans. We thought better of it, we did not wish to commit our tribe to the whims of those who wished to use us as fodder. We declined and sent them on their way, telling them to keep their trifle squabble away from our homes. But the storm lords would not listen, they fought the ever losing battle, too full of themselves to accept the titan's terms.

When the last storm lord was laid low by Kairntheus' hammer the titans bade us to join them in wiping out the sky lords floating castles. Again we declined, preferring instead to continue our mastery of the stone we worked and lived from, seeking to remain oblivious to the conflict around us. 

The sky lords proved deceptive and they hid their castles far from Kairntheus' reach. We thought the conflict had ceased when the titans left our realm and faded into the mists in which they came. Years passed and the sky lords peeked their heads from under their clouds and were set upon by great winged things in the sky. The sky lords were unable to retreat and they were felled by mounted titans on the backs to creatures greater than even the mighty dragons. 

Kairntheus came to us again and bade us to fight or surrender. Wishing to do neither, we conscripted the dwarves in our home to build us a place to hide until the titans became bored and left. The dwarves built a great house of stone and placed it within our home. All of the clans prepared to move away from the titan's ever present gaze, only to have our home cleaved in twain by Kairntheus' demonic lackey Nhagh. The monster had unearthed four of our children and wore their corpses like jewelry around his infernal waist. 

We fled in earnest toward the house the sturdy ones had made for both our race's clans. Kairntheus caused the blood of the earth to erupt within our home, it spread out through our tunnels and once reaching the severed top of our home it bathed the mountain in it's fury. Our sheltered house floated in the middle of the caldera. I leapt for it hoping to gain entry and save myself. I did not make it.


Hurmthud of Clan Severed Rock:

Those of us still alive when Nhagh stopped swinging his mace, were huddled and chained together along with some of our brethren from the hills below us. We were led to the coast an arduous journey that took nearly three open moons to reach, it also took nearly fifty of the clan with it as well. When we reached the shore the seven-hundred and so of us remaining were shoved onto great floating barges by Nhagh. For many moons we sat huddled for warmth on the deck, while every other day Nhagh would truss one of us or the hill giants up and dangle then over the side of the barge to be used as bait for various sea creatures. When the beasts took the bait they were pulled up from the sea and beaten and then eaten by the titans. We were fed the stomach contents, nearly always containing some of our brothers. Many tried to dive overboard, only to be crippled and left on the deck to starve to death in the face of their families. 

When we reached shore we were led off the barge through an enormous city built for the titans. Both humans and orcs were ushered through the streets by minotaurs who seemed to whip their entourage indiscriminately. We were then brought out of the city and led upon a broken path to a large mountain. Our hopes were lifted when thoughts of a new home crept into our heads. Alas, we were told we were now slaves and were tasked with helping our hill brothers and some of our less civilized cousins to dig into the mountain and to follow the pattern first laid out by dwarves who were apparently there before us. We were told any deviation from there initial tunnels would result in immediate and never ending torture. 

We were not allowed to stay in the mountain however. We were given a strip on land on which to sleep, eat, and perform bodily functions on. If the work in the tunnels did not kill you, the disease of your new home did. We were forbidden to write or to practice any of our crafts, open worship of our deities was forbidden. Depression killed off whatever hope the titan's oppression had left. Only the ogres seemed to thrive in these conditions.

We learned later from the orcs that the dwarves and gnomes fled the from the titans into the tunnels and were never found. Soon after learning of that, Durnngh of Clan Broken Hearts exclaimed that he had unearthed the pattern that we were digging out. He told us all to gather at high moon and he would reveal why we should not dig anymore and that death was a better option than the horror we would soon release. Unfortunately he was taken from our pen at sundown and was never seen from again. After that random disappearances began to occur within our clans, brothers you were digging with the day before would vanish overnight never to be seen again. 

Paranoia replaced the depression and my people resolved to not sleep for fear of where one would wake up. During these trying days I was summoned to the titan taskmaster to answer why we were running behind schedule. As I waited there I caught a glimpse of an ogre, only not an ogre. This creature looked to be a cross of ogre and lizard. Tall and gangly like an ogre but with a tail and claws. It fled once it realized it was being watched, it brought this matter up with the taskmaster and was beaten and tossed into a bowl of greenish ichor and left to die alone screaming in pain for days.



History part 4 will go from soon after this account from the stone giants, to the present.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

So this is a serial history from different perspectives in the timeline?

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> So this is a serial history from different perspectives in the timeline?
> 
> GW





Sort of, the elves version was halted at that particular point for a reason that shall be revealed in part 4. The dwarves history for the most part leads up to the near present. The giant's one takes over where the dwarves left off (as far as the elves and humans are concerned) and continued to about 500 years ago. All that's really missing is the past 500 years for the non-long lived races. The orcs, ogres, and elves play an important role in part 4 of the history. 

The elves and dwarves overlap in the begining as will the humans. 

The stone giant's history alludes to a campaign hook and I'm an anticipating some very interesting interactions from Omar and Ratchet in the near future.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*A sticky situation*

Gronar carries the delicate body of the elf back to Korg, who inspects her while listening to Omar explain that she's not contagious. Korg then applies his last two remaining cure spells onto the elf, and eyes like blue ice open and focus on the hill giant. Panic sets into the elf as she tries to back away from the hill giant.

"Korg nurture, not pound into dirt." The giant says opening his palms and holding them out for the elf to inspect. 

Unsure of her new predicament, the elf shies away from Korg's hands. Laughter from the doorway draws the party's attention away from the elf.

"Ha! She wouldn't even talk to you, looks like you blew it. Maybe if you put some effort into a different muscle group, you could rip off that door." Lothred jibes at Paquito

Paquito was about to respond when he notices the female scaly elf is awake.

"Whoa, she is stunningly beautiful. No?" Paquito says aloud in the tongue of Baphomet

"Nah, too pure for me. Maybe rough her up a bit and give her worldly perspective, and she might look better." Lothred answers with the fiendish tongue

"Thank you for rescuing me." The elf replies in infernal.

Paquito stops stunned at the reply, the rest of the party looks around in confusion, knowing the elf spoke but not what she said, looking around to determine if someone was able to translate except for Lothred.

"I want to change my answer." Lothred tells Paquito

"Too late, looks like you blew it. No?"

Paquito walks towards the elven female, "Ok, everybody back up, give the lady some room, she needs to breathe. No?" Paquito orders in common

"I thought you said you weren't that kind of cleric." Ratchet speaks up

"Shut up son, you're bothering me. No? Watch a master at work and learn something."

The party gives ground to Paquito as he moves to the elf's side. "Are you hurt? Can I get you anything?" Paquito speaks in common.

"I don't understand." Replies the elf in infernal

Paquito repeats the question in infernal, while Korg, Ratchet, and Omar look on with suspicious eyes.

"Where are you from fair lady? I am Luciann from Oldwood, pleased to meet your acquaintance." Luciann bows as he addresses the female elf.

"What did he say?" The female elf asks in infernal to Paquito.

"He said he wishes he was an elf." Paquito replies, which garners a snicker from Lothred.

"He appears to be elf, he is not?" The female asks

"He's more pansy than fey. No?" This response causes Lothred to burst out laughing.

"I am Sillaqui D'yrthenbir heiress to the Throne of Calindomar. I was negotiating a treaty with the people under the mountain, when my entourage and I were attacked by a white dragon. I was held for ransom yet, eventually sold to the trolls here." She speaks in infernal

"I am Paquito Flaccido, Navigator of the Straits of Terror, Conqueror of the Terrible Taurranous, Liberator of the Clan of Paquito, Rescuer of the Heiress to the Throne of Calindomar, and lover extraordinaire. Perhaps you have heard of me? No?" 

"Why Elfy only talk to Pokey?" Korg says spinning the overdramitizating minotaur around to face the giant.

"She doesn't speak common or elven." Paquito answers 

"Elfy speak Pokey?" Korg asks

"She speaks the universal language of love. No?" 

"BS! I haven't learned anything but how to tell a bad joke in your language." Ratchet objects to Paquito

The party breaks out in argument, until Sillaqui stands and begins singing in a calming voice. Luciann stops and listens intently to the celestial verse, a tear forms in his eye as the sad song drags his heart over each lyric. The arguing stops as the song drowns out the harsh words of the party. 

When she finishes her song, Luciann has dropped to his knees crying, while Lothred covers his ears in disgust of the melody. Sillaqui falters after she ends her song, and stumbles back to the wall favoring her left leg as she does so.

Ratchet and Korg move in to inspect the leg and determine that it was most likely broken and has not healed enough to allow Sillaqui to travel.

"We no rest here. Here not good, Gronar go find place where rest is good." Gronar offers, he turns to head out the southern exit when Korg grabs his arm.

"Korg out of cure prayers, what if Gronar get hurt?" 

"Gronar not get hurt, just look for good rest place." Gronar turns to leave again

"Wait, Korg have plan." Korg picks up Ratchet and licks the front of the struggling gnome, slobbering all over the small man. Korg then motions for Gronar to turn around, and then slaps the gnome on the hairy back of Gronar.

"There, lawn ornament can cure Gronar is Gronar get hurt." Korg states

"I'm humiliated, abused, and disgusted." Ratchet says slightly muffed by Gronar's back

"While that may be true, at least you're of use now." Lothred says

"What do we do with her?" Finrod points to Sillaqui

"She can ride me." Paquito offers

"What?!? You're a sick man." Luciann snaps as the rest of the party is mortified.

"What? I'm half bull, I can be somebody's mount. No?" 

"No, you're all bull, and no one is mounting you unless it's to the wall stuffed." Finrod answers

"Come with me my dear, let me inform you of some truly lovely songs in a better language than that awful high and mighty speak you used." Lothred offers in infernal

"Why would she go with you, when she can ride atop the Paquito express. The answer is clear. No?"  Paquito answers Lothred in infernal.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with any kind of rational response, so I simply offer you this." Lothred answers while giving the universal leave me alone sign.

"Well, at least we're thinking alike. No?" Paquito replies

"I can make it on my own." Sillaqui interjects in infernal

"No!" Both Paquito and Lothred shout

They both rush forward to help Sillaqui up, but Korg shoves Paquito into the wall and slaps Lothred to the floor. "Korg will carry hurt lady, lady can sign to Korg while we walk."

Korg lifts up Sillaqui carefully, and licks her up and down, drenching the front of her in giant saliva. Korg then slaps Sillaqui onto his right shoulder, close to his ear. The hill giant turns and heads off to follow Gronar.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> "No, you're all bull, and no one is mounting you unless it's to the wall stuffed." Finrod answers




I like Finrod.   



> Korg lifts up Sillaqui carefully, and licks her up and down, drenching the front of her in giant saliva. Korg then slaps Sillaqui onto his right shoulder, close to his ear. The hill giant turns and heads off to follow Gronar.




So... what? Has Korg been drinking Sovereign Glue?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Tell me the location of your rebel base!*



			
				Jon Potter said:
			
		

> So... what? Has Korg been drinking Sovereign Glue?




Nope, and it doesn't turn out as planned, as you'll see below. 

Gronar's sweaty back causes Ratchet to lose his meager stomach contents all over the hill giant's posterior. Combined with Ratchet's already slick clothing from Korg, causes Ratchet to constantly slide down Gronar's back. 

"Little doll man have to hold tighter on Gronar."

"Maybe you should just let me walk?" 

"No Korg say you have to keep Gronar alive, so Gronar not put you down where stink troll can step on doll man." 

"Well there is no chance in Gehenna that I'm going to tether myself to your back hair."

"Doll man grab Gronar ears." Gronar shoves Ratchet up onto his shoulders, Ratchet sighs and grabs the top of Gronar's ears in defeat. The gnome now stands upon  the back of Gronar's neck with a hand on the top of each ear. 

Gronar turns a corner and is faced with a short hallway, two doors line the north side one on the south and one at the end of the hallway. Gronar walks up to the first door and grabs the handle.

"Wait! Don't you think we ought to listen to the door first? What if we're walking into a trap?" Ratchet informs Gronar

"Ok, but Gronar going to kill whatever behind door anyway."

Gronar leans against the door, pinning Ratchet between his ear and the door.

"Gronar hear heavy breathing and someone say get off of me." 

"That was me you idiot, your head crushed me against the door."

"Oh, well then Gronar not hearing anything." The giant grabs the handle and pushes the door open must to Ratchet's protests.

The door creaks open and a small room appears beyond the door, a straw bed contains the sleeping form of a troll. Gronar twists his body into the room and holds the tip of his blade near the troll's heart, he then uses his other hand to steady the troll's body. The troll opens his eyes, just as Gronar's blade tears him in two.

Gronar exits the room as the rest of the party turns the corner and enters the hallway. 

"Gronar, sticky lady plan not working." Korg says

"Gronar fix problem, doll man hold onto ears."

"Lady climb up Korg like lawn ornament and hold onto Korg ears." 

"I don't think that's good idea." Sillaqui replies in infernal

"Lady don't make Korg angry, Lady wouldn't like Gronar when Korg angry." Gronar turns around and snorts an approval to Korg.

Sillaqui hobbles up Korg's neck and grabs a hold of Korg's ears.

"Ow, Korg need to clip Lady's nails." 

Paquito lines up behind Korg and taps Sillaqui on the shoulder. He mouths the words "Jump off I'll catch you" to her with a big smile and a twinkle in his eye.

Lothred uses his staff to trip Omar into Paquito, who stops and turns to ask what Omar's problem is. Lothred then moves up and mouths "Jump I'll catch you" to Sillaqui.

"Hey!" Paquito yells while shoving Lothred, "Quit horning in on my play. No?" 

"What play? Everyone can see that you're neutered." Lothred replies

Gronar throws open the next door along the north wall, and reveals yet another sleeping troll. Two slices later and the troll is left to pick up the pieces of it's broken life. 

Finrod opens the southern door, to reveal a room full of torture implements and tools. He announces his findings, which draws Lothred's attention away from Paquito as he makes his way to the room. 

"Nothing in here but wicked looking things and blood coated other things." Finrod tells Lothred

"Yes well, all the same I think I'd like to do a search of the room. You'd be amazed at where some of the most valuable things are kept hidden."

"Suit yourself, don't trip over anything though." Finrod says referencing the tool covered floor.

Finrod waits until Finrod is a good distance down the hall and enters the room, opening up a sack off his back, the teifling proceeds to load up on the instruments within the room. After securing at least one of each item, Lothred meets up with the rest of the party in front of the door at the end of the hallway.

"Collecting some personal hygiene items. No?"

"Nah, Sillaqui and I are going to play _tell me the location of your rebel base_ tonight, I was just making sure I would be showing up prepared." Lothred answers

EEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A scream rips through the hallway from behind the last door, the party quickly shuffles it's order before Gronar kicks the door in.

Two trolls stand near an open coal forge at the back of the room, one holds a set of tongs with a angry red burning coal in it's grasp. The other is wielding a leg from a wooden table. The scream is coming from an iron maiden along the north wall, which is being attended to by two goblins. There is also a rack sitting in the middle of the floor in the southern half of the room. 

Gronar rushes in and jabs at the club wielding troll, but misses. Lothred sends a _compelling command_ at the tongs wielding troll, and it immediately drops to the floor and lays motionless. 

"Good trick Elfy, you show Korg that spell?"

"I am not an Elfy, and you could not possibly understand the depths I go in order to wield my magic."

"Korg can nurture that." comes the hill giant's reply

Korg then rushes the two goblins and halves each of them a split second after them empty their bladder from witnessing the giant's charge. 

Finrod rushes the upright troll and dodges it's swing while slicing a nasty cut underneath it's left armpit. Gronar and Korg team up to finish off the two trolls and Lothred swings open the iron maiden. 

A bloody and multi-punctured goblin flops out onto the floor from the torture device. Korg reaches back and sends just enough curative magic to stop the goblin's bleeding. 

"Why goblin in there?" Gronar asks

"I failed to do my job." The weakened goblin replies

"Well, that's all I need to hear, throw him back in there. I can't stand failures." Lothred advises

"What goblin not do?" Gronar asks, ignoring Lothred's comment.

"I was late showing up for guard duty for the prison warden." The goblin answers

"Arrgh! That's even worse now he's got time management issues, put him back in the maiden." Lothred interrupts

"Where warden now?" Gronar asks

"He's sleeping in his room off the hallway outside this room." Replies the goblin

Giggles ring out from the party

"Gronar positive, warden not mad anymore." 

"You talked to him? He's going to let me go back on duty?" 

"Gronar not sure about that, but warden is not mad anymore." 

The ecstatic goblin smiles ignorantly, while the part breaks up to search the room. Lothred finds a hinge on the rack and informs the giants that it appears the rack could be tilted over revealing a space beneath it.

"Hey, snotling? What down there?" Gronar asks the goblin

"I don't know, I've never been in this room before today." The goblin answers

Gronar shoves on the rack and it lifts up to reveal a ladder descending into darkness.

"What are we going to do about that?" Finrod points at the goblin

"I'll take care of it, you guys go ahead, I'll catch up." Lothred replies

Lothred waits until just he and Paquito are left in the room.

"Stick out your tongue." Lothred commands the goblin

The goblin hesitantly sticks out his tongue and Lothred grabs it with a set of spiked pliers. The goblin tries to pull away but the spikes hold quickly stop it's protests. Lothred then takes out a knife and cuts it's tongue out, then shoves the goblin back where they found it. It's garbled cries of pain quickly fade as the blood begins to pool again at the base of the iron maiden.

"I like the way you think. No?" Paquito tells Lothred

"He was dead either way, at least this way he won't be telling anyone about us." Lothred answers

"Do you do any contracting work? I might have need of your unique style. No?" 

"I'll only agree to that, if I'm ever in need of a big stinking pile of bull chips. Otherwise just stay out of my way."


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The plot thickens*

What's been happening at Mirwood.

Celeior - Elven elder
Helion - Mirwood governor
Luinphayl - Mage college headmaster
Valriand - Captain of the guard
Allundril - High priestess of Belasarda




"Ok, what do we know?" Celeior asks

"One of our scouts found this body in a makeshift lean-to about four hours north of Mirwood." Valriand answers, pointing to the bloated body of a lizardman.

"He had this note with him." Helion pulls out a folded piece of parchment and hands it to Celeior. The elder elf unfolds it and studies the note.

Here is requested man Taurranous
see how tribe of mists completes bargain
we friends now you no fight us anymore
we take good care of you guys
you take good care of my son

"What do you think?" Helion asked

"What killed this creature?" Celeior inquired

"This was in it's back, but it's hard to say if it was the killing blow or not, the corpse is too far aged to tell us much." Valriand answers, showing off a still intact arrow.

"Is that one of ours?" Celeior points at the arrow

"Yes, appears to be, although no scouting parties ever reported any incidents over the past two weeks, and I know of no elf that has gone north of town." Valriand answers

"Perplexing, appears the lizardmen tried or did, broker a peace agreement with the minotaurs. Only their emissary was shot by an elf or by someone with access to the elven barracks." Celeior thought aloud

"What if this ties in with Luinphayl's death?" Allundril finally chimes in

"In what way?" Valriand questions her

"Luinphayl allowed the rogue minotaur to enroll in the college for free and trained him as though he was his on son. Remember when we heard of Luinphayl's personal involvement with this rogue minotaur?" Allundril starts

"But that Paquito ended the threat Taurranous posed to us." Helion interrupted

"Let me finish. Luinphayl trains the minotaur who then goes and usurps control over Taurranous' clan. After that event Luinphayl's body is discovered, murdered and dumped near the holly bushes." 

"Yes, yes we already know all of this." Helion interjected again

"Remember that letter the elf Benat gave us? The one that insinuated a doppelganger had infiltrated our town? We all thought it impossible that one of our own had been copied. I assert it was Luinphayl that was copied." 

"That's outrageous, Luinphayl has.... had more magic and power available to him than all the rest of this town combined." Celeior argued

"Fine, then explain the missing scrolls from the college. Explain the sudden emergence of a great evil in the minotaur maze yesterday." Allundril counters

"I do not believe those incidents are connected, I fail to see how you arrive at this accusation." Valriand asks

"Fine, I'll go slower. Luinphayl tutors Paquito, the first pupil he's had since the town was built over fifty years ago, he tells us that this minotaur is unlike any we've had to deal with can be trusted to rid us of Taurranous. Paquito does just that and the town rejoices, Paquito supposedly leaves two days after his victory. Luinphayl's body is discovered the day after he left, decomposing at a rate that suggests it had been there for far longer than a day. Four days later in a routine inventory sweep, it is discovered that numerous scrolls have been stolen from the LOCKED ENSORCELLED vaults at the college. See where I'm going with this?"

"But, how does the lizardman fit in?" Valriand asks

"Luinphayl leaves to meet his star pupil, and runs afoul of this lizardman. Luinphayl kills him and assumes his identity, then proceeds onto the maze." Allundril answers

"How do you know he went there?" Helion inquires

"Because the college was not the only place that had something stolen from it, we lost an item as well. We've traced it to the maze, we know it's there now, we've also detected an explosion of evil from there. Our scryers all agree it is very near the level of evil it housed during Taurranous' later days." Allundril explains

"So the doppelganger trains Taurranous' replacement, steals valuable scrolls and religious artifacts, covers it's tracks just long enough to allow us to find them after a couple of days, and leads us to focus on the maze again? For what purpose?" Valriand asks

"To complete the plan, they're entrenched in there now. They're taunting us with the level of duplicity required to pull this off. I think all we did was get rid of one evil only to replace it with a greater evil." Allundril answers

"What item was stolen from the temple?" Celeior turns, shocked as this is the first he's heard of it.

Allundril frets and wrings here hands nervously at the answer Celeior seeks.

"What was stolen?" Celeior demands

"The egg." Allundril answers as she breaks down in tears

"What?! How is that possible? One man just walked in and took it!" Celeior screams incensed at the complete and utter failure of the temple to guard this object.

"And now it's in the possession of a doppelganger that's holed up in a cyst of evil and he's thumbing his nose at all of us!" Valriand's scathes across Allundril's pride.

"Recall all your scouts, and have them watch that maze day and night. Nothing goes in or out of that place without us knowing about it." Celeior instructs Valriand who nods in agreement

"Go to the college and insert a few mages with them as well, we're going to need to throw a blanket of detection over the whole area out there." Helion suggests 

"I shall pray for further guidance in this matter." Allundril announces

"Start with your own ineptitude, and get back with your priest and have them report any movement of the egg or change in evil in the maze to me immediately." Celeior demands.


***************************************************************

The party reaches the bottom of the ladder, a vast hallway stretches out towards the west. The east is block by a cave in, the only light shines from the top of the ladder where the coal stove in the torture room above, gives off a violent reddish glow. 

With their greater eyesight, the giants peer into the darkness and announce that there is a huge door about one hundred and twenty feet down the western side of the hall. 

Gronar, Korg, Ratchet, Luciann, Finrod, and Omar head down the hall to investigate the door, leaving Paquito, Lothred, and Sillaqui at the base of the ladder.

"Want to play? I brought toys." Lothred asks as he opens his cloak to reveal all manner of handheld information extracting equipment.

Sillaqui squeaks and shies away from Lothred, melting into the chest of Paquito. Confused by her reaction, Lothred closes his cloak. He is about to address the situation when a dull green light winks on between Lothred and Paquito, it hangs in midair about three feet from the floor.

"Oh why did this have to happen now? I was just getting ready to put my El' Toro moves on the lady. No?" Paquito laments, as he removes his clawed hands from soothing the arms of Sillaqui.

Paquito moves Sillaqui off to his left and takes a defensive stance to the green light that has now formed itself in a small circular spinning shape.

The shape stops spinning and a familiar voice emanates from the object.

"Paquito, thank Baphomet I found you. We are under siege from umber hulks and some kind of demonic figure that has the appearance of Taurranous. They've killed six of the minotrices thus far. The elves have surrounded us outside and are casting many magics about the surface, most are divination yet they have made us very paranoid of their intentions. You must return, I have procured this little device from an elemental spirit. It can transport up to twelve people back here but must be used within ten hours or the magic is wasted. Please hurry."

"Friend of yours?" Lothred asks

"My clan, my people. My home." Paquito lifts Sillaqui into his arms and turns to head down the hallway after the rest of the party.

Lothred falls in line behind Paquito, swearing he saw the minotaur's eyes burn red with an infernal light. The thought brought a smile to Lothred's inhuman face as a realization set in, and he followed the not quite full-blooded minotaur into the darkness.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Ahh, a way home, into the hornets nest.

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Dem Bones*

Korg and Gronar part to allow the two elves, Finrod and Luciann, to inspect the massive double doors. The elves note that for as long as this door must have been here, it looks to be in excellent shape. There is a relief of a wide tree that spans both doors, in fact the seam between the doors splits the tree in half. Elven lettering, arches over the top of the tree on the doors and small glints of gold peek out here and there on the letters.

"In service of the World Tree." Luciann reads aloud.

"No, I think it's more like Church of the World Tree, It's an ancient dialect." Finrod notes

"Hmm, you could be right, and Church of the World Tree sounds better." Luciann replies

"Only an elf would plant a tree in the ground and call it a miracle." Omar chimes in

"And only a dwarf would stop shaving and call it art." Lothred comments, as he, Paquito, and Sillaqui catch up to the rest of the group.

"Well, Korg have good feeling shiny things behind door." The hill giant interjects and turns to raise an eyebrow at Gronar.

Both giants grasp a door handle apiece and slowly drag open the double doors, as they do dozens of bones spill forth from the room beyond to fill the newly opened space. The party sees in the room beyond, that the floor is covered about four feet deep with bones of all shapes and sizes. The room itself is mammoth in scope, over one-hundred feet long and nearly as tall. Near the back of the room floats a sphere of bones twenty feet in diameter. The center of the room is dominated by a depression in the bone level, that Gronar and Korg see ending in a black as void hole in the floor. To the right of the hole, standing upon a mound of bones is a gaunt green skin colored humanoid creature wearing full plate that seems at least two sizes bigger than what it should be wearing. That creature held a sword almost twenty feet in length.

To the left of the hole stood a troll-like creature, yet bone white and scaly, with a scorpion tail. Directly in front of Korg and Gronar, stood a headless troll. The troll's body pivoted silently atop the bones it stood on. Gronar gave a yell and leaped up atop the bone pile and stood just out of reach of the headless troll.

Luciann mouths the words to a spell, and touches Finrod. Instantly the elf grows to over ten feet in height. Finrod then assails the bone pile and moves off to the right of the doorway and stands facing the sword carrying creature.

The headless troll aims his bleeding neck stump at Gronar and a stream of thick blood shoots erupts from the troll and splashes into the chest of Gronar. The hill giant feels a little twinge from the fluid but it quickly passes. 

The rest of the party hang back to let the fighters clear a path away from the door. The scaly tailed creature takes a step towards Gronar and then shimmers and fades from sight, the sword wielding creature steps up and motions for Finrod to step up to face it.

Gronar switches to his spear and jabs at the headless troll, tearing off a chunk of flesh from it's left hip. Luciann scurries up the bone pile and enlarges Gronar as well, making the hill giant nearly twenty feet in height. Korg surveys the battlefield and notes the absence of the tailed creature, the hill giant then casts _invisibility purge_ , however the creature does not appear. 

Finrod moves up to face the sword wielding creature, he miscalculates how far the creature's blade can reach however, as the creature swipes out at the incoming Finrod and cuts a gorge across the elf's abdomen. The attack causes Finrod to pull up early, too far away from the creature for him to get a swing on it even enlarged.

Lothred climbs the bone pile and braces himself along the back wall of the room as he makes his way to line up with Finrod and the sword wielding creature. Paquito aims a _scorching ray_ at the headless troll and burns away the flesh of his right arm.

"The stinger tailed creature, he should be found. No?"

"I have something that will help." Luciann says as he skids down the bone pile back into the hallway and stands in front of the minotaur.

Luciann mouths the words to another spell and places his hands on Paquito's arm.

"Huh? Nothing happened? I was trying to make you invisible." Luciann bewilderedly comments, as he did not hear Korg cast his spell seconds before.

"No matter, The Triumphant Paquito the Merciless shall stride bravely into battle and defeat his enemies upon a field of bones. No?" Paquito says puffing out his chest and posing slightly for effect.

"Right after you cast bear's endurance or bull's strength or both on me. No?" Paquito says softly to Luciann

Gronar switches weapons to his greatsword and brings the hurt down upon the headless troll, in two swings Gronar has reduced the unnatural thing to a gooey pulp. Korg moves in and gets within touch distance from Finrod and sends a cure moderate wounds spell into the elf to staunch the bleeding.

Omar decides he wants to see some of the action and begins to clamber up the bone pile. Finrod moves up to get a swing on his combatant yet misses with his sword. The sword wielding creature slashes down with his mammoth sword, the blade bites into Finrod's shoulder and appears to grow in size relative to his shoulder. Only after the blade is withdrawn and Finrod looks up does he realize the creature has dispelled the _enlarge_  spell Luciann had placed upon him.

Lothred takes aim at the sword wielding creature with his staff, then notices out of the corner of his eye that there are three goblins perched perilously atop the black hole in the center of the room. All three appear to be bleeding profusely and are probably near death if not already there. Lothred takes a step to his right and readjusts his aim and lets fly with a corrupt _acid bolt_ from his staff. The vile stream strikes the sword wielding creature and continues on to slam into a bleeding goblin, causing the creature to collapse and fall backwards into the black void. A brilliant flash of light precedes the nauseating smell of burning goblin blood.

Gronar turns his attentions to the sword wielding creature and slams his blade into the thing's armor twice, both times his sword manages to dislodge a plate and send the piece of metal careening across the bone field. Luciann casts _bear's endurance_ on Paquito and then turns to climb back up the bones. Paquito leapfrogs the struggling Omar and takes his place to the left of the doorway, and squints his eyes looking for any indication of the whereabouts for the tailed creature, such as bones shifting or a slight shimmer in the air. 

Finrod withdraws from the sword carrying creature and makes his way to the right wall of the room. The sword wielding creature makes a pulling motion in the air with his left arm and blood leaps forth from Finrod's wounded shoulder and splashes across the armor of the sword carrying creature. Finrod howls in pain and drops to one knee. The creature then turns to face Gronar and shoves his left palm out at the hill giant. Gronar's brain is assaulted with the knowledge of how to build traps, but the sudden influx of information causes the giant's brain to shut down momentarily as it tries to process this new information. The creature uses Gronar's dazed status to pummel the giant with it's sword. It's blade slashes across Gronar's chest, it snaps the giant out of his dazed moment and Ratchet loses his grip with one hand and dangles helplessly from Gronar's back.

Korg moves back to steady his friend and in doing so moves close enough to the tailed creature, that it's form blinks into sight. Prepared for such an unveiling, Paquito sends a blistering attack of _magic missiles_ into the thing. Ratchet yelps in terror, and Gronar turns slightly to see the new foe present itself. The hill giant gives this new threat a good backswing with his greatsword, tearing it's right thigh open in the process.

Omar reaches the top of the bone incline finally and calls forth an innate power given him by his deity, a small flame appears in his hand and Omar throws the flame at the sword wielding creature. The flame alights on the creature's head before flaring up and burning the creature's head. Lothred sends another corrupt _acid bolt_ into the sword wielding creature which causes the thing to fall forward dead face first into the bones. 

The tailed creature strikes out with it's stinger into Gronar, the strike causes a small explosion on the hill giant's skin which echoes through the chamber. Gronar staggers back into Korg who with the help of Ratchet heal Gronar to near full health. Paquito pulls out his longspear and tries to jab at the tailed creature, but his effort is knocked away harmlessly by the creature.

Luciann casts his last remaining spell at the creature, and sends a barrage of _magic missiles_ into the creature's scaly chest. Omar throws another flame at the tailed creature, burning a dark spot into the creature's left arm. Finrod pulls himself to a sitting position and props himself against the wall behind him. Lothred moves out to line himself up with the two remaining goblins and the tailed monstrosity, he then sends out another corrupt _acid bolt_ at the creature, burning his right arm and sapping some of it's wisdom at the same time.

Korg and Gronar bring their full attack to bear against the creature, and send it reeling. Bleeding and in pain the creature looks for a chance to escape, seeing the tentativeness in the ears of Paquito, the creature lashes out at the minotaur and tears into Paquito ripping open his chest with exploding force. With it's path to the doorway now free, the creature dashes for the exit. Gronar and Korg both take a final swing at the creature and their combined might bring the beast down.

Korg and Omar rush to the bleeding Paquito's side, as Finrod is helped up by Ratchet who heals him as best he can. The party begins to take a concerted look around the room forgetting about the floating ball of bones until it begins to silently creep up towards the party.

Gronar steps up and slices his greatsword vertically down through the ball of bones, the sphere ends up being hollow as his blow shatters bones at the top and bottom of the sphere.

Gronar steps back and shrugs his shoulders, "Maybe bone bubble not dangerous?" 

His words end and hundreds of bones from the pile in the vicinity of the bone sphere rise up and shoot forth in all directions shredding armor, cloaks, and skin of every being in the room.

Omar tries to throw another flame at the bone sphere but the flame seems to pass harmlessly through the sphere and fly out the other side. 

"Retreat!" Gronar shouts as he turns and attempts to flee the room. Two steps into his retreat, something rough rakes across his back. Turning around to face the attacker, Gronar watches as a dark mass within the sphere quickly fades to nothingness.

The rest of the party make their way to the hallway just outside the room and join Sillaqui as spectators. Gronar, Korg, and Paquito remain behind to try to ward off the creature. Korg picks out shards of broken bone from his skin and watches as a black oily tentacle lashes across the back of Gronar, then fade away like smoke. Gronar swings his blade twice more through the sphere yet only manages to knock off a few bones making up the exterior of the sphere. 

Korg watches helplessly and the bones surrounding him rise up once more and rip into him like branches in a tornado. Korg fights through the pain trying to find a weakness this creature may have. His faith leads him to the answer and his casts _dimensional anchor_  on the sphere.

Gronar watches as the dark form reappears inside the shell of bones. He calls forth his primal side and swings with every ounce of anger he possesses, his rain of pain sunders the ethereal creature and the sphere explodes into thousands shards that pelt the party even as they stand in the hall. 

The giants cheer and howl, then Korg notices Paquito slumped over near the door he rushes to his side as another cry rings out.

"She's bleeding to death, I need a medic here!" Lothred shouts


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Finrod moves up to get a swing on his combatant yet misses with his sword. The sword wielding creature slashes down with his mammoth sword, the blade bites into Finrod's shoulder and appears to grow in size relative to his shoulder. Only after the blade is withdrawn and Finrod looks up does he realize the creature has dispelled the _enlarge_  spell Luciann had placed upon him.
> 
> Finrod withdraws from the sword carrying creature and makes his way to the right wall of the room. The sword wielding creature makes a pulling motion in the air with his left arm and blood leaps forth from Finrod's wounded shoulder and splashes across the armor of the sword carrying creature. Finrod howls in pain and drops to one knee. The creature then turns to face Gronar and shoves his left palm out at the hill giant. Gronar's brain is assaulted with the knowledge of how to build traps, but the sudden influx of information causes the giant's brain to shut down momentarily as it tries to process this new information. The creature uses Gronar's dazed status to pummel the giant with it's sword. It's blade slashes across Gronar's chest, it snaps the giant out of his dazed moment and Ratchet loses his grip with one hand and dangles helplessly from Gronar's back.




Wow! Who or what is/was this guy? Dispel Magic, and two effects that I can't even recognize.

Share, HM. Share!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Wow! Who or what is/was this guy? Dispel Magic, and two effects that I can't even recognize.
> 
> Share, HM. Share!




All of the monsters in this encounter except the headless troll and the goblins were created using Expeditious Retreat's Beast Builder 

The blood draw was a _leach life_  effect and the other ability is called _infuse intellect_ 

The nastiest thing out there looked rather wimpy since Gronar could only fail his Fort save if he rolled a "1" (it was the bone sphere) 

But if you're a DM and want to really mess with your players you've got to get this book, it's simply amazing Joe Browning did a wonderful job. All the abilites are either SRD or Expeditous Retreat's own material. 

There are 2 more monsters coming up that were built with this book, things only get better (from the DM's persective of course   )


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> But if you're a DM and want to really mess with your players you've got to get this book, it's simply amazing Joe Browning did a wonderful job.





I've considered it before, but I'm going to wish list it now based on this endorcement.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Sowing the seeds.........*

Korg and Gronar drag Paquito out into the hallway and prop him up next to Sillaqui. Ratchet goes to work on both and heals them as best he can. The giants then go about searching through the stacks and piles of bones strewn about the room. They also loot the armored sword wielding creature's body.

Finrod and Lothred search the back of the room and advise that there is an exit on either side of the room. Luciann casts detect magic on the pile of looted belongings and separates the piles based upon his findings. 

Omar takes over the tending to the injured role once Ratchet's spells have been depleted, Ratchet climbs upon the bone sea and makes his way carefully over to the black drain hole in the center of the room. 

Once arriving, Ratchet feels an unearthly pull on his soul, as if the void hungered for it. Ratchet kneels down on the bones surrounding the well and moving aside a goblin corpse he finds symbols etched into the stone encasing the well's perimeter. Wiping away some of the goblin blood, Ratchet makes out ancient elven symbols that appear to have been contracted in on themselves, as if they had been written on stretched out elastic that was then allowed to retract. 

Ratchet remembered what the Luciann and Finrod called this room "Something of the World Tree", he then peered up at the ceiling and saw branches with leaves still intact, sticking out of the ceiling. Glancing around the chamber, he spies more braches jutting out of the walls near the ceiling all around the circumference of the room. Ratchet tries to imagine how big the tree that left part of itself embedded in the walls of this chamber how to have been when it still resided in this room. 

Ratchet's mind conveys an answer of one-hundred feet diameter for the tree's trunk, looking down at the twenty foot diameter void, Ratchet's mind reels with the power that must've been used here. Quieting his mind, Ratchet becomes in tune with his aura, regarding it as more of a living thing than metaphysical one, his mind wades through his aura and notes that five other divine auras either exited the well or entered it very recently. Ratchet snaps out of his trance and clears his sight searching for the rest of the party.

"Hey Luciann, we might have more company real soon, and I wouldn't go in either of those exits by yourself." Ratchet calls out to the first party member he sees.

"Why's that?" Luciann returns a question

"I think five things came out of this hole, their divine essence left a trail leadi..." Ratchet's words trail off and the well sends out a burst of negative energy in a tight radius around itself, knocking the gnome unconscious.

Luciann rushes to the gnome's side and he too feels the longing for his soul that the well exhibits. He drags Ratchet back to the chamber entrance, where Omar meets him and finishes carrying the gnome over to Paquito and Sillaqui. 

"What happen to lawn ornament?" Korg asks

"That well thing over there did something and knocked him out, he was trying to tell me there were fives things that came out of that hole." Luciann explains

"Hole in ground hurt Gronar battery? Gronar will smash hole." 

"I saw some runes on it when I picked up Ratchet, they looked elven but I didn't study them very closely." Luciann advises

"Then I think one of one ought to go see what they say." Lothred says referring to Luciann and Finrod

"I think it should be you, after all I got the words on the door wrong." Luciann says to Finrod.

"What? Are you guys trying to get me killed? I'm not going anywhere near that thing! Dammit I'm a swordsman, not a diviner." Finrod protests

"You'll be fine lad, I have a padded red shirt in my backpack that I can bless up for ya. No worries." Omar offers

"Absolutely not! Send her, she hasn't done anything productive yet." Finrod objects while pointing to Sillaqui

"Can they walk?" Gronar asks Omar referring to Paquito, Sillaqui, and Ratchet.

"Sillaqui is ok, but the other two are going to need more rest." Omar replies

Gronar wrinkles his nose and heads back down the long hallway to the trap door, he ascends the stairs but the door does not budge. The hill giant pounds on the door with his fists and rams it with his head and shoulders, but fails to lift it. The giant returns to the party with the bad news.

"Well appears are paths have been set for us, which way shall we sally forth. Left or Right?" Lothred announces, pointing at the two exits in the room.

"Right." Korg shouts while pointing to the left exit.

"Come Dorf, Gronar gonna need replacement for lawn ornament." Gronar says to Omar as he grabs the dwarf by the head and slaps Omar to his back. "Hold on tight, Gronar not have time to put in safety harness." 

"What about them? Shouldn't someone stay behind to protect them?" Finrod motions to Paquito, Sillaqui, and Ratchet

"Nothing coming that way, nothing coming that way, and we go that way. Blue lady can yell if something come that way." Gronar says pointing at the various exits to the room.

The party trudges thru the bone field and enters the left passageway, the giant's heads disappear from view.

"Ow, ow, ow I think there is a shard remaining in me that the clerics overlooked. No?" Paquito whines

Sillaqui approaches Paquito to get a better look, as Paquito props himself up on his elbows. 

"Where? I am not seeing the telltale glisten of fresh blood." She replies

"I think it pierced my heart, here feel. It does not beat correctly. No?" 

"I am unfamiliar with minotaur physiology, I can not be certain whether it beats correctly or not." 

"Well, just to be sure, maybe you should put some of that salve over it? No?" 

While Sillaqui rummages through Ratchet's belongings for some healing salve, Paquito uses this time to sit up and unfurl a sleeping bag and blanket from Gronar's sack he left for safe keeping while he explores with the rest of the group. 

Sillaqui returns and begins to apply the salve over Paquito's heart. "So tell me of your home. I love to hear stories. Oral history is a tradition in my family."

Paquito nearly leapt from his reclining position, "she likes stories and is in to ****  , sweet heifer! I hope those lugs don't come back, then I could just teleport the two of us back to the maze." Paquito thought to himself.

"I shall tell you the story of how I came to bear this heavy burden that I carry within my heart. For you see I am an avatar of love, cursed with this body until I can find true love or baring that, a harem of one-hundred-and-one women. I am in sad shape as I have found neither in my four-hundred-and-ninety-nine years of searching. I have only two months to fulfill my quota or I shall be forever cursed to be a eunuch.” Paquito sheds some tears for dramatic effect 

“Your story is an amusing tale of a libido gone awry, perhaps the best thing for you is to become a eunuch?” 

“Damn, I thought my bluff skills were wicked good. Time for plan B.” Paquito talks to himself

“Well, It was still partially a true story. You could help me make it better. No?” 

“I don’t know if that would be wise for me.”

“Come, sit here next to me on the soft blanket, while we talk of things not yet seen nor heard of, I shall tell you of my daring exploits aboard the vessel Waterlogged. No?”

“You were at sea? Most intriguing, please tell me more of the sea.” Sillaqui pleads with the innocence of a child. Paquito holds his arm out and the princess cuddles up next to the hairy beast.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Is this supposed to be some kind of Beauty and the Beast storyline?

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> Is this supposed to be some kind of Beauty and the Beast storyline?
> 
> GW




No, but I needed a point where I could inject some interparty relationships, so that later on when things start getting personal I won't have to explain everything as we go. This post lays the groundwork that will make the later posts flow a lot easier. So you can rest easy in knowing that there have been absolutely ZERO discussions about what the child of a half-dragon elven princess and a minotaur with demonic blood would look like.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Ooh, a giant-sized taser!*

The giants lead the rest of the party through a winding tunnel, Omar alerts the party that the tunnel is descending  as it meanders. 

"I don't think this is the way out." Lothred states

"That because elfy never been in mines before. Just because tunnel go one way, does not mean tunnel stay that way." Gronar answers

The party rounds the next turn and they see a reddish glow pulsate from the tunnel around the corner. Gronar motions for the group to stop and to be quiet. He then sticks his head around the corner. 

Up ahead about thirty feet is a large room with a huge spinning red crystal, that gives off the red glow as it hovers above a painted symbol in the floor. Four trolls sit in a square shape around the crystal, kneeling to the crystal, their backs to the wall behind them. 

"Gronar see two trolls and a big red rock." The hill giant explains.

Confused looks cross the faces of the rest of the group.

"Gronar going to sneak up on trolls and see what they doing laying on floor like that." 

Gronar spins around the corner and creeps down the short hallway to the room's threshold. The rest of the party follows, huddled closely behind Korg as they peer around the legs of the giant.

"Stinky troll! Gronar want to know if you see other elfys?" Gronar calls out to the trolls.

"Hey, there's four trolls in there. Don't you know how to count?" Luciann asks

"Gronar can count number of times it takes to split your head open." Korg answers, speaking up for his friend

"Hey!" Gronar shouts again to no avail. 

The hill giant turns around and plucks Finrod out from behind Korg.

"Hey! Stinky trolls see other elfys, look like this?" Gronar asks while waving Finrod around like stick in front of a dog.

"Hey, hey, hey what are you trying to do? Get me killed? Put me down!" Finrod shouts 

Gronar shrugs his shoulders and flips the elf out of his hand, to land ten feet inside the room to the right of the entry way. 

Finrod immediately jumps to his feet and readies a weapon, the trolls however stay motionless with their heads pressed to the floor, touching the outer ring of the arcane symbol beneath the spinning crystal.

Luciann watches Finrod go flying across the doorway and throws a _flaming sphere_ into the room, he has it roll up and onto the nearest right troll. It's dingy loincloth catches fire and seems to snap the troll out of it's trance. The troll stands up to pat the flames out and gets jabbed by Gronar's longspear for it's troubles.

The Lothred points his staff at the one Luciann awoke and sends a corrupt _acid bolt_ into it's midsection. The troll reaches out with it's right hand towards the spinning crystal as if to balance itself, however the troll merely brushes it's fingers across it's spinning exterior and a bright blue flash of light erupts from the crystal and forms an electric tendril that lashes through the party. 

Omar reels from the bolt, his eyebrows and beard singed and smoking, he is thrown back from Korg and lands near the turn in the tunnel behind him. 

Gronar grabs his blackened stomach in pain with his left hand, and spears the troll with his right hand. The spear thrust severs the troll's left hip and the creature falls to the floor bleeding. 

Luciann sends his _flaming sphere_ into the troll behind the dead one and starts the process anew, as the troll rolls to his feet and surveys it's attackers.

"Fan out, don't let them catch us in a line!" Lothred words were drowned out by the crackle of electricity as another bolt shot forth from the crystal. This time it shocks Gronar, Korg, and Luciann.

Finrod shields his eyes and waits for the light from the _lightening bolt_ to die down before leaping into combat with the alert troll, slashing his weapon into the gaunt ribcage of the creature.

Gronar staggers in and skewers the standing troll into the wall behind it. It's twitching dies down and Gronar releases his hold. Gronar then heard Luciann's voice and saw the _flaming sphere_ out of the corner of his eye.

"Stop!" Gronar shouts "Elfy, turn off fireball. Gronar not want no more trolls to wake up."

Startled, Luciann ends his spell. 

"What do we do with these two?" Finrod asks Gronar about the two remaining trolls.

Gronar smiles, and grabs the heads of each troll, the creatures roll their eyes trying to refocus on the present, when Gronar shoves their heads into the spinning crystal. The troll's heads are soon reduced to bloody nubs as the entire chamber is splattered with troll brains.

With the death of the last troll, the spinning crystal slows down to a near stop. Upon closer inspection, the crystal is a single chunk of red granite chiseled to give it a diamond shape. 

Korg walks up to the granite shard and tries grapple the rock.

"What Korg doing?" Gronar asks

"Korg want red rock thing." 

"Why would you want that?" Finrod asks

"Korg want to light torches and fireplace from other side of room." 

After unsuccessfully getting the rock to stop spinning, even with the help of Gronar, the party gives up and retraces their steps back to the bone room.

"Ah! My eyes!" Ratchet screams as he recoils away from Paquito

"What?" Paquito asks

"What? I wake up to find you around a blanket, naked with her in your arms! Go do that somewhere else." Ratchet cries

Paquito flings the blanket off and Ratchet twists his neck around, shuts his eyes, and then covers them with his hands.

"You gnomes are a peculiar race. No? I offer a lady the warm place to sit in lieu of a fire and you immediately accuse me of improprieties. You would like to sit on Paquito's knee while I tell stories little boy? No?" Paquito answers

Slowly Ratchet turns and peeks out through his fingers to find that Paquito was telling the truth. 

"I apologize." Ratchet offers

The sound of crunching bones and giant voices echo the return of the rest of the party.

"Maybe we should go join them?" Ratchet says

"And miss the rest of my story? Surely not. No?" 

Unwilling to traverse the bone field alone, Ratchet sighs and walks over to Paquito, who folds back the blanket even more and pats down a spot for him on the bedroll.

"No thanks, I'd rather stand." Ratchet says, Paquito shrugs his shoulders and replaces the blanket's edge.

"What's the story about anyway?" Ratchet asks

"It's called The Sinking Books." Sillaqui answers

"Obviously, books don't swim." Ratchet states

"Hush! You'll ruin the punchline. No?"


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Finrod comes unglued*

"This tunnel slopes upwards, at a pretty decent incline." Omar alerts the party

"I was perplexed at why my legs muscles were having to work harder, I assumed it was because we were treading through a molasses dump." Lothred replies

"If you don't want my services, I'll go back and tend to my patients." Omar huffs

"I don't want you services." Lothred answers plainly

"No, dorf stay, since lawn ornament not here." Korg interjects into the argument.

"Hah! Looks my services are wanted after all pointy." Omar says to Lothred

"Yeah, as a thrown weapon. Make sure you tuck in tight when your being hurled through the air." Lothred replies

The party follows the tightly winding passageway, after about eighty feet, Korg comes to an abrupt halt. Finrod Omar and Lothred all tumble to the ground after walking into the giant's backside. Gronar takes a dozen more steps before realizing something's wrong.

"What matter with Korg?" Gronar asks

"Korg not feel right, something in tunnel not feel right." Korg answers

"Idiot, my face in your butt doesn't feel right either. Contemplate your meager role in the multiverse on someone else's time." Lothred tells 

"I feel it too. Like something weighing heavy on your faith." Omar concurs with Korg

"Bah! Losers, I have no faith with which to hold me back. On the planes, all you have is your word and your power, and faith in either will get you dead." Lothred states.

"My faith is all that stands between death's cold embrace and your life." Omar retorts

Lothred eyes up the dwarf, "I'll take my chances thank you." 

"Hush, or Korg will nurture faith in Elfy with own hands!" Korg shouts

Gronar turns to peer back up the passage and spies a low rolling fog drifting down the tunnel.

"Attack!" Gronar shouts and begins pummeling the ground beneath him with vicious sword strokes.

The rest of the party puts aside their bickering and rushes up to defend Gronar. 

"Where thing that attack Gronar?" Korg questions

"Look!" Gronar shouts as he points to the floor 

"It's just condensing water vapor, what are you afraid of?" Finrod asks

Luciann shivers, "Getting a little cold in this tunnel." 

"Wuss. Suck it up people, of all the liberators to get freed by, I had to end up with these guys." Lothred says, his voice trailing off to a whispers as he finishes his words.

Gronar plows forward and makes one more turn before the passageway straightens out into a forty foot hallway ending in a open room, from which emanates the low fog.

"Enemies that way!" Gronar points and charges into the room. "Whoa."

Upon hearing the giant's last word the rest of the party follows, spurred on by the thought of immense treasures. They reach the open door and immediately see Gronar engaged in battle with the largest ogre anyone in the party has ever seen. The creature wields a huge metal mallet that causes the ground floor of the room to shatter like glass when it hits the ground.

Near the back of the room laughs a huge troll, waves of fat and girth roll like the waves on a sea from it's chin to the floor as the beast cackles at the party.

"Come to play with me have you? You don't look the part, only the bleeding have any place in my realm." The fat thing gurgles at the party.

Korg steps in and begins his prayer for _enlarge_ , intending to make Gronar the biggest thing in the room.

"Your pathetic god is weak, Umtala trembles at the mere whisper of my master's name. You will fall begging for my forgiveness before I sever your head from your body." The words shout through Korg's mind, but the hill giant brushes them aside and manages to complete the spell.

Omar moves over to cast _enlarge_ on Finrod.

"Little man comes to play with the big boys. I think you'll find the sandbox not to your liking. In fact I plan on burying you within it. Kneel before Vaprak!" The words shatter Omar's concentration and the spell is lost.

Ha, ha, ha..... the grotesque thing laughs aloud at Omar's failure.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Finrod charges the ogre and slices through it's upper left leg, chipping bone as it exits the wound. The ogre rears in pain and swings wildly at the elf. Gronar takes advantage of the off balanced ogre and nearly decapitates it on his first swing, his second swing finishes the job. 

Gronar moves in-between the party and the troll, now huge sized, he takes his spear out and jabs at the thing from thirty feet away. His jabs appear ineffectual as the thing shifts it's body mass to the site of Gronar's strike, forcing the spear to penetrate only fat.

The spear causes some of the lard of the beast to spill out on onto the floor in front of the troll, the grounds sizzles and the fat melts away into the form of hundreds of tiny spiders. 

Luciann launches a round of _magic missiles_ into the troll, only to have each spot where a missile strikes, to spew forth more spiders. Lothred flings a corrupt _acid burst_ at the spiders, it's caustic liquid destroys two of the swarms and it's splash causes the troll's skin to bubble and blister.

Finrod closes with the beast and readies a swing, the troll reaches out with it's clawed arm and slaps the weapon aside. Finrod spins around ready for another swipe when movement catches the corner of his eye. Focusing on it, he sees that his sword has been transformed into a writhing snake. Finrod drops the weapon and backs away from it, crouching low trying not to be seen by the snake.

The rest of the party sees Finrod drop his sword and sink away from it as if afraid of it. 

"Pick up sword Elfy and fight!" Gronar shouts

"It's a snake." Finrod answers

"Really? Elfy have cool magic weapon. Pick up snake and fight with it." Gronar tells him.

The spiders lurch forward, skittering up Gronar's leg and biting him all along the way. The giant hurriedly backs off and motions for the party to retreat. 

The troll lifts itself up on massive stumpy legs and waddles forward. It turns toward a cowering Finrod and lashes out with it's claws. One claw scrapes across the back of Finrod, almost tearing his armor off in the process. 

Finrod's world goes spinning and he soon finds his vision to be as if he was inside his breastplate looking out along the floor.

Lothred sends a corrupt _acid bolt_ into the creature, burning it's flesh and causing more spiders to erupt from it's flesh. Korg begins to pray for a _searing light_ spell.

"You continued faith in an abandoned god only serve to signify your useless life as mere sheep, I taste your fear on the wind and I know your trembling voice from afar. Feel my wrath sear your soul to nothingness!" Korg heard the words but waived off the intent and completed the spell easily.

"Ugh?" The creature's garbled response to Korg's strong will was the last thing it ever said, as the searing light spell ripped through the bulbous creature as fat, flesh, bone, and sinew were burned away from the inside out.

It's creator dead, the spider swarms melted away like hot butter. 

Finrod crawled out from inside his armor.

"Fat troll left baby!" Gronar shouts as the party turns and sees a greenish-tinged pink ooze spill out of Finrod's armor. 

Gronar rushes to pound the thing into the floor. Finrod watches as the hill giant leaps to his side and raises his sword to strike him. Finrod screams "No!" but no words are issued from his mouth. He tries again as fear well up inside as Gronar's blade slices the air and parts the ooze.

Gronar watches as the ooze reforms around the sword's path after he retracts it from the ground beneath the ooze. Then a knob forms on it's top side, it grows to form the shape of Finrod's head. Gronar sneers at the thing and winds up for another attack.

"No!!!" Finrod's words shout from the ooze's newly formed head. 

Gronar halts his swing and bends down to look at the ooze. Finrod turns his "head" to look into the eyes of Gronar.

"What.... doing.... help... off ground." Finrod's words come out as if he were under water.

Luciann launches a _magic missile_ into the puddle of flesh, to no effect.

"Wait, I think this is Finrod. Turned into this fleshy pudding by the troll creature." Omar

"Your fantasies would be better received if they were ground in a firmer reality. It's obvious to me that the thing reproduces by assimilation, sooner or later there's going to be another one of those things in here." Lothred says pointing at the troll's body.

"How do we kill it?" Luciann asks

"Probably like green slime. A good _heal_ spell should do the trick." Lothred answers

"Ah, so now you need me, not so quick to turn from the faith are ya?" Omar snipes 

"I don't need you at all, Korg will do just fine." Lothred says ignoring the dwarf.

"Hmm, Korg not have heal prayer until morning. We wait." Korg replies.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

exciting action.  Just what I needed before this boring meeting.

GW


----------



## Jon Potter

That fat troll another Beast Builder creation? If so, I may have to download the pdf immediately.

That is one sweet critter. I love the spider swarm blood!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> That fat troll another Beast Builder creation? If so, I may have to download the pdf immediately.
> 
> That is one sweet critter. I love the spider swarm blood!




Yes, that's correct. It's the last one of those the party faced for a while, until last night. Last night 3 PC's lost their life and another was unconscious. Closest to a TPK as we've had. 

When the dust settled. 1 PC was lost presumably forever, 1 PC was reincarnated, and 1 is still dead.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*A teifling and his rod*

Finrod focuses his entire being on becoming stable again and succeeds in pulling his shape nearly back to it's original. Lothred searches the rear of the room on locates a chest hidden under a pair of dispatched straw bedrolls. The teifling tosses aside the grimy stained mats and pulls the chest towards the center of the room, drawing a great interest from the remaining party members.

Opening the chest reveals a thick metal rod with two clasped hands as it's head, there is also a thick tome inside as well. Lothred picks up the tome and flips through it's pages, deeming it unworthy of further investigation, he chucks the tome onto the floor behind him. Lothred then reaches for the rod and casts _detect magic_ on the metal stick, the reading Lothred gets widens his eyes and he quickly tucks the rod into an interior pocket within his cloak.

Luciann wanders up to investigate the large tome that Lothred cast aside and bending over to pick it up, Luciann is immediately struck with how heavy the tome is, feeling that there must be some kind of useful information contained within it's pages, Luciann places the tome in his backpack for later study. 

"What Elfy find?" Korg asks while pointing to Lothred's cloak

"He found a redundant paper weight." Lothred answers, ignoring that Korg meant him, but annoyed that he was called an elf decided to answer his question literally.

"No, what you find? Put in curtain on your back?" Korg re-asks his question

"Billyclub of Respect my Authority." Lothred answers, annoyed that Korg is still talking to him.

"Korg not know what that mean, explain to Korg with little words." The hill giant pleads holding his hands up to indicate something of small size.

"That's just crazy talk, I don't have to explain my motivations with someone who barely understands the need to lift his loincloth to relive himself." Lothred replies

"That not crazy talk, this is crazy talk." Gronar cuts in "Pwerttly mmmgrhfphfp ikyth pwery nurph pwee."

Lothred ignores the giants and begins to make his way out of the room.

"Hey, maybe I should take a look at that rod, I might like to make a claim on it." The reformed Finrod halts Lothred

"Yeah right, the first time you see a well fed troll, you go soft and fall to pieces. There's no way I'm, letting you touch my rod." Lothred answers

Luciann and Omar burst into laughter and fall about the floor writhing in joyous snorting.

The party makes their way back to Paquito, Ratchet and Sillaqui, all sleeping soundly in Korg's sleeping bag.

"Darn good thing these guys were here to back us up, oh and I'd wash that bag before I sleep in it again Korg." Finrod states

"Up you lazy louts, sleep on your own time, not when it's watch my back time." Lothred yells why kicking Paquito in the horns.

*yawn* "mmm mating season already. No?" 

Paquito's comment silences the party as Lothred's face turns redder, just before Omar and Luciann burst out into laughter again, turning Lothred's face redder with anger.

Korg yanks the blanket off the sleeping trio and shoves them awake, Finrod explains to them what they fought while they were taking a nap.

"Hey Paquito, Lothred won't let anyone touch his new rod, can you see what you can do about that?" Omar says scarcely able to contain his giggling.

Paquito looks back and forth between Lothred, who stares at Paquito with a cold in his glare one gets only be being birthed and raised in hell, and Omar whose face glows with a redness of inebriated on life. The minotaur furrows his eye brows and frowns.

"Well, if the teifling doesn't want to show it to people, it's either not that impressive or it's merely a wand disguised as a rod. No?"

"Before I draw my last breath, I shall have you on your knees begging for mercy." Lothred spits out between clenched teeth.

"Whoa, uh I'm not liking where you're going with this, new rod and me on my knees begging for mercy. Unless of course Mercy is the name of your sister, because quite frankly who can't resist a woman in leather with horns on her head? I am right? No?"

"Knock it off you guys, we still have to find a way to get out of here, there were no secret doors in either of the two rooms we found off of that bone room there." Finrod intrudes

Gronar goes back down the entry hallway and checks the trap door again to find he is still unable to lift it open.

"Maybe you should use Chip?" Finrod advises Paquito

"Chip is busy and can't be bothered right now. No?"

"What do you mean he's busy, it's your familiar shouldn't you have access to it at all times?" Finrod asks

"He's pining for the gorges. No?"

"Do you just make this stuff up or do you have a reservoir of bull that you make up ahead of time?" Finrod asks

"I make nothing up, I am no bard, I am a humble monastic transient pilgrim on a trek to probe for answers to my inquires. I can assure you that at no time have I never been or claimed to be, nor associated with anyone of the bardic persuasion. Perhaps after you have read the liner notes in my soon to be published biography "The Demon in Mr. Flacido." you will be better equipped to grasp the concept with which I have so eloquently put forth to you. No?"

At a loss for words, Finrod gives up and drops his argument.

"None of that drivel helps us get out of here." Luciann says

"Ah, but I have a way to get out of here. My reverence commanding maze mage has provided me with a teleportation device that will transport all of us back to the maze. No?"

"What are we waiting for? Fire that thing up!" Lothred shouts

"Wait, we have not found the elven prisoners yet, we can't leave without knowing their condition." Finrod maintains

"Gronar do what Korg want to do." Gronar states

"Korg agree with Elfy, Korg promised to find other Elfys, Korg keep promise." Korg answers

"The device only works for another ten hours, after that it's power will be lost. No?"

"Why can't you just state the whole story right from the beginning instead of wasting five minutes of my life every time you open your mouth?" Lothred blows up at Paquito

"For the same reasons you won't let anyone see your rod......... It is insignificant compared with the greater good. No?"

"You have such a way with words, from what university did you study?" Sillaqui asks

"Paquito at a university? Hah! What a joke, he's tried three times to pass herbalism and can't do it. He was supposed to find pipeweed but came back with poison sumac instead, and tried to smoke that. half of the collage spent a week in the temple." Finrod boasts

"Ah ha! She's a bard. That makes you a liar!" Lothred exclaims

"I am no liar, you must be hard of hearing and were not paying attention to my speech earlier. Use both ears next time. No?"

A great torrent of water drops from the center of the ceiling in the bone room, brackish and foul smelling water coats and saturates Korg. The trollish cistern empties out onto the circular void on the floor of the room. Black lightening crackles around the perimeter of the hole as if some energy beast was stirring.

"Korg found way out, up through troll toilet." Korg shouts back

"Great, looks like this trip is headed back to the gutter." Finrod laments

The party makes their way through the bone field and is carried by Korg, with his boots of flying, and Finrod, with his winged shield, one-by-one up through the hole in the ceiling.

Luciann heads to Paquito and Sillaqui, "Would either of you know what this book is about? I've been looking at it's text but the words are written in a style I am unfamiliar with."

Paquito gladly agrees to take a peek at the book, he opens the front cover and heads to the first page.

"See, what language are these words written in?" Luciann pleads

Sillaqui shrugs her shoulders and smiles blissfully ignorant of the elves' wishes. Paquito looks at the page then back up at Luciann, "You're joking right?"

"No, can you read the words? What do they say?" Luciann requests giddy with anticipation that the book holds some new found spell of power that he can tap.

"It's in Elven. No?"

Luciann stands confused for a moment, "But these words aren't in Elven." Luciann says pointing at the first sentence.

"This is the author's name, apparently you failed to spot the resemblance of those words to the ones printed on the outside cover. No?"

Luciann had no time to ponder Paquito's discovery, as a large pair of giant hands grabbed his shoulders and whisked him up through the air.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*We're all doomed, or at least flogged*

The party emerges from the ceiling of the bone room, into the floor of a troll toilet. Fighting off waves of nausea as the stench of the area assaults the olfactory senses of the party.

"I vote that before Korg opens another door, we have the party rogue check it out first." Lothred speaks up

"We don't have a rogue." Finrod answers

"Sure we do, him." Lothred replies pointing out Ratchet

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ratchet questions

"You're a gnome, aren't you all good with tinkering with things until they break?" Lothred remarks

"No, and as someone of  unique origin, I would say you have an extremely narrow view of the world." Ratchet argues

"Hey, It's not my fault you guys line up to fill the role of stereotype for your race. I mean sometimes knowing your place in the world is a good thing." Lothred counters

Ratchet pauses for a moment before replying, "I shall look forward to the day that you find your place on the end of an enemy's blade." 

"Well, there's no need to get rude." Lothred huffs and turns his back on the gnome.

The room has two exits one to the north and one to the east, Gronar and Korg choose the north exit and the rest of the party gets in line behind them. After turning a corner the party realizes that they are on the level they entered the tree at. Directly north of them is the ogre alarms and to the east is a large open chamber with a ladder ascending to the ceiling.

The party cautiously makes their way to the ladder, as they do the find that there is another opening in the floor about ten feet to the south of the ladder that contains a ladder leading down.

"Which way Elfy?" Gronar asks

"Up, we've been down and didn't find them. They have to be up." Finrod answers

The hill giants climb the ladder and force open a locked trap door at the top of the ceiling. The sound of metal hitting the floor and armor crashing, causes the party to still their movement. The two giants look at each other and each shrugs in a silent response.

"Korg know what to do." Korg says, and with that he grabs Finrod around the waist.

"Hey, hey what are doing? Put me down!" The struggling Finrod objects in vain

Korg then shoves the head of Finrod up through the trap door.

"Ayeee!" Finrod shouts as the party readies for battle

Korg quickly lowers Finrod back down the ladder, and gives the elf a short visual examination of wounds.

"Elfy not hurt! Why Elfy cry like that?" Korg demands

"Deja-vu." Finrod replies

"You guys are barbarians, or morons. I haven't narrowed it down enough yet." Lothred states

"No, Gronar is barbars, Korg is good touch giant." Gronar replies

"I second that. Korg is as gentle as a hasted grimlock with spiked gauntlets. No?" Paquito chimes in

"Thanks for joining the conversation Mr. Helper. Since you want to help so much, why do you get up there and scope out the room for us." Lothred sasses 

"The Great Emancipator Paquito, does not do requests. Unless, you happen to be the female of the species. No?"

Korg shakes his head like a father watching his five year-old and three year-old children spat it out. The hill giant replaces Finrod on the ground and then pokes his own head up through the trap door. All manner of weaponry lie rusted and strewn about the floor of the room. A couple of sets of metal armor, nearly rusted out lie collapsed in a heap to the right of Korg. Two beams of sunlight shines against the opposite wall from two arrow slits halfway up the back wall. An exit to the west leaves from the back of the room, Korg's ears hear the faint sound of whipping and the cry of pain off in the distance.

"Korg hear Elfys." The hill giant reports

"Really? Then there's no time to waist!" Finrod shouts climbing the ladder 

"What are they doing?" Omar asks of Korg

"Whining like Elfys Korg has to keep saving." Korg replies, which brings forth a chuckle from Lothred.

Korg and Gronar climb the ladder and stand to help others up through the trap door, as Lothred prepares to climb, Luciann walks past the tiefling and every so obviously, bumps into Lothred on his way to the ladder.

"I swear the level of disrespect in this motley crew is astounding." Lothred says to a disinterested Paquito who is bringing up the rear.

"If you were a woman, I would still respect you in the morning. No?" The minotaur remarks

"Thankfully I am not." Lothred answers as Paquito pushes past him on the ladder, "Hey, I don't want to be bringing up the rear, that's your job."

"And it still is, for you see Sillaqui is wearing a dress. No?" Paquito answers with a devilish grin that comes too easy for man with demon in his veins.

Once the entire party is in the old armory room, Korg slams the trap door shut again and replaces the broken latch back to where it used to be on the door. Gronar peeks his head around the wooden corner and sees a wide gate that has been ripped apart from where the two halves used to meet each other. Beyond that the hallway turns to the west.

Lothred kicks through a few piles of brownish flaking weapons while the rest of the party lines up behind Gronar.

"Elfy coming?" Gronar shouts

Lothred acknowledges the hill giant with a wave of his hand, picking up a dagger and storing it away in his backpack, he then rejoins the line.

"What's that for?" Omar asks

"A rusty blade can give the most brutal of diseases when used properly." Lothred answers

"You're into poisons diseases? That's not really pragmatic is it?" Omar inquires

"Altruism is not a trait my kin share." Lothred replies

"Neither is perspicacity." The dwarf responds

Gronar heads through the broken gate and immediate gets a sense of dread washing over him. The giant turns a pale white in color and turns back to face Korg.

"Gronar think this bad idea." Gronar's breath heaves out

"You're not paid to think, so move on." Finrod shouts, annoyed that progress has been held up.

*snap*

The unmistakable crack of a whip, followed by a slight whimpering echoes through the hallway, sending a shudder down the spines of Finrod and Luciann, and a smile to Lothred's face.

"We must hurry." Finrod says, as Gronar blocks the hallway on the other side of the gate.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

But you can't stop there....

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*A real tongue lashing*



			
				Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> But you can't stop there....
> 
> GW




And so I won't........


The party pushes a reluctant Gronar down the hallway and into a wide four-way. To the south lies the only visible room from their vantage point. The room is a thirty by thirty square with a large wooden table knocked over on it's side dominating the center of the room, it's feet point outward towards the party, while sheets of parchment lie strewn about on the floor behind the table. 

The back wall is decorated by a rack full of whips, scourges, flails, and other manual torture devices. The rack runs the length of the entire back wall and appears to be completely stocked save for one missing flail. 

"Now this is my kind of room!" Lothred exclaims

*snap* *moan*

The cracking sound of a whip followed by a painful sob echoes from behind the overturned table. Gronar and Korg fan out to flank the table, while Finrod inches up directly behind the table. Lothred ignores the strategic placement of giants, and in an unconcerned stroll, makes his way past the on guard Gronar and to the rack of items at the back of the room.

Gronar and Korg peek around the table and find a prone troll laying in it's own greenish blood, with a flail in his right hand, and clutching a writhing small pink tongue in his left hand.

"Fascinating." Lothred declares in his monotone voice

Gronar switches weapons to his long spear, and prods the bleeding troll with the blunt end of the spear.

"Ugh." The troll's head lops to it's right side and slowly opens it's eyes to Gronar. The troll's eyes have a glazed over sheen to them and the troll appears to vaguely sense that it is no longer alone.

"What stinky troll doing?" Gronar demands

The troll weakly holds out the flail to Gronar and in a voice wracked with pain answers: "You turn?" 

As Gronar sinks away from the offered weapon, Lothred steps up and accepts the device.

"Gladly." Lothred answers and brings the flail down upon the troll's chest with all his might. The troll howls in pain as blood spatters across the rack wall.

"Do more." The troll instructs, Lothred raises the weapon again only to have his hand stilled by the massive grasp of Korg.

"Elfy no hit stinky troll again." The hill giant chides Lothred

"What? He asked for it, literally." Lothred criticizes

"More." The troll commands

"No, stinky troll get up and tell Korg where elfys are." Korg dictates

The troll pulls itself up into a sitting position and sticks the tongue it holds in it's hand into his own face. The tongue immediately goes to work licking at the torn flesh and spilled blood upon the troll's head. 

"Interesting, I must get my one of those. How do you make them?" Lothred asks

The troll points at Finrod and holds up the tongue for Lothred to see. A rippling surge of despair washes over Finrod and Luciann as they realize where the tongue comes from. Finrod lowers his sun sword as his eyes flow down from the wagging tongue to the pooling blood on the floor beneath the troll. His eyes sit suspended on the blood of the troll for a moment then flare up to meet the troll's, Finrod grabs the edge of the desk and hurdles the obstacle. The elf raises his blade as he clears the desk, Gronar and Korg both swing theirs arms out to halt the infuriated warrior. 

Both giant's fists slam into Finrod, causes the lithe elf to tumble over backwards and land waist first on top of the desk, Finrod's blade slips from his hands as his breath is knocked from his lungs. Emotion wells up from within as Finrod's anger is left unabated as his body lies perched jackknifed on the desk. Luciann raises his hand to cast a spell, and both giants yell "No!" at the elven wizard.

"We talk to stinky troll first." Gronar explains

The giants push the desk further away from the downed troll and kneel in front of it. Finrod pulls himself up to a sitting position and watches intently the interrogation of the troll.

"What stinky troll name?" Gronar asks

"Duh..." Comes the troll's response as droll dribbles out from the crook of the troll's mouth

"What Duh do here?" Gronar inquires

"Guard." Replies the troll

"What Duh guard?" Gronar continues

"Mistress." Comes the answer

"Huh? What was that last part? Something about a lady. No?" Paquito interjects

"Where mistress now?" Korg asks

"Bath." The troll says as it points to the west.

"Hey, what's in this room?" Ratchet inquires as he pulls down a filthy moth ridden blanket off of the wall to reveal a door in the east wall.

"What in that room?" Gronar asks

"Things." The troll answers

"Shiny things?" Gronar asks

"Magic things?" Korg follows

The troll's gaze quickly shifts back and forth as it searches it's meager brain for the answer.

"Things." Comes the singular reply

"Elfy, open door." Gronar instructs

"Wha.... Me? Are you trying to get me killed?" Finrod protests

"Fine I'll do it." Ratchet says as he turns the handle and gives the door a hard pull. 

The door resists the gnome's efforts initially, but soon acquiesces to Ratchet's insistence. The far wall in the room beyond is lined with square shaped marble doors, in six rows of four each. The doors themselves are only four square feet and are adorned with tarnished silver handles.

"Treasure!" Gronar exclaims as he leaps for the door and scopes up Ratchet with the same motion.

Lothred smirks at the giant's hysteria, "Oh I'm sure there are 'things' in there for you to find." The tiefling states.

Luciann, Finrod, Gronar/Ratchet, Korg, and Omar all move up to the room's entrance to get a better look inside.

Omar stops dead in his track as his eyes take in the sight, he watches as Gronar grabs a handle and begins to pull on it to get the drawer open. Only then does he realize what the room's purpose is. "Stop! I don't think you want to do that!"


----------



## Jon Potter

Next installment: _Murders in the Troll Morgue_ !


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Now that they're cooked, I just need some chocolate.*

Gronar rips the drawer free from it's lock, ten feet from him Luciann does the same, and ten feet from Luciann Finrod forces open a drawer as well. Gronar's drawer pulls open a full five feet out from the wall, lying in the bottom of the drawer is the half eaten remains of a troll. Cobwebs can be seen covering it's exposed spine. Both eyes are missing from their respective sockets and it's mouth has been sewed shut. Gronar takes a hard look around the body, but seeing nothing of value, prepares to shut the drawer. 

Movement catches the hill giant's eye and taking another look at the body, Gronar beholds the troll's skin undulating in it's arms and across it's forehead. Disgusted, Gronar shoves the drawer closed, the drawer bounces into it's resting spot and pops back open just a little. The sounds of fleshing ripping and mandibles twitching echo from the drawer. Gronar readies his greatsword for battle as a mass of tiny black spiders issue forth from the open space around the drawer.

Luciann, who had watched Gronar slam his drawer shut, picks up a faint clicking sound as if a hundred tiny boots were walking across a metal plate. He looks down upon his troll corpse and watches in horror as hundreds of tiny black spiders boil forth from the skin of the troll. The spiders move with unearthly speed and close the distance to the standing elf in no time. Luciann, no sooner takes a step back from the corpse, finds his boots covered in spiders. The elf shakes his boots furiously as he screams for help.

Finrod had leaned over to see what was in Luciann's drawer, and by the time the spiders erupted from that corpse he was already five feet away from the spiders churning out of his drawer. Finrod takes another step back and swings his sword in a low arc trying to keep the little arachnids at bay.

Gronar kicks his drawer again in an attempt to close it, as his foot nears the drawer, the hands of the troll appear on the top of the drawer bracing it for impact. Gronar kicks anyway and crushes the bones in every finger of both hands, but the drawer does not close. Like flowing water, the spiders cascade up the giant's leg biting him along the way. Gronar howls in pain as the spiders quickly reach his waist.

Korg grabs the flailing right arm of Gronar and yanks his fellow hill giant back ten feet through the air, then helps brush off the remaining spiders on his leg. The fallen spiders quickly regroup and join with the advancing swarm issuing from the open drawer.

"I am useless in this battle, I have nothing that can affect a thing such as this. No?" Paquito laments

"Hey, you have oil?" Omar inquires

"Yes, but I hardly see the use in making a salad at this point in time. No?"

"Throw your flasks at the open drawers, I'll set them on fire." Omar instructs

Paquito reaches into his backpack and pulls three flasks of oil free, he launches the first flask at the drawer Gronar was in front of, the flask hits just above the open drawer and shatters, spilling oil over the eight drawers surrounding the one the flask broke upon.

"Aren't you going to help?" Sillaqui asked a busy Lothred

"I want to get this desk open first." Lothred replies trying jimmy the lock  on a drawer with a small knife.

"Aren't you concerned they'll all perish?" Sillaqui asks

"Not really, two giants, a minotaur, two pansies, and two arm rests are more than enough to take on whatever they find in that room." Lothred continues, "Haha, I got it!" 

Lothred heaves the drawer out from the desk and dumps it's contents on the floor.

"Duck!" Omar yells as he calls forth a small flame that hovers in place within his right palm, the dwarf then takes aim and tosses the flame at the oil slick Paquito's flasks had made. 

Instantly the top ten feet of wall, where Gronar once stood in front of, bursts into flame. Hundreds of tiny screams are drowned out by the crackling of exploding spiders. Paquito next aims at the drawer Luciann stands in front of, only where there once was Luciann now stood a five foot tall mound of spiders. Luciann's entire body had been covered by the crawling spiders, brief flashes of elven skin could be seen as Luciann fought to rid the spiders from his face. The spiders sought out every open orifice, crawling up the elf's nose, through his ears, forcing their mass into his mouth, seeking out other openings covered by layers of clothing. 

Paquito wavered on where to throw the flask and this caused his aim to be off as he tossed the flask and barely cleared Luciann's head. The flask burst open on the ground just beyond Luciann and near the base of the drawer wall. Irritated at his poor throw, Paquito stepped just inside the room and to the right of the door, he took his last flask in hand and visualized where he needed it to break.

Finrod run past the minotaur on his way out of the room, Paquito focus was momentarily lost and he watches as the spiders that Finrod had loosed march their way towards an ever growing helpless Luciann. Paquito raises his flask and the bottle flies out of his hand as Paquito's hand went back. The flask shatters at the hooves of the minotaur and the oil within splashes up the legs of Paquito. 

Sillaqui watches the chaos from the current safety of the desk, "Looks like the spiders are going to devour Luciann as you drop your drawers all over the room."

Lothred barley heeded her ramblings, but the word spiders caught his attention, "Spiders? What are you talking about?"

Sillaqui points to within the room at the battle taking place. Lothred wanders over and sees the top half of the room engulfed in flames while Finrod and Paquito flee the room and run past the magister. With an annoyed visage, Lothred walks up to the room's threshold and points his staff at Luciann.

"Help me!" Luciann's words are choked off when a massive influx of arachnids flood his mouth, biting his tongue and gagging his throat.

"Steady yourself, I'm going to ram you into the fire!" Omar yells

As the dwarf starts his charge, Lothred's spell is unleashed and a great burst of wind gushes into Luciann, knocking the elf prone face first and about half of the spiders that were covering him. Omar stumbles over the now prone Luciann and lands hands first into the spilled oil from Paquito's second toss. The flame in Omar's hand immediately ignites the oil and chars the regrouping spiders, Omar stands up amid the conflagration and smoking arachnid carcasses and dives on the downed Luciann.

Omar burns the spiders crawling over Luciann's back and sets his cloak on fire in the process, Korg reaches in and drags Luciann from the room and flings him into racks of torture devices room. Finrod and Ratchet go to work cleaning off the reaming spiders, Lothred hefts up Luciann and performs the Heimlich Maneuver causing Luciann to cough up gouts of phlegm, spiders, and blood.

Gronar slams his palm down on the burning Omar in hopes of dousing the flames.

"Stop! I'll be fine!" Omar shouts 

"Get out of room!" Gronar shouts

Once Omar is clear the hill giant slams the door closed again, smoke wafts from around the door frame for a couple of minutes as the party catches their breath.

"We're going to have to find someplace to hold up in, some of us are far too injured to even walk." Ratchet advises as he points out Luciann.

"We can't wait, the longer we dally trying to find treasure for the giants the greater the chance all the elves will be dead when we find them." Finrod objects

"Bah, they're dead anyway. The lawn ornament is right, we're low on spells and healthy bodies. To continue now would be suicide." Lothred speaks up

"I too cannot stay here much longer. No? Resting would not be prudent now No?" Paquito interjects

"Why? What do you care if these elves are found?" Ratchet inquires

"It is not the elves that have me worried. No?"

"I too share your fear." Sillaqui says to the two members of the party that can understand her.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Somebody needs to get a room*

"Alright, out with it bullman. I've no patience for your innuendos and abbreviated truths." Finrod erupts

"I have a means to transport us back to my maze, but the magic to do so will expire in a matter of hours. No?" 

"What? Were you going to keep this knowledge to yourself and then teleport out at your convenience?" Finrod fumes

"Aye, I believe that's exactly what he was thinking." Omar speaks up

"Surely my gift of information pertaining to this trinket is a sign that I was not going to leave the rest of you here. No?"

"Then why wait 'til now? Why not tell us this when we got here?" Finrod demands

"What, and ruin the surprise? Paquito did not want this quest to end because you softies couldn't handle a few trolls, and decided to cut loose before the elves were rescued." Lothred speaks up

The teiflings words sink in and make sense to the elves and Omar and they back down from their stance.

"Besides," Lothred continues "He told me he was only going to take himself, Sillaqui, and I back with him anyway." 

The teiflings words have barely fallen upon their ears before Finrod, Luciann, and Omar were drawing weapons and bringing an offensive spell to the forefront of their minds. 

"Shh..." Dur breathes from behind a finger pressed to his lips

The unexpected direction of the sound catches the quarreling party members attention, as they along with the giants and Ratchet turn to face the troll.

"Queen." The troll says as it points to the west.

"Maybe the queen knows where the elves are being kept?" Omar asks

"Elves." The troll says while pointing up

"The elves are up there?" Finrod clarifies

The troll nods his head.

"How get up there?" Gronar asks

"Ladder." The troll says as it points to the west

"I like this guy, extremely efficient with his words and when he gets out of line, he'll beat himself for it. No?" 

Luciann spins around and peers out at the north and northwest passageways.

"What's there?" Luciann asks pointing to the northern passage

"Books." Comes the troll's reply

"Magic books?" Lothred's ears perk up

The troll shrugs it's shoulders. "No touch." It says as it points a clawed finger at itself

"You're right, I won't touch you." Lothred replies to a confused looking troll.

"What about there?" Luciann points to the northwest.

"Skinner." The troll replies

"What's that?" Luciann asks

"Mean." Dur answers

"Must be some troll, probably a captain of the guard, or at least captain of the queen's guard." Ratchet ponders

"Well no time like the present." Lothred says as he strides out into the four-way intersection and heads north towards the books the troll pointed out.

"Where are you going? The elves are this way." Finrod tries to shout through whispered breath.

"Go save your elves, I'm not stopping you. Just swing back through down here when you're done and get me on the way out." Lothred says, waving off the elf.

Lothred nears the northern passage's entrance when obscene moaning sounds echo off the walls behind him.

"Funny guys, come get me when you're done." Lothred shouts back and his voice echoes through the passage. The teifling turns one last time before leaving the intersection and sees that the rest of the party remains behind, none of them paying the magister any attention.

The moaning echoes past Lothred again and this time he focuses on the party yet the noise seems to not be issuing from them. Intrigued, Lothred returns to the middle of the intersection and listens again for the moaning.

Korg spots the lithe Lothred bent over at an odd angle in the intersection. Confused the hill giant walks out and joins the teifling.

"What Elfy doing?" Korg wonders aloud

"Shh, listen." Lothred silences the giant

Korg prepared to protest the teifling's attitude when he too heard the low moaning. The two men's eyes meet and understanding past between them. Korg's cheeks became flushed as a shy little smile ran across his lips.

"It's got to be coming from that direction, from the queen's area." Lothred tells the hill giant

By this time the rest of the party looked on as the two disproportionate men stood gaping towards the western passage. Korg feels a dozen eyes on his back and turns to face the party, he then waves the members out into the intersection.

"Shshhh, hear." Korg tells the rest of the party

The sound bounces out from the western passageway and briefly surrounds the party before heading off into oblivion. Paquito shifts nervously on his hooves, his brain trying in vain to tell his ears they're mishearing some alien noise. His brain was winning when the second wave came through the intersection and Paquito was off like a racehorse on derby day. 

The minotaur charged the western corridor like it was a billowing red blanket, the corridor took a sharp southern turn and Paquito barely rounded it as his wide  horn rack scraped the side of the turn wall. Twenty feet and craning neck later, Paquito stood at the entrance to a steam filled room. 

A smaller room's entrance poked out from the eastern side of the room's wall. While the center of the room was dominated by a huge throne that glistened in the flickering light from an overhead candelabra. The throne seemed to heave and twitch, and as the rest of the party members entered the room, Paquito's improved vision began to pick out details on the throne.

The entirety of the throne was made up of moving tongues. Hundreds of them of all shapes, sizes, and colors, writhed with a semblance of life. Paquito stepped closer as another moan filled the room, the sound came from the throne itself.

Korg and Gronar moved in to flank either side of the throne, from their heightened vantage point, the two giants noticed a flaw in the throne, the front of it stuck out too far, almost as if something was sitting in the chair.

Dur dropped to one knee. "Queen."

Paquito's neck twisted to look at the humbled troll and then back at the throne. It was then that he spotted the flailing legs that leapt off the throne as if by reflex only to quickly return to the lapping tongues. Omar held up a torch flame from the rear of the party and black-green contorted face of a troll came into view from within the mass of tongues.

It's eyes closed tightly in ecstasy, oblivious to the threat that surrounded it. Paquito stepped up to the foot of the dais the throne sat upon, and could make out the entire form of the nude female troll sitting within it's self-imposed saliva prison. 

Gronar reached out a finger and touched one of the top wagging tongues, the appendage instinctively began to wind it's way around the giant's finger, wetting Gronar's digit with an unnatural amount of saliva. 

"Ugh." Gronar snorted and speared the tongue off the top of the throne. 

As the muscle flew through the air, it change from it's original pink color to a bluish-black color. When it collided with the floor the tongue burst apart in a small dust cloud, leaving it's dry memory to dampen in the high moisture of the room. 

"Gross. What do we do with her?" Luciann inquires pointing at the euphoric troll.


----------



## Jon Potter

Paquito should fit right in here. He's a cunning linguist, no? 

 

HM, you're a sick, sick person.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Paquito should fit right in here. He's a cunning linguist, no?
> 
> 
> 
> HM, you're a sick, sick person.




I'm over that cold, thanks for the concern.    

If you think my level of depravity is high, wait 'til you see what the party does after their next encounter....   

Oh and no reason to assume, I am a male. In fact the whole group is male, although I keep asking Gronar's player's wife to join us (as she plays in the other game he's in). No such luck yet though (probably too scared of Paquito, I don't blame her).


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Kung-Fu gnomes and penetrating gazes*

"Hey Paquito, while you're gawking up there, just think what a troll-minotaur baby would look like. A giant pile of feces with horns." Lothred announces from the back of the room

"True, but it would have a great pedigree. No?" Paquito replies

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick." Sillaqui intones

"That's his job. No?" Paquito replies pointing at Finrod.

Of course the rest of the party just hear Sillaqui and then Paquito reply to her while pointing at Finrod.

"What are you saying? Are you trying to get me killed?" Finrod erupts in paranoia

Paquito shrugs his shoulders and sheepishly grins back at Finrod before giving him a "thumbs up" sign.

"EEEEELCH!" A piercing scream shatters Paquito's right eardrum just prior to a gangly arm whipping past his neck.

Korg and Gronar watch as the troll queen begins to emerge from her basting bath. The two giants look at each other and shout "Now!"

Both giant's weapons rain down upon the soaked troll, sending spraying streams of black troll blood towards the ceiling when they upswing. 

The troll queen stands upon her throne, back to the party, eyeing the two giants with viscous malice. Her wounded shoulders ooze onto the lapping tongues, which move to lick and caress the wounds. By the time the giants are ready to bring their weapons to bear against her a second time, her wounds are a mere scratch.

"We're going to need to kill off those tongues in order to stop her!" Finrod shouts and moves up behind Paquito

"Why would we want that? It's a magnificent magical device, I should like to take it home with me." Lothred objects

"I don't think the queen is going to just let you take it." Ratchet advises

"Well, she can come with it, I'll need a consort anyway, better to have one that can heal herself after a night of vigorous flogging." Lothred answers while nudging and winking at Ratchet

Luciann unleashes a flurry of _magic missiles_ into the back of the queen. Omar produces another flame in his hand and throws it at the queen, it lands on her head and the immediately bursts into a roaring flame as oils and excretions in the troll's hair ignite.

Looking more like a gaunt azer than a troll, the queen turns to face the rest of the party, as she does so she kneels on the throne and arches her head back so that the tongue's caresses can extinguish the fire. 

The two giants beat on her again with their weapons, this time however, Gronar uses a sweeping motion and shaves off a few tongues with each strike, before his blade slices into the troll queen's arm and ribs. The tongues undulate in the air as their severed part turns a sickly pale color and land with a thud, akin to dropped stone, upon the dirt floor.

Dur remains kneeled, head down, unwilling to view his queen in her au natural state. Ratchet looses a _searing light_ into the face of the queen, burning and scaring her already blackened face. Finrod shoves his right shoulder into the back of a drooling Paquito, before making his way up to the throne's platform on the dais.

The troll queen uses her long legs to trip Finrod as he approaches her with his blade up high. Finrod stumbles  face first into a mass of wagging tongues at the base of the throne. The tongues instinctively latch onto and draw the elf's head into their salivating grasp. 

Unprepared for the squirming of tongues on his scalp, Finrod drops his weapon and tries to pull himself free, but to no avail. Luciann throws another round of _magic missiles_ at the troll, while Omar waddles up to the dais, intent on freeing Finrod. 

"You gonna help, or do I get to flame strike you for smoking flavor while we dine on cooked troll tonight?" Ratchet says emphasizing his disdain towards Lothred's inactivity thus far.

"You wanna go at it now lawn ornament?" Lothred says flinging his cloak open and lowering his staff to Ratchet's head level

Ratchet shoves Lothred's staff down into the ground beneath him and then grabbing the staff with his left hand he vaults himself onto the staff feet first. Lothred watches in amazement as the little man runs up his staff headed right for Lothred. Lothred drops his staff, but ratchet continues to plow forward, as the staff descends towards the ground, Ratchet leaps off as her nears the end of the wood staff and draws his hand back in a fist. He mouths the words to an inflict spell, then nails Lothred's crotch with a fist of serious wounding. The blow crumples the proud magister as Ratchet does a little jig on the back of the fallen tiefling.

Omar reaches the kicking legs of Finrod and tries to pull the elf free of the tongue's grasp, the troll queen reaches down and grabs the dwarf's head like a small bowling ball and hurls Omar through the air to crash into the humble Dur. Both bodies tumble over each other until the come to rest near the howling Lothred.

"Have you come to slay me spawn of Baphomet? Or perhaps you'd like a more livicious endeavor great horned one?" The queen speaks to Paquito through teeth the size of Ratchet's arm and as sharp as Lothred's wit. 

Paquito stands silent and motionless in response to the queen's questions.

"Ha, ha, ha! So you've come for your own doom then oh frightened one. I should have known your weak kind is only good for bellowing out their own inadequacies." The queen spits at Paquito then turns her back on the rest of the party to face the two hill giants.

Korg brings his greatsword down upon the troll queen, only to have the queen reach out and grasp the head of the sword and shove the blade into the top of the throne, dozens of tongues immediately grapple the sword and hold it in place. The queen releases the blade and as she does so, she turns her palm face down to run over a couple of tongues who lap up her spilling blood and close the wound to her hand. 

"You see? I am a god!" The troll queen smiles at the astounded Korg who is unable to pry his blade free from the throne.

The queen raises her arms in victory as Gronar brings his wide blade whistling down at the troll, the queen reaches out with both hands and cups the blade between her palms. She gives Gronar a wry smile as the giant tries to dislodge his sword. 

"What's the matter large one? Feeling inferior?" The queen cackles.

Suddenly a searing pain erupts from the bowels of the queen, she looks down to find a five foot long horn sticking out from her gut, glistening with venom, the horn slowly retracts from it's newly created opening in the queen's abdomen.

The queen staggers forward into the throne's back, she releases her grasp on Gronar's sword and Gronar wastes no time in driving the blade into the back of the troll. The waiting tongues eagerly beginning lapping up the gushing blood, however instead of healing the queen, the tongues wither a drop off like discarded cocoons. 

"AAArgh!" The queen spits forth blood from her mouth as she turns to greet a smiling Paquito.

"What's the matter queeny, tongues take a licking but couldn't keep ticking? One thing's for sure, the last thing you'll say you did in life was to get penetrated by the great farmer Paquito. No?" 

Korg frees his blade from the tongue's clutches and together with Gronar the two giants shred the queen into spell component parts.

As the din of battle quiets down, a gasping Finrod pries himself free from the throne's grasp, and a weak little voice carries over the sighing room.

"Medic.... I... need... healing....." Lothred's pained voice calls out.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

I wonder if there is a single elf left alive. Excellent update.  

GW


----------



## Jon Potter

> Ratchet shoves Lothred's staff down into the ground beneath him and then grabbing the staff with his left hand he vaults himself onto the staff feet first. Lothred watches in amazement as the little man runs up his staff headed right for Lothred. Lothred drops his staff, but ratchet continues to plow forward, as the staff descends towards the ground, Ratchet leaps off as her nears the end of the wood staff and draws his hand back in a fist. He mouths the words to an inflict spell, then nails Lothred's crotch with a fist of serious wounding. The blow crumples the proud magister as Ratchet does a little jig on the back of the fallen tiefling.




'Bout time somebody did that! There are a lot of grating folks in this party, but Lothred has my vote for most annoying. How ironic that a mere "lawn ornament" is the one to slap that smug grin off his face.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Elf, it's what's for dinner.*

The two giants and Paquito look over the tongue throne amid the painful wailings of Lothred. Omar has dragged Finrod down the dais and onto the vapor covered dirt floor. Luciann and Sillaqui move up and cover the entrance to the side room, where Dur has pointed out leads to the elves.

"Can someone shut him up? Everything in this place can hear us with his moaning over there." Luciann says of Lothred

No one acknowledges Luciann's plea, leaving the elf to shrug his shoulders and turn back to face the worn rope ladder that hung in the middle of the room he stood outside of. 

Sillaqui taps Luciann on the shoulder, and motions to him that she'll be right back.

"What? You're leaving me here to guard this by myself?" Luciann exasperates

Omar helps Finrod to his feet, and looks his face over for any signs of damage.

"No obvious wounds, how do ya feel lad?" Omar asks

"Other than a little nauseated every time I think about having tongues all over my head, I feel better than new." Finrod replies

"Hrm, those things probably healed you like they were doing for the troll. Still better take it easy, there are some things on the planes that impregnate other races in strange ways. Slaad come to mind first, but you shouldn't let it worry you." Omar says, patting Finrod on the shoulder and then walking up to the large members of the party, so he can get a better look at the throne.

Finrod lets Omar's words sink in and then retches on the ground in front on him.

"Hmm, a little behind schedule. No?" Paquito says aloud to the giants, referring to Finrod's emptying of his stomach contents.

"Sorry, I pulled him out as quickly as I could." Omar says as he passes Paquito and bends down to examine an inert tongue. 

Sillaqui reaches Lothred and bends down to examine the wounded man.

"Oh, fair one, perhaps you have some healing art with which to rid me of this accursed pain? I promise to gift you with a tunic of finest gnomeskin once I get my hands on that lit." Sillaqui puts a finger to Lothred's lips.

The woman bends down and hefts the teifling over her shoulder as if he weighed no more than a sack of feathers. The astonished Lothred hangs speechless as Sillaqui carries him next to Korg. The hill giant gives Sillaqui a weary look as she motions for Korg to step aside.

"Oh thank you for bringing me to a man as pious as the great Korg!" Lothred announces hoping to gain a healing spell that would erase all evidence of Ratchet's blow. 

"Korg not feel Elfy help out in stinky naked troll fight. Korg not heal skinny elfy." 

"But, I do." is all Lothred got out as Sillaqui unceremoniously dumps the injured Lothred into the back of the throne, adjusting his body so that his groin area lands amid a field of tongues.

An ear piercing scream erupts from Lothred's mouth, and is quickly cut short by the fist of Gronar. The unconscious Lothred slumps down into the chair as the tongues finish their work on one injury before completing the work on Lothred's face.

Lothred comes to, laying face down on the vaporous floor, his pants a sopping wet and his hair is matted with saliva from a dozen tongues. He silently adds Gronar and Sillaqui to the list of people he will flail once he achieves his plan of ruling a huge empire.

Gronar scopes up the awake Lothred and carries him through the adjacent room. The rest of the part ascends the rope ladder and emerge in a small alcove. With a single exit to the west.

"That way?" Finrod asks Dur

"Elves." Dur replies as he points at the exit. 

The exit is a short hallway that immediately opens into a large room that has a slim path straight through it to an exit on the opposite side. Large cauldrons steep along each side of the room, their sides reach a full twelve feet in height. Strange smells fill the room and Dur begins to salivate as the aroma of blanched elf wafts through the party.

"Mmm, I haven't had this dish in a while. I didn't know your chefs were such connoisseurs." Lothred mentions to Dur

"Ugh, what is it?" Finrod asks

Lothred thinks it over for a second debating whether or not the elves need to know what is for dinner.

"It's your mother." Lothred answers

Finrod retches again, all over the backside of Korg. Luciann immediately eyes Dur and aims a spell loaded hand towards the troll.

Korg pushes Gronar out of the way as he races to the far end of the path at the other exit in the room. Cursing Finrod all the way.

Finrod collects himself and steadies his body against a stone cauldron, "All the elves were cooked? There's none left?" 

Dur just shrugs his shoulders as he winds his way in-between two cauldrons to find hidden notches with which to climb the pots. The troll reaches the top and sticks his hand in the steeping fluid, withdrawing a chunk of unidentifiable meat and then jumping back down to the dirt floor.

The troll takes a good sized bite out of the meat, and chews it around in his mouth, "Elves" 

Finrod slaps the meat from the trolls hand and draws his sun blade, "Creature, your death with be a painful one."

"Aw, I was going to tell the troll to save me a bite, now I'll have to get a piece myself." Lothred laments

Paquito shoves Finrod back into a cauldron, "Don't blame him for the failings of those that came before you. We found your elves, there's no one left, let us be gone of this place. No?" 

"Hey! Korg see elfys, and lots of stinky trolls." Korg shouts from the far exit.

Finrod sprints up to the hill giant and peeks around the corner into the next room.

Twelve trolls sit upon the dirt floor all chant a prayer to Vaprak, while a large ogre stands upon a dais, the ogre armor is covered in dried blood and four chains are linked to his armor at the waist, at the end of each chain stands an emaciated elven child. Surrounding the dais are six strung up adult elves which drip blood into a collection trough the circumvents the dais. The elves twitch now and then but do not move otherwise.

Finrod raises his blade and takes a deep breath in preparation to charge into the room, but the massive hand of Korg drags the incensed elf back into the cauldron room.

"Let me pass, I shall avenge my brother and sisters this day!" Finrod cries.

"No, we need better plan." Korg states


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Finrod finds a reason to Fight.   And the Giant wants a plan.  snicker.

GW


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Twelve trolls sit upon the dirt floor all chant a prayer to Vaprak, while a large ogre stands upon a dais, the ogre armor is covered in dried blood and four chains are linked to his armor at the waist, at the end of each chain stands an emaciated elven child.




Hey... I recognize this guy.   

This should be interesting for Finrod.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Choices, kill a child or surrender all hope.*

Finrod stares with bitter hatred at the far side of the room, his mind shows him sprinting down the narrow space between the cauldrons and into the short hallway. His blade flashing brightly as he charges the grinning ogre and plunges his sun blade between the ogre's ears. 

The ogre's body slides off limply as the rest of the party mops up the disorganized and confused troll acolytes. He releases the hanging elves and the chained children, he is revered as a hero to all elfdom and lives out his days in relative comfort. 

His wishful thinking is drawn back as the voice of Korg rips into his mind.

"That too many stinky trolls, Korg take four and Gronar take four, what Pokey going to take? Pokey not even handle bleeding troll that was lying still on ground all by itself." Korg blasts

"Well if we've come this far only to give up now, then let us return to my maze. No?"

"Here, here! A fine offer if I never heard one. Let us retire to a more fitting realm than one so close to the sky, inside this accursed pine prison." Lothred the pale teifling speaks up

"For once I am in agreement with the sickly one, for I too feel the pull of my native earth wane the greater we ascend in this place." Omar agrees

"Pfft, Just like a dwarf to give up when glory in within sights. Find the treasure, leave it for the next person to gawk over." Ratchet comments

Ratchet's comments cause himself and Omar to begin a shouting match over past digressions. Korg turns and watches Finrod stoically peering up at the exit to the room, the wise giant sees glimpses of his own destiny within the gray pony-tailed hair of a man who has already lived four times as long as Korg. 

"No, Korg not going without making sure smelly ogre know name of giant who wiped smile off smelly ogre's face." Korg unsheathes his weapon and walks up behind Finrod.

"Elfy charge in first, Korg be right behind." The hill giant states

Gronar joins them, as does Luciann, Paquito and Sillaqui. Lothred, Ratchet, Omar and Dur stand silently as they watch the rest of the party approach the altar room. Korg holds up his hand calling for those following him to stop. Finrod feels the presence of Korg no longer behind him and stops as well to see what the hold up is. 

When the party halts to Korg's request, Dur rushes up and stands next to Paquito.

"Korg have couple of Umtala blessings to help us win." Korg announces much to Finrod's resolve.

"You guys can stand here and spit on each other the rest of your lives, I go to put a fork in my hatred of my captors." Ratchet says and gallops down the corridor towards Gronar, who lifts him up on his back and into position.

Korg completes a _prayer_ spell as well as a _shield of faith_ , Ratchet infuses Gronar with the extra strength of a bull. Korg then nods at Finrod and the party prepares to fill the altar room with the blood of a dozen trolls.

Finrod looses a primal scream and races through the doorway and around a short bend. He raises his blade as he rounds the last turn, hoping to clip the back of a troll's neck as he charges towards the armored ogre. His expectations however get drastically cut short as Finrod charges into an empty room, save for the altar inhabitants.

This unexpected outcome causes Finrod to pull up short and only advance to the midpoint of the room. The rest of the party follows suit and fan out alongside Finrod in the middle of the room. 

"Where stinky trolls go?" Korg wonders aloud

"They are safe, I couldn't have you killing more petitioners then you've already managed to. I'm afraid your little party of marauding through my home has come to an abrupt end." The ogre speaks through a severe underbite, so that his mouth can support two large incisors that sprout from his lower jaw and frame his nose on each side. The elven children look pitifully close to death as they seem to stand not of their own free will, almost as if they are supported through the magic of the ogre's armor.

The suspended and bleeding elves twist and turn to catch a glimpse of who has entered the room. A few of them open their mouths to offer a prayer to their respective deities, only to have a massive blood clot spill forth instead as their shorn tongues fail to deliver any sound other than a deep gurgle. 

Finrod sheathes his sword and pulls forth his bow of light and fires an arrow at the head of the ogre, the arrow dives at the last second and pangs harmlessly off the ogre's right shoulder guard.

"Ha, ha, ha! The little brother has come to take back what is now mine? Surely your dying race can find a better champion than a scared little hermit." The ogre laughs

"Gronar show you power smelly ogre!" Gronar shouts and draws his greatsword.

"My dear child, what have I done to displease you so? Do you yourself not strive for power that what denied your family for generations, do you not wield the power primal as your battle cry? Come take my hand and I show lead you to the path of the incarnate!" Shouts the ogre

"No Gronar pretty sure Gronar just going to kick smelly ogre butt." Gronar turns down the ogre's offer

"I'm afraid you were not offered a choice, now give me your hand." The ogre decrees

Gronar smirks at the ogre and lowers the tip of his greatsword at the ogre. Gronar then feels an odd pulling at his hands, he quickly retracts his hands only to find one hand didn't come back with his arm.

Gronar's left hand is torn from his wrist and floats stationary in midair before the giant. Gronar quickly grasps his vacant stump as blood spills forth in a torrent of red. Gronar's freed hand then forms a fist that plows into the face of Gronar, breaking the giant's nose and causing a trickle of blood to snake down Gronar's face. 

Korg points at the ogre and intones a spell while he challenges the ogre, "Umtala will smite smelly ogre with sun!" the _searing light_ spell completed, a bright line of light shoots forth from Korg's finger and bathes the ogre in it's divine heat.

The ogre laughs as the back right chained elven child burns to a crisp and falls through it's collar, collapsing in a blackened husk upon the altar.

"Ha! Umtala shall bend over and present Vaprak with her seed, your god will be reduced to a mere vessel for bearing Vaprak's children." The ogre taunts

Lothred sneaks around the right flank of the party and launches an _acid blast_ at the ogre, the acid splashes against the ogre, who laughs off the weak attempt. The back left elven child however screams in agony as it's flesh is melted off it's emaciated body polling at it's now skeletal feet. It's bones soon follow as they slip past the neck collar and crash to the altar.

The far right suspended elf catches a great deal of the blast as well and dies wailing as it's flesh is melted and burned off the side of it's body that was facing the ogre. Finrod gives a angry glare to Lothred who shrugs and mouths "Collateral damage."

"We can't attack him! We'll kill all the children!" Finrod cries

Gronar's freed hand snatches Gronar's neck and begins to squeeze, Gronar tries to pry the hand off with his right hand while still holding onto his greatsword. Ratchet helps out by kicking at the emancipated hand's fingers, while holding onto Gronar's greasy hair as a tether.

"There must be some other way, what do we do troll?" Omar demands of Dur

Dur signals to Omar by tracing a line across his neck with his right index finger. The symbolism is not lost on Omar as his stomach drops to his knees and his throat becomes tight with fear.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Well, the database error has wiped out the last 5 months of my updates as well, I do not have saved copies anywhere, so I can either continue with the sorty and those that have read the adventure will at least have a general idea of what was missed. Or try to compile a short little recap of what happened and where we are now. 

Obviously the next update is a big step forward in the timeline. I'll let any who wish to voice their oppinion decide what I do next. 

BTW the splint is off and the update was done Sunday night, so at least I didn't lose that one.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

I've been searching google cache, I've been searching the web archive   web.archive.org, and still not found any cache of this story.  Not sure if Akamai would cache something this long.  If I'd known you didn't have a copy of it all, I would have been archiving it.    

I'm just not sure what to think at this point.  I'm sad for the missing parts of your story hour, but I can't see trying to reproduce all of that work.  You were posting quite often there for a while.

GW

BTW, congrats on getting the cast off.


----------



## spacehulkster

"I'll let any who wish to voice their oppinion decide what I do next."

I say you bring back the campaign.
Not that your new campaign isn't fun and interesting.
I just miss playing a minotaur.  OK ok, I miss the bull$#*+ too!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Well, it's my own fault really. My computer is old (more like ancient) and I just ran out of storage space. I had an initial story hour on here that Jon visited a lot that is taking up a lot of space. I think even if I can't store my posts, maybe I can print it out and at least keep a copy that way to repost.

spacehulkster- You just never know who Tehas will meet.....   

and it's not that the campaign has ended, it's on hiatus. After that last session and the current make up of the party, it would be like starting over. 'Course the party already has a base of operations.


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## Graywolf-ELM

I'll be happy to archive it at any point.  I have some spare disk space in several places.  The other is gmail.   Beyond just e-mailing yourself the text files.  Gmail storage is huge, I'd be happy to send you an invite.  There are modules you can download to use Gmail as storage space. No need to rely totally on that aging computer.

GW


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## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> I'll let any who wish to voice their oppinion decide what I do next.




Well, I'm selfishly inclined. I already read all the stuff that got wiped, so I'd rather see a recap and just then have you start with fresh material. That'll obviously cut down on the SH's accessability to new readers, but frankly I imaging that we'll see a lot of this sort of thing with a great many SHs.



> I had an initial story hour on here that Jon visited a lot that is taking up a lot of space.




And if you ever want to tell me what became of Tharhack, et al, I'm all ears... er... eyes... er... yu know what I mean.


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## Hairy Minotaur

Well that was an easy vote count, looks like I'll do a recap up to the new post and then take it from there.   


and Jon.... I still have a link to the old story hour, I just may have to finish their tale.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> and Jon.... I still have a link to the old story hour, I just may have to finish their tale.




If that ever happens you have at least one certified fanboy.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

The party defeats the Ogre chief, Gronar loses a hand in the process and the party decides the only way they can all go home and take the prisoner elves with them is if they're all dead and are carried like luggage by the giants.

Returning to the maze, Paquito is informed of an umber hulk threat and that a "reborn" version of Taurranous may be lurking about in the underdark as well.

Gronar gets his hand back from the elves, who detain Omar and Ratchet, while informing Finrod that in three days the elves will wipe out a new evil threat growing in the maze. 

The party returns to the maze where a group of minotaurs on loan to a lizardman tribe have returned and their leader has openly challenged Paquito for control of the tribe. 

A lizardman assassin arrives as well and offers his services, along with blueprints to every defensive fortification Mirwood has to offer. Paquito enlists the lizardman's aid in getting rid of the upstart Minotaur.

The assassin does his job and more, wiping out all but one of the returning male minotaurs, whom Paquito takes as his personal bodyguard.

The party heads under the maze to wipe out the umber hulks and either confirm or deny the new existence of Taurranous, the party encounters their first group of umber hulks and while the party is triumphant, Luciann runs screaming further into the underdark after succumbing to one of the umber hulk's confusion ability.

And that's where we are.  New update coming tomorrow. I promise.


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## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> And that's where we are.  New update coming tomorrow. I promise.




WOOOT!!!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Think about all those disappointed children!*

Luciann flees away from the umber hulks as fast as his fey legs can carry him, rounding bends and slick floors the frightened elf turns a sharp corner and comes face to face with two small pudgy blue goblins. Each goblin holds a short that it swings mockingly at the fast approaching elf.

Luciann attempts to avoid the two goblins, who stand against the back wall of an "L" shaped turn that opens into a large room that Luciann can see as he runs past the first goblin. It's short sword darts out and while it does no damage to Luciann, it does force the elf to spin as he runs. Luciann spins into the rock wall opposite the goblins. The startled elf turns to defend himself from this new threat.

The rest of the party quickly catches up to the embattled sorcerer, Omar and Finrod move up an engage a goblin apiece, while Korg steps up behind them and takes out his spear. Gronar, intrigued with what the goblins are so intent on guarding, moves past Korg and into the large room.

A huge cavern is spread out for Gronar's eyes, standing at the southeastern corner, the cavern stretches over one hundred feet to the north. The southern wall is lined with trees, bare of any leaves they have the look of weathered stone. The middle of the cavern is dominated by a large blood colored maggot that undulates across the rock floor.  The West wall has a huge pillar of rock that reaches to the ceiling, there is also a similar pillar just beyond the maggot and close to the East wall. Gronar's eyes however are drawn to the figure at the back of the room, even a hundred feet away Gronar's eyes can see the shape of a minotaur, only it's skin doesn't seem right. It's skin seems to move of it's own accord, almost as if it was shifting in and out of the prime plane.

Korg skewers a goblin, only to have the creature grow a wicked grin on it's face.

"Hit me harder." That was all Korg needed to hear, Korg knew from past kills that anything that withstood that kind of blow, wasn't going to go down with anything Korg had left to offer. The giant decided to leave the dwarf and elves to fend off these creatures.

Gronar quickly advanced to the stone pillar to the West of the blood maggot and with his long spear, his pierces the blood maggot in it's midsection, then tears a gash to the rear of the creature. The thing undulates one last time before it twitches itself unto death.

Paquito, Gorfine, and Lothred also move past the goblin battle and enter the cavern next to Korg. With the blood maggot dead, Korg races up to the stone pillar just beyond the maggot. 

Paquito spies the creature at the far end of the cavern and his skin prickles with dread, he looks over at Gorfine and together they both understand who it is the stands against them. Gorfine gives Paquito a wink and turns back to look at the new form of Taurranous.

"To the victor, go the spoils." Gorfine then moves out to the middle of the cavern and hails Taurranous.

Gronar confused about what Gorfine is trying to accomplish, ignores his pleas and tries to move up across from Korg's position, as he does so the pillar he was standing against, slams the giant's body against the West wall, a large fist protruding from it's West-facing side.

"Guys? A little help here!" Finrod shouts as the battle with the blue goblins is quickly becoming a battle of attrition, only the goblins show no sign of being any closer to death.

"Idiots, they'll be fighting that battle until they die. They lost that battle the second Korg attacked them. At least the giant had the wisdom to move on from a fruitless endeavor." Lothred tells Paquito

"You are drunk again. No?"

Before Lothred could respond, his lithe frame is hoisted in the air by the "dead" tree's limbs behind him. Lothred's shout for help is squeezed into nothingness by the tree's branches as they constrict around the waist and neck of Lothred.

Paquito reaches for Lothred's hands but the teifling is retracted out of the reach of Paquito, who dares not get too close for fear of getting caught himself.

"You going to help him out?" Ratchet says, as Paquito becomes acutely aware of the gnome's presence behind him.

"I tried, you want me to jump onto the tree and chew through the bark. No?" 

"At least apply some effort, I'd like to see him go away and never come back as well, but that doesn't mean watching him suffocate to death while you whistle Ride of the Valkeries." Ratchet replies

"I have the next generation of minotaurs to sire, It's a lot of pressure. No? I can't be risking my life to save someone who I wish would impale themselves on their own staff. No?"

Ratchet thrusts his dagger in a manner suggesting he could kill off any future children of Paquito's. The cold steel next to a sensitive area causes Paquito to jump forward and into the grasping branches of the tree. Paquito's monstrous body however is more than a match for the tree's strength as the minotaur easily tears away the clinging branches. After ripping off a couple of branches, Paquito realizes that it doesn't feel like wood and upon closer inspection, the place where the branch breaks shows signs of bleeding.

The tree drops Lothred unceremoniously on the rock floor as it's branches droop and fall to the floor unmoving. Lothred points his staff at the tree and chokes out the words to his acid splash spell, he watches as the damaged tree becomes a hissing stump of melted flesh. The teifling then turns his attentions to the next tree in line and repeats.

Gronar, not wishing to get into battle with a block of stone, avoids combat with the pillar and closes in on Taurranous. Gorfine pronounces his faith in his returned leader in the middle of the cavern, Taurranous seems to flick his arm at the pious Gorfine. The minotaur saw too late to react, the small swarm of clawed, stingered, creatures flying through the air. The scorpion swarm engulfs the head of Gorfine and quickly drown out the screams of horror from the minotaur.

Korg, who sees the ranged attack, grips his spear and heads for Taurranous, as soon as he's clear of the pillar he was covering behind, Korg's body is engulfed by the dropping form of a lurker. The huge creature covers Korg, the added weight causes the giant to tip backwards and fall prone.


*** The Goblins and trees are all old D&D monsters (updated to 3.0/3.5 by a 3rd party) 1000 imaginary points if you know what the names of these creatures are.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> *** The Goblins and trees are all old D&D monsters (updated to 3.0/3.5 by a 3rd party) 1000 imaginary points if you know what the names of these creatures are.




Well, I recognized the nilbogs right off. The "Hit me harder!" gave it away. As for the trees...  I'm not sure, maybe a kampfult?

But what enquiring minds really want to know is what's up with Taurranous?!?


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## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Well, I recognized the nilbogs right off. The "Hit me harder!" gave it away. As for the trees...  I'm not sure, maybe a kampfult?
> 
> But what enquiring minds really want to know is what's up with Taurranous?!?





Wow! Give that man his imaginary prize!    Right on both accounts, I'll explain what Taurranous has become at the end of the next update.

The amazing thing about this whole encounter is that the PCs only got XP for 2 creatures. The Nilbolgs, Kampfults, Blood Maggot and Grey ooze/Gelatinous Cube thing, were all below their level threshold for XP    

They actually "gave" one of the Nilbolgs over 500 hit points! Too bad I will never be able to give the fat blue goblin description ever again to any of these players.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Wow! Give that man his imaginary prize!    Right on both accounts




Before you start thinking me some kind of savant, I have all of my 1E books on the shelf behind my computer. It was really just a matter of flipping a few pages to find the kampfult. Now the nilbog I knew right off; such a metagame-y monster is easy to recognize.

The only time I ever encountered nilbogs as a player, the things were completely overwhelming us until somebody got the idea to drown the buggers in the river running through their lair. The guy playing the paladin suggested it as a solution and promptly lost his paladin-hood because of it.  :\ 

Ahhh... good times.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Now where do we get the updated-ness stats?  Will you give them up?

GW


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## Hairy Minotaur

Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> Now where do we get the updated-ness stats?  Will you give them up?
> 
> GW




The updated stats for the Nilbogs and Kampfults? They're in _The Tome of Horrors_ 
 from Necromancer Games.   

I'd hate to see what your tribe would do to a couple of Nilbogs..... "shudder" there'd probably be a 1000hp blue goblin running around.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Goodbye again, and good riddance*

Gronar steps up to meet the hulking figure, it's skin the color of the void, so black it appears to absorb the surrounding ambient light. Thousands of tiny scorpions crawl over the figure, Gronar watches as they crawl in and out of Taurranous' ears, nose, and mouth.

Gronar could hear the muffled struggle of Korg behind him, he never hesitated, knowing that failure to bring down the returned Taurranous would cause far more strife than Korg's suffocation. Plus he heard the sounds of Paquito, Lothred, and Ratchet behind him. He knew they would rescue Korg.

Paquito strode up to the flailing Gorfine and bathed his head in a scorching stream of fire, charring the tiny scorpions off of the minotaur's face. Hearing the labored breathing from the lungs of Gorfine Paquito motioned for Ratchet to assist the downed minotaur.

"You want me to save him?" Ratchet asked incredulously.

"As long as he lives, I care not if he suffers. No?"

Ratchet needed only a glance at the downed creature to know that the scorpion's poison would not kill it. 

"He'll live." Ratchet announced

"Excellent, leave him then. We take the fight to his delusion. No?" Paquito rallied as him pointed towards the skin crawling form of Taurranous.

Omar, Finrod, and the now lucid Luciann, wailed away on the two nihbolgs who reveled in their adversary's determination to exterminate them. Finrod's anger outgrew his reasoning as he swung his blade harder and faster at the blue goblins taking the nihbolgs from a minor nuisance to a deadly threat. While the nihbolgs rarely hit Finrod or Omar, the PCs were losing a battle of attrition, while the health of the goblins was skyrocketing.

Ratchet and Lothred raced to free Korg, Lothred shot a splash of acid from his staff while Ratchet worked his dagger over the facial impression of Korg, looking for where Korg's mouth might be. 

Gronar stepped in to meet Taurranous' threat and cut a wicked gash across the thing's chest. Taurranous raked his claws across Gronar's forearms, while dozens of tiny scorpions skittered across Taurranous' arms and into the river of blood created in the wake of Taurranous' gouging.

Gronar tried to shrug off the minotaur's claws, but the otherworldly power of the new Taurranous dug his claws even deeper into Gronar's forearms. Gronar could feel the tiny vermin crawling under his skin, twisting and stinging his muscles, he fought through the effects of the poison in the stings and raised his arms as high as he could. Taurranous' claws scraped back down Gronar's arms to his shoulder, Gronar spin his greatsword in his hands to point the tip at the head of Taurranous. With an "I dare you" grin, Gronar drove the blade through the body of Taurranous and cleaved it in two.

Ratchet manages to cut into the lurker about where Korg's mouth is to give the giant a breathing hole. Lothred begins beating the lurker with his staff trying to get it to release the giant. Paquito catches up to Gronar's side as the twitching voidness that was Taurranous slowly abates, the scorpions however toss aside their former home and mass together in a swarm of crawling and clicking at the site of Taurranous' body.

It is then that Paquito notices the undulations beneath the shreds of skin on Gronar's arm. Paquito jerks Gronar away from the massing scorpions and towards the encased Korg. Gronar flicks his wrist and slices a cut from the base of the lurker to Korg's knee. Paquito then grabs one side of the cut with his hands and braces the other side with his hooves, he then forces the two pieces further apart and tears the lurker in half.

Ratchet attends to the gasping and choking Korg, while Gronar begins plucking the scorpions from his arm. Paquito retrieves a stoppered flask from his backpack and helps Gronar de-scorpion himself by placing the still living scorpions in the flask.

"Souvenir?" Gronar asks

"Better." Paquito answers with a grin.

Once Korg is able to sit up, Gronar grabs him and helps him back to the entrance to the cavern.

"We should check out what lies beyond. No?" Paquito asks

"Fine by Gronar, you go check, Gronar wait for your report upstairs." The giant replies

"I'll go with you." Lothred offers

Paquito winces at the notion and decides to follow the giants back up. 

As the rest of the party approaches, the nihbolgs flee in terror running back through the darkness. Paquito makes a note that those two things will need to be run down and dealt with.

"You guys really did a number on those goblins, I'm glad you stayed back here and had our backs." Lothred snipes

"Hey those things were tough, they took everything we gave them and still wouldn't go down, looks like you guys had the easy fight." Finrod answers

"Only because you made it that way." Lothred walks away laughing

"What does that mean? You knew about their threat and still left us there? You trying to kill us?" Finrod's shouts go unanswered as the rest of the party fades away into the underdark.

The soft sound of thousands of scorpions across the stone floor of the cavern, snapped Finrod into the present and he took off running to catch up with the party.

Once the party had returned to the minotaur lair, and given food and what nonmagical healing the minotrices were able to give them. Paquito made sure they were resting soundly before approaching Corridorian with his "souvenir" from the Taurranous battle.

"What are those for?" The maze mage asks

Paquito takes off the black spike studded collar from around his neck and hands it to Corridorian.

"I need you to make this better, it's a collar of venom and with the addition of these scorpions and some other nutrients I picked up, I'm hoping to get this trinket to it's full potential. No?"

Corridorian studies the collar for a moment before nodding in agreement with Paquito.

"It'll take a couple of days, maybe a week, but I think I can do it." She replies

"Excellent, send me the first chosen. I feel like growing the tribe some more. No?"



I used a Daraka demon (from Tome of Horrors by Necromancer Games) for the new Taurranous. The only change I made was to extend the distance he could throw his "pets".


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

I need to expand my budget for books and .pdf's.  This looked like fun.  But will the scorps meld with the blue goblins?

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*A new leader?*

"You should be leading this rabble, your power is unmatched, yet you secret me away like an embarrassment."

"This rabble is much more fun to watch while I'm not in a position of responsibility."

"Yet you teach them so much of their folly, not like the minotaur, who's constantly making excuses for why he can't get the job done."

"I fear they won't follow me, there's no love loss with them."

"That's why you need me, I can show how to make them bow, make them open their eyes and see the light that you can bring them to."

"I have no sway with the giants, they look upon me as a snack, or something to wipe off of the bottom of their shoe."

"Simpletons, they lack any kind of direction in life. Allow me to extend a hand and guide them down the path of glory."

"What about the rest of the minotaurs, they simply will not allow a foreigner to take charge."

"Then Paquito will need to be eliminated."

"I am not a murderer."

"Who said anything about murder? Is it murder if a man is told to fetch a rope and falls into a pit and dies? Is it murder if a man dies while defending another? Certainly not and there's no need for you to soil your hands with the deed. The big one, Gronar, maybe his swings a little erratic one day, certainly not your fault if Paquito is in the way. Or the paranoid one, Finrod, is it your fault if he believes Paquito to be a shapechanger and strikes him down? The pillars have already been set within each of them, one must merely nudge them and the whole structure will collapse."

"What is it you do?"

"I nudge people."

"What shall I call you?"

"Call me the hand that guides."

"Who do you think will require the least nudging?"

"All in good time, for now, let's go see the new one, Gorfine, he has potential."

Lothred tucked the metal stick safely back into his backpack. Even though it was well out of sight, it still spoke to him almost constantly. What was once an odd whisper while alone, was now a raging debate in his head. Lothred had easily won the first debates, but these later ones weren't so decisive.

In fact Lothred chalked this latest one up as a draw, while the item made quite a few good points, Lothred intended to ignore it and engage his free will to show he was still the one in control. The item of course knew it had already won, when it first spoke to Lothred and he didn't get rid of the item. The beast knew then that it's immortal patience would bear fruit.

The following morning Paquito gathered the party for another excursion below.

"Didn't we kill Taurranous again?" Luciann asked, annoyed at having to go so far down in the dirt again.

"We must make sure the umber hulks are dead. No?" Paquito explained.

"Can't your tribe take care of them now, seems like they were winning if Taurranous didn't show up." Lothred spoke

"You don't have to come then, stay here, plant some mushrooms, eat roasted mole. Then try to leave with half of Mirwood pointing arrows of oppugnant slaying at you. No?"

_Bah, elves. Paquito and the giants could wipe them out if they were even slightly motivated_ 

"Ha! Elves, tree fairies with pointed sticks, come on you could wipes out an entire barracks with your bad breath alone, and don't get me started on what an angry Gronar could do with a brigade of elves charging him." Lothred spoke

"Yes, Gronar make pillow out of soft green elfys." The giant's words made Luciann and Finrod uncomfortable.

"Why would you even suggest such a horrible course of action, he'd be cut down before he took two steps into the daylight." Lothred replied referring to Gronar

_Ah, but at least he'd have tried_ 

"But, at least he'd go down facing and knowing his enemy on the battlefield, not in these cramped tunnels that offer no room for a proper swing of a sword." Lothred countered

"What you're suggesting is suicide, you want him dead?" Luciann challenged

_but where do the loyalties of Finrod lie?_ 

"I suggest we put Finrod on the top step and see if he gets shot at." Lothred offers

"What! Are you trying to get me killed too?" Finrod demands

"Enough of this! The umber hulks await. No?"

The conversation quieted down and before long was nearly forgotten as the party traversed the dark beyond the room where Taurranous' body lie rotting. The party came upon a small cavern on natural rock, stalagmites and stalactites offered good cover to anyone or anything which might have designs on an ambush.

_there are creatures afoot_ 

"I don't like this, smells like a trap. Maybe we should try a few ranged attacks through the room just to be sure." Lothred offered

"What? Are you psychic now, I don't want to be wasting spells because your ear twitched the wrong way in the breeze out of Gronar's backend." Ratchet retorted

A streak of flame erupted from a nearby stalagmite, bursting across the chest of Omar and dropping the dwarf to one knee.

"Ambush!" Lothred shouted and pointed his staff at the direction of where the flame originated and called forth an acid blast to drench the area. Nothing moved.

The group moved to take up defensive positions within the cavern, and as they did so, the walls behind them crumbled as a group of umber hulks tore into the cavern. Paquito whirled and shot off a _scorching ray_, in his haste to call forth his power, he failed to aim properly and blasted the roof of the cavern above his target's head. 

Gronar and Korg made short work of the four that appeared behind them, then another gout of flame erupted in the cavern filling the space with fire and force. The party recoiled from the ground zero _fireball_.

"Find the source of that magic. No?" Both Lothred and Paquito said in unison, so that it sounded as if Paquito was responding to Lothred rather than merely ending his sentence.

The floor and walls shook and melted away as more umber hulks poured into the cavern. Paquito fired off another _scorching ray_ and this time blasted a stalactite to rubble. "This things have spell resistance. No?"

There were two voices laughing hysterically at Paquito's ineffectual attack, and they both were inside Lothred's mind.

The rest of the party took care of the new umber hulk arrivals fairly easily, Paquito kept his eyes scanning the cavern looking for signs of the spellcaster that had made this attack far harder than it should have been, as he brought his around he caught a shimmer near the opposite wall of the cavern.

"There!" Paquito shouted as the party's attention was draw to where Paquito indicated, the large shimmer moved along the wall and escaped down a dark tunnel to the north.

Paquito and Korg raced to the tunnel the shimmering form had retreated into, soon followed by the rest of the party.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Another stoned party member....*

The party races after Paquito, through narrow passages and slippery terrain. Emerging in a huge cavern deep under the maze, over one-hundred feet across and twice as deep, the ceiling stretched beyond normal vision, as the floor seemed aglow with an eerie green light.

To the left, about half-way down was a wide passageway leading away from the cavern, the back of the room held large upright glass tubes where a bubbling liquid sound could be heard. 

Interposing themselves between the party and the equipment at the rear of the room was a gaunt hunched over man in tattered garb. It may have once been a grand outfit hundreds of years ago and the age and wear of the garments easily gave away what type of creature he was even without a visual facial confirmation.

With him stood a dull gray, stone-like minotaur and an obsidian minotaur, it's reflective surface playing tricks with the low light beneath it.

"Your intrusion here is too soon, I cannot make an effective assessment of my work without it being complete first. Leave now and I shall allow you to return when I am fully ready." The gaunt man spoke with a grave inflection.

*Ha! you've surprised him, take him now while he's weak. Don't let these fools dictate to you what you can't and can't do. Seize the power for yourself*

"I think we've stepped too far into the latrine on this one. No?" Paquito whispers

"Korg not know what latrine is, but Korg know undead when smell it." Korg says under his breath

"Charge!" Lothred's voice shatters an uncomfortable silence as the magister closes the gap and launches an _acid bolt_ into the lich's frame. The bolt dissolves away some of the filthy outer robes, but fails to do anything further.

Gronar watches the apprehension upon the faces of those behind him, turns ands sees the little elfy rush headlong into the enemy. gripping his sword tight his forces his blood to seethe with an ancestral desire as he too charges the stunned trio of enemies.

The smell of courage fills Gorfine's nostrils as he watches Lothred and Gronar engage the enemy on their home soil, he too waves off the rest of the party and runs to the battle. Omar, his dwarven blood calling to him from a far off place, brings a ringing to his ears like that of a hammer struck anvil and it rouses him to action as well. "For the mountains!" 

Ratchet blinks to Gronar's shoulder and hears the puffing plodding of the dwarf behind him. Ratchet hears an arcane chant ahead of him as a spell, more ancient than perhaps this cavern, is ushered from the skeletal jaw of the lich. 

Before the rest of the party, a pained moan echoes from the ground in front of them, just prior to a wall of near insubstantialness erupting from the pained earth. Ghostly visages and auditory warnings powered by the negative material plane and driven through the ethereal plane seem to dance slowly across a surface that is at once non-existent and very real.

The appearance of the wall of spirits causes Gorfine to pull up just short of the minotaurs and fires off two arrows from his longbow, the attacks bounce ff the gray minotaur as if it was actually made completely of stone. 

The attack draws the gray minotaur's attention to Gorfine and the beast lumbers towards Gorfine, stopping about twenty feet from the black minotaur and opening it's mouth in a wide "O" shape as a green gas escapes from the gray minotaur and envelopes Gorfine. Once the gas dissipates a statuesque form of Gorfine remains, eternally posed for all to see.

As Gronar charges passed the gray minotaur, he arcs his sword at the beat's head and clips it's neck, thick gray blood pours from the critical wound as the minotaur bellows a painful cry into the cavern walls. Korg watches as Gorfine is rendered useless and resolves to protect his friend from this undead most foul. 

The hill giant takes a step back and leaps through the ghostly impediment. An unimaginable cold licks at Korg's skin as his vision is assaulted by a myriad of death scenes most of the unpleasant violent variety. Landing on the far side, Korg shakes off the bitter cold as his skin has turned a deathly blue-white, the hill giant makes his way for a close distance to launch his artillery of faith at the undead monstrosity.

Paquito, wary of the wall, tries to fire _magic missiles_ through the apparitions, only to have the spell disappear through the ether once it comes into contact with the wall. Dismayed, Paquito looks over to Finrod and Luciann.

"You'll have to jump through like Korg did, or we're going to need reinforcements from upstairs. No?"

"Jump, through that? That's crazy, you saw what it did to Korg, that's not natural. I'll go get reinforcements." Finrod yells back.

"Wait! We can do this, getting reinforcements will take too long anyhow, one side going to be dead long before you would get back with anyone." Luciann spoke reason to Finrod

Finrod looked Paquito and Luciann up and down, swallowed his courage and stepped up to the spirit wall. The faces within coalesced in front of a terrified Finrod, void filled bottomless eyes peered back at the elf from every imaginable race, they each silently screamed out in pain and horror attempting to entice the elf into the wall. Finrod reached out a hand to touch the ethereal surface and a deluge of suffering and torment washed up his arm and into his soul. Finrod screamed and twisted his body violently from the wall and ran for the cavern entrance.

Luciann ran to intercept his fellow elf, but Finrod bull rushed him over at the entrance and began to head into the tunnel beyond, he only had to go ten feet before he found reinforcements, unfortunately they were of the umber hulk persuasion and definitely not friendly towards the party.

Pulling up short as the tunnel walls around him collapsed, Finrod tried to take it all in before the floor beneath him collapsed as well, sending the elf tumbling down a pit trap neatly dug by a waiting umber hulk at the bottom of the fall.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Pulling up short as the tunnel walls around him collapsed, Finrod tried to take it all in before the floor beneath him collapsed as well, sending the elf tumbling down a pit trap neatly dug by a waiting umber hulk at the bottom of the fall.




Beautiful.   

I also love the exchanges we've seen in the last few updates between Lothred and his... ahem... rod. Very well done, but how do you handle that at the table? Notes? Or are your players just really good at separating player knowledge from character knowledge?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> Beautiful.
> 
> I also love the exchanges we've seen in the last few updates between Lothred and his... ahem... rod. Very well done, but how do you handle that at the table? Notes? Or are your players just really good at separating player knowledge from character knowledge?





Wait 'til next update and see what Lothred does with his rod....

There are only 2 players in the game I wouldn't want to give OOC knowledge to as they seem to struggle with that.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*It gets worse*

Gronar brings his heavy blade crashing down upon the obsidian minotaur, the powerful blow merely scratches the construct. Ratchet fades in behind Gronar and gives the hill giant a temporary strength boost.

Korg calls forth a brilliant steam of faith from his holy symbol, the _searing light _ strikes an invisible barrier just in front of the lich and is diffused harmlessly around the undead creature.

Lothred aims his staff at the lich and issues forth a stream of acid at the lich, Lothred's spell also fails to reach it's target as it too is deflected away. 

_*Bah, you'll never get through it's spell resistance, you're too weak. Get some fodder like Paquito up here to waste his spells.*_

Lothred motions to Korg to get his attention, "His spell resistance is too strong, we're going to have to try another way." 

Korg laughs at the teifling's gestures and nods in agreement of something, Lothred couldn't be sure if Korg understood him at all.

_*Hah! Fool! You'd probably engage darkness if you thought it had ears.*_

"Shut-up! I'm trying to think!" Lothred shouts, confusing Korg and Ratchet.

The obsidian minotaur paws at Gronar's chest, it's brittle claws shattering and splintering into the wound track, as it's sharp claws disintegrate into Gronar's chest, torrid orangish lava leaks out from the obsidian minotaur's fingers and splashes across the hill giant's chest as well.

Gronar howls in pain as he tries to wipe off the burnt char of his flesh. Meanwhile the just excised claws of the construct grow back white-hot and seething to their former length and darken as they cool in the dampness of the underdark.

Korg moves over to help Ratchet attend to his friend, with the three heroes lined up nicely for the lich, it chooses now to act and arcs a bolt of lightening through the two hill giants and the gnome. Nearly felling Gronar and giving Ratchet a nasty burn.

_*Soon now, soon it will be just you, and then who would be left to boast too? If only you survive then this battle has little consequence.*_

Lothred was preparing and answer when the room shook like a man with demon fever. A low rumble echoed from the mammoth passage exiting the room to Lothred's left, peering over his shoulder the teifling spotted the red glow of two large eyes off in the distance down the passage.

Silenced reigned for a brief moment before a draconic roar of outrage and hatred filled the room deafening all those who use ears to hear. Then the heavy feet of the dragon vibrated through wall and body as the dragon made it's way down the passageway in a near sprint.

"I'm dead." Lothred said aloud, realizing he had no way of getting far enough away from a charging dragon to escape it's wrath.

_*Let me help you, you will be triumphant!*_

"I don't trust you." Lothred shouted as he unconsciously pulled the metal rod from his backpack.

_*What does trust have anything to do with? I would think you would trust the lich or dragon to destroy you? After those two, the unknown I am offering looks pretty good.*_

Lothred held up the rod and closed his eyes, "Ok tell me what to do!"

The activation words poured into Lothred from a place as bleak and dark none but the damned dared call it home. The immense energy of the rod enveloped Lothred as the head of the dragon breached the room and open it's jaws to retribution. A sickening laugh pounded against Lothred's soul.

Paquito gave a long look to Luciann as they watched Finrod slip below their eyesight level in the passage, as umber hulks scattered into the passage like roaches. Dozens of the chitinous beasts, their shells clattering like an insane symphony, choke off the view of the only viable (to Paquito and Luciann at this point) exit to this lich's room.

"****!" They sounded in unison as Paquito fired off a _scorching ray _ at the nearest umber hulk. Luciann began to intone the words of a spell, only to catch the gaze of the creature he intended to blow up. The world became a rush of colors and physical sound, Luciann stumbled away unsure of where he was or what he was doing.

The elf nearly tripped several times as he groped his way through a soup of color and material noise, as Luciann felt for a wall or Paquito, his hands reached into the wall of spirits. Cold, freezing even his very thoughts welled up through Luciann's body, then the images came. They swept away the confusing colors and sounds like an ogre kicking a wooden door in, thousands of dead and dying lay before a wasteland as a skeletal figure moved through the sea of death, prodding and spearing those that tried to rise above their prone positions.

Sometimes it would halt it's solitary walk and pick up a rotting, bloated corpse, twist it into an unimaginable shape and then animate it to feed on the dying beneath it. The skeletal creature picked up another body and shoved it's arms through it's own chest, breaking it's collarbone with a sick crunch, it then ripped off it's lower jaw before animating the poor soul. It's fingers wiggling helplessly out of it's abdomen and it's moans only high pitched screeches with no tongue to give it form.

The skeletal figure wiped away the blood from the body beneath it's creation and the Luciann's own visage appeared under the mire. The skeletal form there set it's new animated work on top of a broken but screaming Luciann to gnaw away at his skin for all eternity. Luciann's mind snapped and he ran delirious into the waiting arms of the umber hulk horde.

Hopelessness washed over Paquito, then he felt the ground shake and the dragon's roar, and his mind cleared. There would be only one way out of this, which would it be? Umber hulks, lich and dragon, or death? He briefly gave death a thought but then realized that mating would no longer be an option while undead.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Oh man, throw the encounter levels out the window, these guys are in for some hurtin'

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*I'm not really feeling myself today*

As the sweaty breath of the dragon bore down on Lothred, he hoped the bite would be clean through and his death instantaneous. As seconds wore on, he wondered what was taking the dragon so long, the twisted beast must be playing with him, taunting Lothred to open his eyes and stare death in the face. He wouldn't do, he'd wait out the dragon until starvation took hold if need be, but he wasn't about to watch the jaws close around him.

Nothing came.

_*open your eyes, we've won*_ 

Lothred heard the voice again, he didn't want to believe the words, he cracked one eye and then the next and looked up into the gullet of the dragon, hovering inches above his head. It's laws poised to strike as if a steel trap. Confused Lothred looked around and caught the eyes of Gronar, Omar, Ratchet, Korg and the lich staring back in awe and fear.

_*what do we want the dragon to do?*_ 

"Kill the li.." Lothred started his reply

_*No! The lich is easily defeated, kill the guardian first*_ 

"Kill the minotaur!" Lothred's voice echoed off the cavern wall

The dragon lurched up and took a step over the huddled Lothred, Gronar watched as the dragon eyed the obsidian minotaur he then looked over at the lich who was attempting to sneak away from the battle. The hill giant roared out and charged the undead figure, he blade crushed bones and hidden potions about the lich. 

Korg scampered away from the lunging dragon and blasted a hole through the retreating lich, it's form collapsed in a heap of bones and smoldering rags. Then the dragon struck, it's powerful jaws clamping around the waist of the stone guardian and gnawing away as the obsidian minotaur hammered it's fists into the side of the dragon's mouth. shards of obsidian flew through the air, molten rock splashed across the eyes of the dragon, as the enormous dragon brought it's prey up to the ceiling and then slammed the construct back into the stone floor shattering the minotaur into a thousand tiny fragments of obsidian that shred the dragon's eyes blinding the creature.

The dragon pounded it's head into the cavern wall as the pain ripped through it's head. 

_*get control or it'll trample us*_ 

Lothred held up the rod and willed the dragon to cease moving.

"We need help down here! No!" Paquito shouted, with the lich's demise the spirit wall had also ceased to exist. Paquito stood slack-jawed as the crumpled mess of the lich, the shattered remains of two guardian constructs, and the body of a dragon bleeding profusely from it's head lay amid the party. 

The rest of the party saw the umber hulk mass pouring forth from the cavern entrance, they quickly took a deep breath and waded up to meet the new challenge. Lothred too turned to help, until the voice came back.

_*what are you doing?*_ 

"Helping, the umber hulks will .."

_*shut-up, you have the perfect opportunity here, a downed dragon. Kill it before it awakens and breathes you into the astral plane for eternity.*_ 

"It's sleeping"

_*not for long, who do you think controls the dragon? Not you I hope*_ 

Lothred realized what the rod had done when he tried to drop the rod from his grasp, he found his hands would not open. 

A sick laugh reverberated through Lothred's mind.

_*stupid mortal, I control the dragon, because I control you*_ 

"Wait! we need to kill the dragon first! It's the greatest threat!" Lothred shouted

Gronar, Omar and Ratchet stopped and considered Lothred words for a moment. 

"Bald man with stick smart. Best not leave enemies behind you." Gronar spoke

The three men retreated back to the dragon's sleeping form.

"I've put it under a deep sleep, a well placed slice across the neck followed by some continued bashing about it's head will do it in quickly." Lothred directed

Paquito watched as only Korg came up to help stem the flow of umber hulks, looking back he saw Gronar raise his sword to the throat of the dragon, the dim light reflected off the blade's metal to reveal brass tinged scales below.

"Wait!" Paquito shouted


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> ... The hill giant roared out and charged the undead figure, he blade crushed bones and hidden potions about the lich.
> ...




I loved this.  Nothing like the party taking out the enemy, and their own potential treasure.

Thanks for the .sig add, I've been thinking of changing mine around too.

GW


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> _*not for long, who do you think controls the dragon? Not you I hope*_
> 
> Lothred realized what the rod had done when he tried to drop the rod from his grasp, he found his hands would not open.
> 
> A sick laugh reverberated through Lothred's mind.
> 
> _*stupid mortal, I control the dragon, because I control you*_





Man! I am _* WAY *_ to player-friendly with my intelligent magic items!


I wish I'd read this prior to the current situation in my own campaign...


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*The Dearly Departed*

But it was too late, a chorus of blows rang down upon the slumbering dragon and the floor beneath the dragon's head was transformed into a cutting board for swords. Gronar, Omar and Lothred cheered their success. The latent dream of all adventures to crush a mighty dragon had been realized.

Even the alien intellect of the umber hulks understood the magnitude of what just transpired, and they began backing away form the party and back down the corridor. Luciann made sure their retreat was in earnest by blasting the short hallway with a _fireball_ frying the first couple of umber hulks and causing the rest to turn theirs backs and flee.

Paquito raced to help Luciann off the ground and together the two of them looked for the body of Finrod. Omar went to the downed lich and began disrobing the fleshless being, looking for any signs of magical treasures. Gronar proudly displayed his greatsword, held high over the fallen dragon.

"We must seek the lair of this dragon and collect our winnings" Lothred shouted.

"Gold! Piles and piles of gold! To swim in a sea of gold is the only reason a dwarf would ever learn to swim." Omar states

Korg and Ratchet reached the pit where Finrod's torn body is found.

"Elfy still alive." Korg speaks

"I don't think anything would be alive looking like that." Rachet counters

"No, Korg know Elfy still alive, Elfy still bleeding. No bleed, dead. Bleed, alive." Korg answers and uses his remaining spells to revive the downed elf to nearly full strength.

Paquito and Luciann pour over the work tables and texts leftover from the lich. They examine the large glass tubes and discover the left one still have a body in it that is apparently still alive, or animated.

"We're wasting valuable time skimming the musings of a mad man, there's riches to be gained! Components to be had (Lothred says while poking the dead dragon)! Let's go!" Lothtred commands as he points down the passageway from whence the dragon came.

Gronar, Omar, Korg, Ratchet and Finrod all lined up behind the magister, ready to clear out whatever composed the dragon's hoard.

"You ready?" Luciann asked Paquito

"These books are worth thousands, and none of them are on necromancy nor arcane knowledge, most are about faith and creation. Why would the lich have these? Seems counterproductive. No?"

"Maybe he was an eclectic reader?" Luciann responds as he too gets in step behind the rest of the group as they head off into the dragon carved passageway.

The passageway turned to the left, then right and turned back on itself.

"Maze. This dragon wanted it's secrets kept safe. Keep a sharp eye out, in fact, dwarf why don't you lead." Lothred demands

Omar no sooner turns the corner than gets impaled with a dart trap, pinning the dwarf to the corner wall as hundreds of tiny spiders crawl forth from the holes left by the dart's departure. 

The party had a difficult time taking down the twin swarms, but they soon prevailed, however not without some bumps and bruises. Omar called forth the power to heal his wounds, but his prayers went unanswered and no healing abilities were granted. Confused and feeling isolated, Omar voted that they return to the minotaur lair and rest up before proceeding. 

Lothred would have none of that however. Insisting that the treasure lay just beyond the next turn and that the worst of the traps had been defeated, he slowly began inching himself down the hallway. Korg convinced Gronar that the best action would be to rest up and then come back with a few wheelbarrows and slaves to help carry the gold out.

"No! there shall be no retreat while I lead this rabble!" Lothred shouts and produces a thin metal rod from within a hidden pouch on the inside of his robe. Lothred raises the rod into the air and becomes wracked with pain and he begins screaming in two voices.

"That's my body!"

"You lost it, I found it"

"You're through!"

"You never started!"

Lothred's shattered mind compels his body to rush headlong down the corridor and turn the corner. A brilliant flash of light followed by a cloud of fire and smoking debris, then a zap of electricity and the smell of human hair.

Without a trap disarming rogue, the party decides to head back above ground and rest up before seeing what became of Lothred.

That night however was restless for a few people, starting with Korg.

The hill giant appears in Garastus and Umtala's court, Umtala sits on her throne of marble and beckons Korg forward. He stops a step away from the dais which their thrones sit. Kneeling he bows his head.

"I have been watching your progress young priest of mine, I have been pleased with efforts, especially against the aspects of Vaprak. For as you know, Vaprak likes to think of himself as the creator of my wayward children. It pleased me so, watching his powerful essence fade away at the hands of one of my priests. And while Garastus refuses to admit it, he too enjoyed failure Vaprak endured."

"I had intended upon bestowing you a token of my favor, yet what I saw this afternoon troubles me. I watched as a powerful creature of the earth was slaughtered, not in combat, not by poisons, not by time, and not through willing sacrifice. I watched as my priest did nothing, but watch as an elven masquerader compelled the mighty warrior to lay still so that it may be easily bested. You follow the Umtala way of strength, yet this act was most assuredly not rooted in that foundation."

"But your holiness, I did not know of the dragon's intentions" Korg replies

"I do not expect my followers to know such information. I do expect my followers to adhere to my edicts. The strong will prevail, but only by getting stronger and overcoming our challenges through the strength of our faith. Weakness is a sign of those with no faith, and those with no faith never learn anything. Had Korg the mighty stood against a coherent dragon and beaten it, oh the annuals and sonnets that would be written about you. Had Korg the mighty stood his ground against the dragon and never backed down and showed the dragon you respect the earth much as it does, that would show the strength of faith. However Korg the meek, allowed an elven masquerader to believe that waiving a magic stick and having the dragon take death like a simpering goblin, does not show me you have the strength of faith needed to carry my banner across the Mountains of Twilight."

"But as I am confident that you have merely mistepped along your way, I offer you these choices. One, Lose access to the Strength domain until such time I have deemed that you have atoned. Two, speak with the copper dragon and ask it for forgiveness and pledge to fulfill one request of it. Three, without the use of any prayers you must travel to my nearest temple and speak to the scion within."

"Choose wisely and do not falter in the strength of your faith. I also caution you thusly, the elven masquerader in your midst does not follow the way of the strong, he will lead you astray. He is not born of earth and he bears no allegiance to it, do not allow him to show you the weaker path. It is not the path of giants."

The throne room slowly fades and the holy symbol of Umtala comes into view, the mighty hill giant sighs a breath of defeat, then catches himself. He would be strong, he will be Korg, and no more of listening to puny Elfy's.


----------



## Jon Potter

I didn't realize that was a copper dragon.

And the lich had a bunch of holy texts.

And the party clerics are having spell casting troubles.

Ummm... oops!   




			
				Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> "I have been watching your progress young priest of mine, I have been pleased with efforts, especially against the aspects of Vaprak.




And I must admit that I don't recall this bit. Care to refresh my memory?


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> I didn't realize that was a copper dragon.
> 
> And the lich had a bunch of holy texts.
> 
> And the party clerics are having spell casting troubles.
> 
> Ummm... oops!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I must admit that I don't recall this bit. Care to refresh my memory?




Blunt trauma from the DM applied to player heads it looks like.

I wasn't sure if the holy texts were the dragon's or the lich's.  Was the dragon reading good stuff, and the lich siezed control of it?  Or was the lich somehow good too?

Who needs an elfy in the party anyway?

Does the Elf player show up here to read?

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Those posts were gobbled up the the board meltdown. Do you remember the ogre-like creature that had elven children chained to himself? That was an aspect of Vaprak, they also destroyed a magical item that prevented another aspect from entering the prime as well (although at the time the PCs didn't know that).


The lich was EVIL, what is was doing and why it only had those apparent items will be revealed in the next post. Although you might gleam it from knowing the nature of copper dragons and one of Paquito's last comments before they entered the dragon's "maze".

The party didn't know they did anything wrong either and I sought the advice of a great many people (including this board) on how I should handle it with regards to the good PCs and the clerics of deities/domains of earth/strength/dragons etc... 

The next post has a lot of soul searching and investigative work, and the aforementioned _attonement_  spell that shakes up the group. (Korg casts it, but not on himself)


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Those posts were gobbled up the the board meltdown. Do you remember the ogre-like creature that had elven children chained to himself? That was an aspect of Vaprak, they also destroyed a magical item that prevented another aspect from entering the prime as well (although at the time the PCs didn't know that).
> 
> 
> The lich was EVIL, what is was doing and why it only had those apparent items will be revealed in the next post. Although you might gleam it from knowing the nature of copper dragons and one of Paquito's last comments before they entered the dragon's "maze".
> 
> The party didn't know they did anything wrong either and I sought the advice of a great many people (including this board) on how I should handle it with regards to the good PCs and the clerics of deities/domains of earth/strength/dragons etc...
> 
> The next post has a lot of soul searching and investigative work, and the aforementioned _attonement_  spell that shakes up the group. (Korg casts it, but not on himself)




Yep, I remember that guy, and the room of bones with the thing in the middle.

I still remember some of what you posted before.  Sadly it is lost.  

Now I can't wait for the next update.

GW


----------



## Jon Potter

Yep, I remember that guy too. Didn't remember him as an aspect of Vaprak, though.

So, just speculating, but the logical choice for an atonement spell is Omar. And the dwarf paragon goes to a giant for the spell? That seems... counterproductive.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*How much is your faith worth?*

Paquito asks the giants and Coridorrian to take a contingent of minotaurs back to the lich’s lab and bring back anything not nailed down. Once down at the lab however, the giant’s and the minotaurs reach an impasse.

“Gronar want to go look where dragon came from.”  The hill giant stood defiantly as the minotaurs loaded up books and manuscripts on top of an old table they transformed into a serviceable skid.

“We don’t know what’s in there we might all die, and WE can simply not afford that.” Coridorrian states, emphasizing the word “we”

“Korg, want you think? Gronar think horn heads is too wimpy. Gronar think giants not have any problems down there.” Gronar replies pointing down the long hallway from which the dragon came yesterday. Korg however had other things on his mind, as he failed to hear Gronar’s question.

“Korg?” Gronar said as he nudged the fellow hill giant, “Korg!” he yelled

Korg snapped out of his daze and just shrugged his shoulders; the beaten and broken body of the dragon brought back memories of his visit to Umtala’s realm. Korg’s failure weighed heavily on his mind, “Korg, going to help minotaurs today, then think about what Korg will do tomorrow.” 

Gronar felt hurt as Korg seemed to ignore him, ever since they triumphed over the dragon and lich, Korg seemed to not want to be bothered.

With the last of the loose ends of the lab packed up, Coridorrian checked out the three large glass tubes filled with an opaque liquid that bubbled every now and then. Press an eye to the middle tube, she was startled by something dark squirming against the inside of the tube. Steeling herself, the maze mage peers into the tube again and gets an eyeful of terror as she twists away from the tube and backs up a good twenty feet, she then order her minions back to the maze with the recovered items as quickly as possible. The two giants comply while looking back at the tubes, but do not peek inside them.

Once they group had returned to the maze, Coridorrian orders most of the books to her private quarters and the rest of the manuscripts and supplies she has brought to the armory. She requests a meeting with Paquito and waits impatiently outside of his room.

Korg declines a lunch with Gronar, and instead retires to his quarters where he sits in quiet meditation, sitting in the dark naked with as much of himself in contact with the earth as possible.

“Korg!” Omar shouts as he nearly breaks down the door to gain access to Korg’s room. 

Korg jumps out of his meditation and into the now as Omar rushes to Korg’s side and shakes him, trying to wake him from what Omar assumes is a nap.

“What dwarf want with Korg? Dwarf not tell when Korg meditating to Umtala?” The hill giant protests

“Gah! You’re naked!” Omar shouts as he averts his stare to the opposite wall, “Korg, I’m in big trouble. I’ve got no spells and I seem to have lost contact with my deity.”

“Korg think you not pray hard enough. Maybe you need to dig hole and sit in it for a week to get closer to your god.” The hill giant offers

“You got to help me, I can’t fix what’s wrong if I don’t know what I did.” Omar weeps

“Squat one make good point. Although Korg hardly the person to fix your problem. Dwarf need to find someone else of dwarf faith.” Korg explains

“There is no one and if we go back down to wipe out the umber hulks, I’ll be useless. What is a cleric without access to healing or spells? A beggar, that’s what.” Omar pleads

“If Korg try, will squat man leave Korg alone for rest of Korg life?” The hill giant asks

“Yes, I promise!” Omar begs

Korg nods and returns to a sitting position on the floor, Omar watches as Korg’s body seems to melt into the floor below them and disappears altogether. Having seen this before, Omar pulls a pillow off of Korg’s bed and sits himself down on it to wait for the giant’s return.

Paquito finally rises from his nap and lets Coridorrian into his room.

“Look at this! I found this below, I thought you would want to see it first before word got out amongst the rest of the them.” The maze mage advises, referring to everyone else currently in the minotaur’s maze.

Paquito turns the cured skin of some animal’s hide book cover over in his claws and looks up questionably at his maze mage, “Surely I will contract some sort of disease from this. No?” 

“Start near the back, it’s a journal. Reads the last few entries.” Coridorrian presses


_Day 78 – Managed to convert most of the dragon’s hoard into raw materials, thanks to the gate in the Unclean book. A group of elves wandered up through the dragon’s auditorium, apparently planning on watering the plants I killed off a week ago. I surprised them and all five succumbed to unconsciousness. I will use them for barter with the yugoloth.

Day 91 – Lac is complete, I have begun taming the local umber hulk population, and they tell me of a minotaur tribe above us. I re-sculpted my construct to the likeness of a minotaur.

Day 112- After finally breaking through to the maze above us, I have discovered the tribe in disarray and without effective leadership. I have begun picking off stragglers here and there, and plan to trade them to the yugoloth.

Day 113 – I traded the minotaurs, the elves, and some umber hulks to the yugoloth for the ioun stone and the Hammer of Making. My lab is now complete. I scryed for a gorgon and upon locating one some distance from here, I brought back it’s carcass to the lab.

Day 114 – The crossbreeding is a success, my gorgotaur stands ready to serve me, as the fading minotaur tribe is starting to put up a resistance to my minions. I have located the body of their former leader along with a powerful abyssal conduit. I am going to try and merge their dead leader with a summoned osiluth to see what pops out.

Day 115 – My new creature walks today, it’s former husk crawls with thousands of fiendish scorpions, I have sent it up to terrorize the last vestiges of his former tribe. I need no interruptions as I complete my next experiment. The dragon had a visitor today, a dryad walked into the lab, surpassing all of my wards. I crushed her will, then her spirit, then pillaged her body for replacement parts. The rest of her I will see what can be used in my experiments

Day 119 – I traded the rest of the dragon’s forgotten hoard for a block of metal from the prison walls of Carceri, the emerald armor of a disgraced paladin, and the flayed skin of a nalfeshnee. I have added on an additional holding tank to my lab and will try to combine inanimate objects along with the creatures with my next round of creations.

Day 120 – I have decided on my next direction, however I felt the teleportation magic from an old source above me. The life sols have nearly doubled, the minotaurs must have gotten outside assistance. I smell a half-blood among them, I feel I shall have more samples to play with soon._


“I fear once the elves learn of the dragon’s fate, we will be unable to stop the blood that will be shed on both sides. No?” 

“Actually I was referring to the crossbreeding experiments, maybe we could use them for our own purposes?” Coridorrian responds

“Oh sure, there’s that too. Maybe you should look into that. No?” Paquito replies to the excited maze mage

Korg resurfaces in front of a weary Omar.

“What did you learn?” Omar says as he leaps to his feet

“Your god is angry at you for the part you played in the destruction of the dragon.” Korg’s voice was deeper and much more articulate that Omar ever remembered it being.

“How do I fix it?” Omar inquired as he cut off Korg

“Umtala has agreed to grant you atonement, but you must declare you faith to be that of the Fire and of the Earth, instead of the Forge and Fire.” Korg announces

“Agreed!” Omar shouts without thinking

Disappointment rains upon Korg’s face as he begins to intone the words of the spell, Umtala was right. This one had no faith worth saving.


----------



## Jon Potter

Yeah! Another update! I was afraid that this one had gone the way of Tharhack.   



			
				Hairy Minotaur said:
			
		

> Omar shouts as he averts his stare to the opposite wall, “Korg, I’m in big trouble. I’ve got no spells and I seem to have lost contact with my deity.”




I was right!



> “Start near the back, it’s a journal. Reads the last few entries.” Coridorrian presses




Well that journal certainly cleared up a lot of mysteries that had been piling up.



> “Umtala has agreed to grant you atonement, but you must declare you faith to be that of the Fire and of the Earth, instead of the Forge and Fire.” Korg announces
> 
> “Agreed!” Omar shouts without thinking
> 
> Disappointment rains upon Korg’s face as he begins to intone the words of the spell, Umtala was right. This one had no faith worth saving.




So... what will this development mean for the future, I wonder? Did Omar actually switch domains, or was that "declaration of faith" fluff alone?


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> So... what will this development mean for the future, I wonder? Did Omar actually switch domains, or was that "declaration of faith" fluff alone?




He switched domains (and his current deity does not have earth as a domain).... What did his deity think of that? You'll find out in the next post.


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Farewell and Hello*

“The trees have told me that the elves are surrounding the maze.” The maze mage reports

“It won’t be long now, best to get the tribe below in the lich’s lab. No?” 

“I have already begun those preparations; however your giants refuse to help.” Corridorian counters

_*sigh*_ “I’ll go talk to them make sure the entrance is collapsed before midnight. No?” 

The maze mage nods and heads off to round up the remaining minotrices. Paquito enters the entrance foyer and encounters Korg and Gronar, their belongings stacked against the far wall. 

“What’s this? You are leaving me for the elves. No?” 

“No, Korg go heal scar with Umtala. Korg not needed here no more, no one left to preach to.” The hill giant explains

“What makes you think that, I still need you, the tribe still needs you. No?”

“This not Korg tribe, Pokey will be fine. Little man not be fine.” Korg replies

“Little man? What does that mean, and why are you leaving now before an impending assault from the elves? You are afraid perhaps? No?”

“Korg only fear loss of Umtala, Korg must go find center of Korg and fix hole. Korg will miss Pokey.” A single tear drains down Korg’s cheek as the cleric and his hill giant protector collect their things and head up the stairs and into the early evening dusk light.

Paquito nearly topples over, the two best fighters he knew were gone and the two people he was counting on not letting a single elf into the maze. He heard the hissing of the lizardman behind him, tempting him with power. Taunting him with the loss of two hill giants, the promise of an offensive onslaught. The lizardman could easily sneak out and wipe out all the surrounding elves before dawn. All that would serve was to delay the inevitable for a few hours.

Paquito drew in a deep breath and eased out his last bit of hope, he turned and motioned for the lizardman to approach.

“The minotrices have been moved, I will summon some thoqqua to bring down the entrance to the maze.” The maze mage paused as if to question something, then thought better and left Paquito to ponder failure his own way. She crossed the floor, aiming for the opposite exit but stopped and turned back, “Are you sure you got all of Taurranous’ stain out?”

“You imply that I have not. No?”

“Simply that I feel uncomfortable down there, like sitting below a dam and watching as it cracks before you, knowing that you’re about to drown.” The maze magic replied

“Now you tell me? The giants have left, the flaky sorcerer ran off and now you tell me Taurranous is still alive. I feel happy about this truly. No?”

“I’m not implying he’s alive, only that maybe you missed something.” The maze mage counters

“I have the eyes of a hawk, if I missed anything it’s because it was buried beneath miles of solid rock. No?” Paquito answers

“Maybe you should look again.” The maze mage says as she finishes her exit out of the room

Paqutio mulls over the request, collapse the entrance and hide, look again down below and hope to find whatever Corridorian felt soon enough to placate the elves, or stand and fight now and forever more.

A rapping on the door brought the half-dragon out of he meditative trance, “yes?” came the reply

“I’m heading back down below the maze again, I could use your help. No?”

A few moments later a battle-dressed Sillaqui opens the door, “It’s about time you brought me along, and singing to the walls was getting very annoying.”

“If it was irritating you, you should have let me know, I know how to scratch an itch. No?” 

Paquito gathers Ratchet, Omar, Luciann, Finrod and Gorfine as well, “Well, at least we’ll have lots of magic and monster fodder.” Paquito says implying Finrod was the fodder

“What does that mean? And where are Korg and Gronar? You’re leading us to our deaths aren’t you?” Finrod exclaims

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing, we can’t fight the elves, so we’re going to go fight Taurranous again without the giants because I think we have a better shot at that.” Paquito pauses and then finishes, “Idiot. No?”

“Either way it’s fine with me as long as you die in the process.” Gorfine adds

“Not to worry.” Sillaqui states holding back Paquito, “after spending so much time with minotaurs recently, I am certain I could sterilize him with a lightening bolt.”

“That’s enough foreplay. No?” 

“Sick.” Ratchet comments

The part heads out and retraces their steps after Taurranous was defeated, they come across a “T” in the corridor and take the path they neglected the first time. Traveling for over a mile in a passageway that transforms from rough stone into smooth worked stone, Paquito feels confident that he did miss something and that it would be found at the end of the passage. 

Reaching the end of the passage, the side walls and ceiling disappear, the floor continues for another twenty feet before it starts to drop at a steep sixty degree angle.

“Wow.” Omar says wow, wow, wow his voice echoes across a cavern whose dimensions are unseen even in darkvision

The party cautiously descends the ramp, as Sillaqui begins to sing an ancient elven song of courage.

“This is where I’d ambush us, there’s no way to go and if we leap off the edge we can’t tell if there’s even a floor below.” Gorfine suggests

The party reaches the bottom of the ramp and step out onto a sandy type of black dirt. A faint buzzing sound can be heard to either side of them.

“I don’t like this, maybe we should go back?” Finrod complains

“Look up ahead.” Omar points out a large seated figure in the darkness, even his underdark sight fails to bring out any details in the figure’s form.

The party readies for battle, unsheathing weapons and beginning defensive incantations. As they do so the buzzing sound gets louder and closer.

“What is that?” Ratchet asks

“Sounds like wasps.” Sillaqui answers

“Pfft, down here? What would they eat?” Gorfine asks

At the edge of his sight, Omar spies a darkening cloud race towards him at hurricane speed, the buzzing crescendos into body vibrating hum. 

“Incoming!” Omar shouts as he readies a spell, “Scorching ray!” Omar shouts to no effect. “Scorching ray!” the dwarf shouts with more urgency this time, again his god fails to answer

Paquito remembered back to what Korg said as he left, that _“The little man wouldn’t be okay.”_ Paquito starts forward to grab the dwarf, “Omar retreat!” unfortunately Paquito’s voice is drowned out by the drone of hundreds of wasps.

“AAAAIIEEEE!!!!” Omar screams as the wasps land all over him and envelope the dwarf in a thick cloud of undulating stingers. Omar claws at his throat as the wasps force their way into the cleric’s mouth and down his throat. They march their way through his ear canal and up his sinuses. Even entering his armor and assaulting other less inviting openings. The entire attack lasted less than twelve seconds.

Suddenly there was no sound, no more buzzing. Omar’s form stood motionless facing the sitting creature, which hadn’t moved, more concernedly there were no wasps to be found.

“Omar?” Finrod asks

The dwarf’s head rose, and the buzzing started again.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Cool, bug animated Omar.

GW


----------



## Jon Potter

Ah, silly, silly cleric.

Never switch deities. Never.

I am curious to see who the seated figure turns out to be...


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Omar swings his fist into the gut of Finrod, the dwarf’s fist was a lot more solid than flesh and bone should be and it seemed to sting a little as well. Finrod backpedaled from the dwarf and as Omar’s fist receded from the elf’s abdomen, Finrod saw it covered in blood, his stomach was bleeding. Omar’s other fist swung for Finrod’s head, this time the elf ducked as saw dozens of wasp stingers stinking out of the flesh of Omar’s fist, in-between knuckles and even out of the finger joints.

Finrod slashed his blade across the thigh of Omar and watched in horror as instead of the blood he expected, a writhing mass of black red wasps erupted from the wound and launched themselves at Finrod. Screaming in terror, Finrod fled back to the entry ramp.

“We are at a disadvantage, no?” Paquito ponders

“What? You what to retreat now that we’re within reach of some great prize? Coward!” Gorfine exclaims

“You don’t know that there’s actually a prize to be gotten do you? Or that you would even want it, Omar looks to have been granted immortality, but I wouldn’t want to get it that way.” Sillaqui scolds the rogue minotaur

Another eruption of wasps sounds from ahead of them, convinced even Gorfine that retreat now was the best option until they could find a way to deal with this wasp threat. They found Finrod cowering at the bottom of the ramp.

“What’s wrong twig?” Gorfine asks

“I can’t climb the ramp, too steep and the dirt is loose, I can’t get a grip.” Finrod replies shaking in terror

“Nonsense, you’re just too afraid to retreat by yourself.” Gorfine insinuates

The drone of wasp wings drowns out further conversation as the animated form of Omar descends upon the party; Paquito shoves Sillaqui out of the way as he impales Omar with his spear. The Minotaur Lord wrenches the weapon free tearing the dwarf’s body along his right ribcage with a horrible gash. The wound unleashes a new flock of bugs that descend upon Finrod. The elf attempts to beat back the swarm with his hands but is soon overmatched as hundreds of the critters alight upon the elf. 

“Retreat!” Paquito shouts as his hefts up Sillaqui and begins a slow ascent up the dirt ramp followed closely behind by Ratchet.

Gorfine instead ignores that order and stabs Finrod several times in the back, the minotaur didn’t know if that was a “thank you” or a “you bastard” look in the elf’s eyes, but Gorfine could care less. The elf would lose his fight eventually and there would be two of those things after them instead of just one.

Ratchet used his races innate ability and blinked to the top of the ramp, just inside the hallway leading to it, and found himself in a dead end corridor. Gorfine, accustomed to climbing all kinds of surfaces, easily outdistanced the encumbered Paquito and reached the top of the ramp, only to find the large stone idol which had been sitting on the floor of the room not half a minute ago blocking his path. Gorfine thought he saw the stone figure’s eyes narrow but dismissed it as a trick of the light, until it raised it’s massive arms slammed Gorfine into the ramp. The stunned minotaur stumbled back and collapsed prone. Luciann trailed behind the rest of the party, unaccustomed to treacherous climbing the elf was driven on by a wanting of not to become what Omar had become.

Paquito saw Gorfine fall, and unable to locate Ratchet, assumed he had come to the end of his life. He put Sillaqui down along side him and touching her cheek one last time mouthed the word “go”, he then charged up the ramp spear in hand mouth curled in a sneer of defiance. The idol slapped at the approaching Paquito, but could not deter the sorcerer from his goal as Paquito thrusts the spear into the eye of the idol and watched his hopes snap like dry kindling as the spear was rendered useless.

A low rumbling sound came from the idol, as if the living stone figure mocked Paquito. Paquito’s hands came together and the Minotaur Lord issued _scorching rays _ from his hands into the center of the stone figure, nothing happened, not even a burn mark. It raised it’s arms again to strike, Paquito stood there not wanting to dodge what fate had deemed his ending would be. He wished the giants could have been here to save him, he wished Benat had come back from her training to snipe this thing from afar. The stone fists came down and struck not Paquito but an intercepting Sillaqui who crumpled to the ground and dropped her cargo, a very stunned Luciann.

“No!” Paquito shouted as he bent down to protect Sillaqui, who was still breathing and looked up at Paquito

“Couldn’t let you go without trying first.” Sillaqui whispered

Luciann sent _magic missiles _ into the idol and watched as they bounced off harmlessly, “impossible” Luciann sighed

Gorfine watched the proceedings from his prone vantage point and decided that to live and fight another day was the best option here. He slowed his breathing and made a concerted attempt to appear for all intensive purposes as dead to anyone who might casually glance in his direction.

The idol reared back for another attack, but a shimmering glow appeared around it’s form, the idol twisted in the archway and turned back to reveal a determined Ratchet unloading a _searing light _ spell into the back of the idol. Paquito watched as the idol seemed to shimmer and in a moment of clarity, deduced why he hadn’t seen his efforts rewarded. The Minotaur Lord rose to his feet and looked down at Luciann. 

“Get up and blast that thing, now!” Paquito shouted as he opened his mouth to call forth the magic of the collar he wore around his neck, a dragon’s gout of fire engulfed the idol.

Luciann stood up and released his _scorching rays _ into the idol as Ratchet fired another _searing light _ spell as the idol. Sillaqui rolled over on her stomach and breathed a cone of ice chilling air at the idol. The combined might of the effects caused the illusion of perfection to shatter and the form of the idol to explode in a shower of rock and debris. The shrapnel was unable to get through Paquito’s and Sillaqui’s tough skin, Ratchet was able to duck away from most of the blast, however Luciann was struck by the head of the idol and his head was crushed as a result of the victory.

Sillaqui and Ratchet attempted to administer first aid but the elf was beyond simple repair. They lifted him off of the ramp and into the hallway where they stayed with him until he ceased breathing. While searching the debris, Paquito located a small bejeweled ring and pocketed it for safe keeping after it’s magical aura was far beyond anything Paquito could comprehend. Paquito then hefted Luciann over his shoulder as the remaining group headed back for the safety of the maze.

“What about Gorfine?” Ratchet asked

“Leave him; I have no use for those you do not wish to participate in a team sport. No?” Paquito answered

Gorfine of course crept up the ramp and into the darkness of the earth after he was sure Paquito and his buddies could no longer hear or see him.

******************************************************************

Luciann was reincarnated as a drow, as a reward for sacrificing himself; Paquito gave him the ring found in the idol rubble. The ring gave Luciann immense intelligence and wisdom at the expense of his health as it brought his Constitution to 2 and transformed his head into the head of an ibis. Thus ended Luciann’s days of adventure as he retired from active participation and designed aquifer and many magical items for the minotaur tribe.

Ratchet stayed with the tribe for a few more months before deciding to try his luck striking out to make his on fortune, to this day he is still annoying subterranean evils with his own band of gnomish hunters.

Finrod and Omar’s bodies were never recovered. 

Korg returned to the maze two years after he left to construct and lead a shrine to Umtala, he now counts about half of the minotaurs and a few members of other races as members and his church seems to be flourishing.

Gronar never returned and Korg does not speak of him, although a few have heard snippets of a prayer Korg gives once a month that mentions Gronar, but nothing more than that. 

Benat finished her training, but never visited the maze; she spoke with Korg a few times when the giant had need to visit the elven town. Soon, she too struck out on her own.

Lothred is currently seeking ways to extend his life from centuries to eternity

Sillaqui resides in the maze and spends her days singing to the children and retelling the deeds of the “reluctant minotaur and the giants.”

Paquito hasn’t been seen in days, having disappeared from his own room one night. He finally had turned the small key his mentor gave over in his hand one too many times and decided to try it on his own door. After hearing a click, Paquito opened his door to find he was no longer in the maze or even on the material plane. Even closing and reopening the door did not work. Currently he is advertising for a way back to his material plane; however, no one in Arborea seems to really care.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Wow, I hadn't realized you were so close to the end of the campaign.  Thanks for coming back to give it words here.

GW


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

Well, this was a campaign started during a break from a regular campaign we were all playing in. We came to a stopping point in this game when the regualr one picked up again. However the regular one only last another 3 sessions and when it came time to decide what to do next, people either wanted to stop playing for awhile or they wanted to start over. 

Paquito, Korg, Lothred & Ratchet's players jumped to the new game the rest of the players didn't. Paquito and Korg's players still have their character sheets so it's always a possibly that these characters might be re-visited which is why there's a little epilogue.   

Thanks for reading I hope it was an enjoyable ride, the other story hour in my sig. contains the same ruleset so "monsterous" races appear in the party there as well. Although no giants.


----------



## Jon Potter

I'm with Graywolf-ELM. I didn't see The End coming.

It's nice to see a wrap-up to the campaign, but I'll miss these guys. No?

Any chance you'd be willing to pull back the curtain one last time? What sort of a critter/template did Omar assume there at the end?


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## Hairy Minotaur

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> I'm with Graywolf-ELM. I didn't see The End coming.
> 
> It's nice to see a wrap-up to the campaign, but I'll miss these guys. No?
> 
> Any chance you'd be willing to pull back the curtain one last time? What sort of a critter/template did Omar assume there at the end?




Paquito's player was sad to see him "retire" and Finrod's player had created a Maug ranger to take the elf's place and was all set to go. Korg's player wanted something a little easier to play (the write may make it sound as if the giants were having a blast, but most of the time they had to stay out of the way due to size and/or INT issues). I know where Paquito is and I've even relocated the maze to the new campaign (I dropped 1 plot hook there, but the party as a whole didn't bite). If the new group goes a certain way they may meet the Minotaur Lord trying to find his way home.

Omar was "infested" with the abyssal swarm (wasp) template from Green Ronin's Advanced Beastary. 

Finrod's character was a little perturbed by Gorfine's player's actions, which is why I wrote that Paquito left Gorfine there (Gorfine's player didn't join the reformed group and he continuously claimed he was playing his alignment the whole time).


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Resurrection*

Paquito looked out over the crystal clear river that wound its way through the copse of trees he had called home for a week now. The sun had never been brighter than it was on this plane, the nights never so darker and the life never so greener. Arborea was truly a plane of life and vibrancy, even breathing it the pure air seemed to invigorate the minotaur. He was passed trying to physically get back to his home world, returning magically was beyond his current abilities and those he spoke with on Arborea seemed disinterested with his plight. Caring more for their own hunt than for the cause of one wayward minotaur. 

He had spent all day watching for signs of yet another hunting party hoping that the next one would have a mage of a power capable of sending him home. The sound of beating hooves drew his attention towards the river as a huge wolf bounded out from the cover of trees on the other side of the river bank. It was followed by several large horses which carried a group of orcs towards their quarry. Paquito stood and raced for the river’s edge, he watched as the orcs drove the wolf into the river. The orcs then pulled up suddenly and parted as they allowed a shaman to come forward, the shaman began intoning a spell as Paquito reached the river a stood at an intercept bearing with the wolf.

“Hail travelers! I am Paquito Flaccido and I can help you capture this beast. No?” 

The orcs seemed confused by Paquito’s presence, but not as much as the wolf which changed its direction and turned to run up river through the water. The huge animal easily bounded through the liquid as the orcs began shouting their objections to this turn of events. The shaman’s spell went off just as the full length of the wolf’s body had passed the minotaur on the river’s edge. A great wave of water more like an open hand of shifting liquid formed at the bank in front of Paquito. The minotaur backed away as the watery hand grew in height to over twenty feet forcing up the water along Paquito’s side. The hand moved away, streaming for the orc’s side of the river. Had the wolf not changed course it would have been swept up and carried over to the orc side. Paquito watched the diminishing figure of the wolf as it raced away to freedom. He then turned back to the disappointed faces of the orcs as they remounted their horses and began to cross the swift moving river. Run was all Paquito could think to do and he took off as fast as he could in the other direction.

The minotaur’s leg were great in short bursts of speed for a charge but were ill suited for a long distance chase especially against forty mounted orcs on heavy warhorses. Still Paquito was quite proud when he had managed to get ninety feet ahead of the orcs before they started spurring on their horses in earnest. The orc’s cavalry ran alongside Paquito once they had caught up with him. The orcs were content to let Paquito tire himself out before taking their prey down via their own accord. Once Paquito realized this as well he stopped running and pulled up to conserve what breath he had left.
“Ho there travelers, out playing with the dogs today. No?”

“That was not a very life conserving move you made back there.” An orc spoke up

“What? I was merely trying to support your cause of a big dinner with lots of friends. No?”

“Your untimely arrival has cost us a fine meal and angered Gruumsh, our god demands retributions be paid.” The orc paused before continuing, “in blood.”
“Well, who am I to restrict the bloodletting practices of your fine band of horse huggers. No?” 

“Your blood.” The orc returns

“You wouldn’t want my blood. I’ve tasted it before and it has high iron content, tastes like rust. No?”

“That is for Gruumsh to decide. Collect the half-boar what Gruumsh does not claim tonight we will dine on.” The orc responds

“Now here, this is not…” Paquito was unable to finish his speech as he was clobbered on the back of his head by an iron shovel wielded by an orc behind him.

The orcs threw Paquito in a skid and dragged him behind a lone horse with an orc rider.  Then band then turned north and rode through a thick forest. Paquito bounced along the ground several times the skiff overturned and dragged the minotaur along face first over the rough ground. This caused the effects of the shovel stun to be short lived as the force of the ground and repeated blows to the front of his head, helped wake the minotaur from his violence induced slumber. 

As the band slowed down to move more effectively through the thick underbrush of the old growth forest, Paquito seized upon a daring escape plan. As the top of his skid was jarred to the right due to hitting a stone, Paquito threw his weight that way as well and managed to overturn the skid. The rider halted to go back and right the skid. As he did Paquito threw his head back and aimed his mouth at the rope connecting the skid to the horse. The orc bent over to see if there was anything wrong with their captive since his neck was twisted severely. Paquito watched as the rope, horse’s arse, and orc face all came together like a celestial conjunction. The minotaur opened his mouth and loosed a gout of flame engulfing all three images in one blast.

The orc reeled backwards and fell on his rump as he pawed at the burnt hair on his face. The rope caught fire quickly and the spooked horse took off as fast as it could. Paquito was dragged another ten feet before the rope failed and the skid deposited Paquito on the ground. The alarm raised, several riders had already turned their horses around and were coming back to see what the commotion was. Paquito worked quickly trying to break free of his bounds before the orcs were upon him.


Sillaqui checked one last time that she had gathered everything she would need before heading for Corridorian’s quarters. The maze mage had found a promising lead on the whereabouts of the tribe’s leader and she wanted to head out as soon as possible. The half-dragon bard twisted the handle to the maze mage’s quarters and pushed the door in, amazed at the large creature that greeted her.

“Blue lady go look for Pokey, Korg go too.” The proud giant stated 

“I fear this mission will be more successful the quicker it can be accomplished and the trampling noise of a hill giant across the landscape will not bring about quiet conditions.” Sillaqui explains

“Pokey give Korg purpose after Gronar die. Korg will go find Pokey.” The hill giant counters

“I tried to keep him out, but he refused to believe we had left him in charge of the tribe in our absence.” Corridorian explains

“Corridorian your magic will be far more beneficial to bringing back Paquito than Korg’s will. I’m sorry Korg but we need you to stay here and watch over the tribe while we’re gone.” Sillaqui responds

“Korg no take no from blue lady, Korg have own magic, blue lady think Korg not good enough. Korg show blue lady new tricks.” Korg’s chest swelled with ego.

“We all three can’t go, there will be no one to watch over the tribe with any authority.” Sillaqui protests

“Korg already know plan, go to where Pokey is, grab Pokey, shove Pokey back through gate, Pokey safe, Korg hero. Korg got the plan.” The hill giant offered

As the Arboreal sun melted against the western horizon, a Half-dragon bard and a hill giant cleric were plane shifted next to a mighty river. Below them the hoof prints of dozens of horses fled towards the east.

“That way.” Sillaqui pointed to where the hooves were leading them

“That way.” Korg said and pointed in the same direction, “because Korg pointing that way.”

The bard shook her head and trudged to the east with the hill giant lopping along behind her.



Yep, it's back... I also found some more material from Tharhack's day that I will be posting soon as well for those that liked his story.


----------



## Jon Potter

Hairy Minotaur said:


> I also found some more material from Tharhack's day that I will be posting soon as well for those that liked his story.




Wahoo! I guess Santa wasn't paying too much attention to me this year, 'cause it looks like Christmas is coming after all!


----------



## Hairy Minotaur

*Cow tipping*

“You’ve yet to explain your absence or what befell Gronar after you two left.” Sillaqui prodded in hopes of learning more about why Korg chose to keep those events secret. 

“Korg left for Vision Mountain to seek Umtala’s wisdom. Korg found it; Gronar did not see it the same way. Korg now back to finish promise Korg made to Pokey.” 

“So there’s no chance Gronar will be back? Whatever will you do without your moral compass to guide you?” 

“Korg not need stupid trinket to tell Korg where north is.” 

“That’s not what I meant, I mean if there’s no one to watch out for you like Gronar was doing what is going to happen when you have to be the one to make the decisions? You were always the follower to Gronar’s sword arm, whose path do you follow now?” Sillaqui’s words danced through Korg’s head like a drunken bugbear, loud and ungainly. Korg didn’t want to think about having to be the one to make the tactical choices Gronar did, but as the bigger of the two by a factor of three, he knew that the little blue lady would likely go where Korg pointed; trouble was Korg didn’t remember why they were going this direction at all.

“Korg wonder why Pokey left to come here?” The giant spoke trying to steer the conversation away from questions he didn’t want to answer

“Maybe he found the lure of adventure to great to quell even for one as grandiose as Paquito.”

“Korg think you here because you love Pokey.” Now it was Sillaqui’s turn to squirm in the questions 

“I.. am here to find the tribe’s leader, I dare not let worry enter my mind for mistakes are easily born of distraction.” 

“Korg think that is fancy way of saying yes. That’s okay, Korg hope you have lots of little blue baby Pokeys.” 

Sillaqui sat in distant silence.

“Find him! Overturn every log, every stone, and every dead body! I want the sacrifice found within the half hour or one of you gets sacrificed in his place!” The orc leader shouted out orders to his troops, the chaos in the midst of the orc band was unmistakable, several orcs writhed on the ground with their heads in the their hands, their faces burned by the gout of flame from Paquito’s fire breath. 

The minotaur absent mindedly rubbed the amulet around his neck, the magic contained therein had saved him on several occasions before and once again had proved its worth. Scanning the nearby trees for the next large trunk to hide behind, Paquito spied a game trail off to his left and a horse trail to his right, the one his captors had traveled. Rolling a mental dice, Paquito darted off for the middle of both trails, not wishing to follow either. With the din of the orc band slowly dying behind him, Paquito raced through think underbrush and intertwined tree limbs as he sought freedom.

“Which way did he go? Who saw him escape?” The orc leader demanded from two orcs who had been burned so badly they were stricken blind. The two orcs were held up by two subordinate orcs apiece, their arms hook so that the orc’s chests were puffed out so that even in their pain they showed no sign of weakness. 

The orc leader backhanded the one on the left and open-handed slapped the one on the right. Chapped and scorched lips shattered from the force of the blow and began to bleed. Both orcs tried in vain to moisten the wounds with their tongues only to make the sensation worse as their rough tongues scoured over the damaged lips. 

“Both of you make me sick and are an utter disgrace to the orc race, one prisoner. One prisoner! And you let him escape, we’re not talking about a pixie that is tiny and invisible, we’re talking about a ten foot upright cow! And you let the damn thing walk away as if it paid you!” The orc leader lambasted at the held orcs

“S.. I.. “ Was all the right one could get out as seared flesh tore and broke from the flexing of facial muscles. 

“What? Were you trying to spit something out? Perhaps forgiveness for your lax in duty!” The orc leader shouted

*gurgle* came the response

“Redblood son of Dreskor.” The right orc stiffened up at the sound of his formal familial name being used, he tried to answer with a “Sir” but only hissed in pain. 

“You’ve failed for the first and last time.” The orc leader finished and ran the orc through with his broadsword, the wounded orc fell in a heap and soaked the ground beneath him with blood.

“Cregnaw of the Blood Mists.” The other held orc stiffened at the sound of his name as well, fully prepared for his fate. The blade strike was swift and the body was left where it lay to nourish the ground. 

“Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes to find a single large dazed and panicked cow, is this band up for it or should I place all of you on nursery duty where your weakness can confront you the rest of your life?” The orc leader demanded

“No Sir!” Came the unified response

Paquito hoped that by at least eluding the orcs for awhile that their tight time schedule would force them to give up the chase and they would leave him alone. He bounded through thickets, large bushes and trampled smaller ones. He head pounded harder with each heartbeat, he reckoned he likely had suffered a concussion with all the banging his head took on the skid. He would need to find someplace to stop and hide quickly or his head would force him to go prone and hope for the best soon.

“Sergeant Krivemlor, bring me the banner!” The orc leader ordered, once the large banner was brought over the orc leader held it aloft. Crafted from the femur of a tyrannosaur the bottom joint had been filed down to a point that was filthy with dirt as the band routinely thrust it into the ground when they knew the end was near for their opponents. With the banner in hand, the orc leader recited a prayer to Gruumsh and four worgs instantly appeared next to the orc leader. 

Speaking their barking language, the orc leader gave the worgs a description of Paquito and instructions to hunt down but not kill the minotaur, maiming was allowed but the sacrifice must be alive and coherent for it to be useful for the orcs. With the directions handed out, the worgs took off in search of a scent they picked up almost immediately, the scent of fear. 

Paquito stopped for a moment, his head felt like it was pulsating out of his skull and made it nearly impossible to think let alone run. Paquito closed his eyes and tried to will the pain to the back of his mind. He had nearly succeeded when the sounds of several dogs barking invaded his quiet respite and not only were they getting closer, they seemed to be heading directly for him. Paquito pushed his way forward a few more steps and entered a small depression in the forest floor. Paquito squatted low in the brush and waited for the first one to leap at him.

He wouldn’t wait long as he heard the body of the excited worg bursting through the brush in front of him, as soon as the leaping form erupted from the bushes above him, Paquito unleashed a _scorching ray _into the sky. The worg landed with a smoldering thud behind him and whimpered softly. Barking behind him told Paquito that he had alerted more of his fellows to come check out what befell one of their numbers.

A barking sound on the right brought forth another large worg, this one however did not burst through the underbrush, and instead it half jumped into the depression. Startled by Paquito’s large presence the worg was ill-prepared to ward off the minotaur’s horns as Paquito managed to sink both of his venom dripping horns into the hard skin of the dog-like creature. While the damage from the horns was only enough to piss off the worg, the toxin in its blood was more than enough to teeter the large dog to one side and send it into convulsions. 

More barking surrounded the minotaur now and he realized that if the orc band hadn’t caught up by now they would be soon and then there would be no escape from forty trained soldiers. This time the worgs paced a circle around the minotaur, hoping to flush the large beast out from his semi-useful defensive stand. Paquito knew they were toying with him waiting for him to make a move before they pounced on him. Had it just been the worgs he would have sat back and waited for their hunger to override their tactical advantage and force the worgs into mistakes. However with an orc war band beating a path to his location and not in a happy mood, Paquito knew he would have to try and flee. 

With two of their numbers down and dying, the remaining two worgs abandoned any pretense of a contract with the orc leader and bounded into the depression flanking the minotaur and looking to tear his throat from his body and devour his heart. Paquito showered the one that came at him from in front with _magic missiles _but that only caused the worg to aim its jaws lower as the missiles struck the back of its neck. The one in his face bit down on Paquito’s left forearm while the other attached its jaws to the back of Paquito’s neck and begin to shake its head back and forth violently trying to rend the minotaur’s flesh from his head. The pain in his head was excruciating now and he wished he would just blackout from the pain than try and think his way through it. His felt the worg’s teeth sink further into his neck as blood began trickling down his back. Paquito bit the worg gnawing on his forearm back on the snout. The venom from his collar seeping into the wound and causing the dog to seize on the spot, with only one worg left Paquito tried to twist around to get at the on his neck. The worg however was determined to either rip his neck out or bleed the minotaur dry. 

Unfortunately for Paquito neither occurred as the worg took a powerful blow from a broadsword that cracked its skull across its nose. The worg yelped as it let Paquito go, and then whimpered off into the brush to tend to its wound.

“Your spirited escape has put us behind, so we will be forced to just drag you behind the horses instead of that comfy skid we made for you and you ungratefully burned. String him up; this time hit him hard enough that if he does open his eyes he won’t know the difference.” The orc leader directed.


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