Session 17 - Knocked about by a Bruiser Giant

General Summary

Knocked about by a Bruiser Giant

We descend the small flight of stairs into a hallway with two doors and we think that we can smell smoke the door on the right. Looking more carefully it seems that the doors have been opened recently. We push open the door on the left entering into a large room which resembles one of the rooms above, having two large tables with piles of coloured stones for use in mosaics. There are chalk shadows on the tables, the masks of the mosaics they were designing. As we approach, we think we see elements of the design of the dome of Gulumi, as it has word and number pairings. The table can’t contain the whole mosaic, but we can see some of the details. The other table also has designs, this time matching the design of the dome in the arena with the giant.
Sai Kyo bumbles around, barely noticing the two tables, while Tripp and Lilrie notice signs of someone having wiped the design off the table, and Lilrie thinks she can make out the footprints of 5 to 10 people having been there in the last couple of days. When she tells us this we draw our weapons, just in case. We try to track where they came from and Lilrie has to push Sai Kyo out of the way since he is in danger of disrupting the remaining signs. She can see where they brushed against the table and moved the mosaic. Going out into the hallway she can see that they did not come down the stairs, but came from the other room, and that they also seem to have returned there.
We organize ourselves with Baka carrying the Sun on her backpack to give light, and Lilrie taking the Moon. Don’t tell Meg anyone. We also divide up the tablets. Brovar takes tablet 1, Sai Kyo number 2, Digby numbers 3 and 4. We divide the coins in the same way. When we have time we intend to take a rubbing of them, in case we lose them, or one of ouselves…
Baka listens at the other door, but does not hear anything so decides it must be safe. Given that there are at least 5 people, even Sai Kyo should have been able to hear them. We decide to enter the room in standard party order. Once inside we can see that it is identical in size to the other one, and probably had two tables for mosaic design, but these have been smashed up and set on fire. Fragments remain and the design seems to have been baked into the surface. There is also a big hole in the wall where it has collapsed into the small cellar of another building and we can just make out rows of shells.
Even though there is some heat still coming off the tables we drag them out and try to make out the design. We can’t tell the table contents apart, but we can make out one part of the design with a mechanical device, and we recognize it from the description of the encryption machine. However, there is a name underneath “Sazmok”. The second part of the design we can make out is the foredeck of a ship on the sea with a single figure and above and ahead of the ship is a bird, perhaps a hawk. The third design is a figure standing at an anvil with a piece of metal. The physique of the figure seems to be that of a dwarf. The last piece is a set of four cages with their doors open. Riele is subdued at being underground, sitting on Baka’s shoulder and takes no interest in the designs.
We search the rest of the room, but find nothing else useful. Lilrie looks for more details of the people but is not sure if they went into the cellar. Brovar goes thru emerging into a storeroom and sees a collapsed set of stairs going into the roof. There are shelves all around him, most empty, but one or two seemingly unopened. We search the room more thoroughly, Lilrie thinking that this is the cellar of a herbalist. We decide to spend more time searching the cellar, and find that most of the contents seem to have turned to dust. Lilrie uses herb lore, finding 10 promising vials and spends some time to identify them. There are some powerful healing herbs, but many are highly addictive.
In the meantime, the rest of us search the other rooms, not finding anything else helpful, and no more exits. Brovar was with Lilrie and finds another cellar with a tunnel leading into darkness from the cellar. We also have the choice of going up to the trap door and Baka builds a structure with her Engineering skills, and climbs onto it. It rocks a bit but she can reach the trap door, but can’t budge it. Digby tries in her stead, putting all his strength into it, but he cannot shift the trap door.
Our horses are stuck in the building above us with Joten and his men, but we have to leave them as we go down the tunnel in the other cellar. It is a steep descent, and Sai Kyo can hear water running from far below. He remembers that Joten said his people had been using their well for 12 years with no change in the water level. We continue descending the natural rock tunnel for 30 to 40 minutes to a sandy floor by a river flowing thru a cavern. There is a clear pathway leading up and downstream. Lilrie, Digby and Sai Kyo can track, but we have no need of their skills to see six bodies, which have been skinned expertly in the last 48 hours. Digby and Lilrie see non-human footprints, human size, in the sand. Some of the bodies have impact wounds, but one may have been skinned alive. Lilrie notices that the bipedal footprints have one less toe than a human, but we don’t know what could have made them.
The river is 20-foot wide, with a rocky opposite bank, and no sign of a jetty. Most tracks lead downstream, including the most recent ones. Sai Kyo is pretty sure that if we go downstream, we would be retracing our steps up the canyon in the direction of the Gulumi dome. In the end, we decide to head upstream, and it looks like the cavern was carved out by the river. After an hour, we can still see tracks and as we pause, we feel that we might be being watched, and even wonder if we can hear voices above the sound of the river. We continue and the path begins to lead up and away from the water to large rockface and a narrow tunnel. We look down upon a cavern, and can see a light from a fire below. There is a level area, with a centre from which stones have been cleared. Around the fire are six platforms, with skins laid out on them.
We make our way down and can see primitive forms of habitation, including tools, with signs of up to 20 humanoids. The path leads out of this chamber and back to the river. We continue on and Digby thinks that in amongst the tracks there are some human footprints. It has been an hour since we found the river, and the pathway starts to rise again, and we come to a rockface, from which the river is coming with a pathway off to the left. We take the path which narrows and eventually emerge into another large chamber, with a large pool of water, around which lies fungus giving off a bluish light. 60 or so feet away, there is driftwood and other items that have been thrown up by the water. There are also six figures on the beach, which from stories that we have heard, seem to be troglodytes. They are watching as a giant pulls the limbs off a human being. We haven’t been noticed yet as the victim is screaming in pain. Two other human figures are standing by the side, paralyzed with fear. There is a fourth figure lying on the sand, burnt to a crisp. The giant is 14 foot tall, not quite as big as the one in the dome. As the giant finishes with one guy, he picks up another and flicks him with a finger towards another a long cylindrical object in the sand, 6-foot long, the thickness of a man’s thigh. The man hangs back and two of the troglodytes wave weapons at him, so he moves forward to pick it up. As he holds is, he is electrocuted where he stands, his blood boiling, bones exploding and before our eyes he becomes a burnt-out husk, identical to the other lying on the sand.
We all start preparing for a fight with Digby and Baka casting Shield on themselves as Tripp and Brovar break out their bows and take aim at the giant. Tripp fires first, his first arrow doing an 8A puncture critical, his second doing a 11C puncture critical, putting the giant on one hit per round. Brovar fires a fabulous shot, doing 42 damage and C and A criticals, doing 6 more damage.
Next round, Sai Kyo, Brovar and Digby run in, with Sai Kyo using Adrenal Speed to get to the giant first. Tripp fires again, his first arrow a 10B puncture critical, for 2 more hits, his second arrow a 13B puncture critical, and 2 more hits. The giant picks up a rock and throws it at Digby who takes 17 damage, so he is -10 on his OB. One of the troglodytes hits Sai Kyo for 19 damage, taking him down to 32 as he hits the giant for a 6A strike. Baka completes her spell, as Riele flies up on to a perch.
Tripp fires arrows at the two troglodytes that are running towards him and Baka. His first arrow hits for 6 damage, and his second doing a 10A puncture critical, putting the troglodyte on 5 hits per round, stunning it for 6 rounds, and he gets +20 to his next attack. Brovar attacks the giant, his long sword doing 7 damage, his mace 3 damage. Digby attacks it also with his battle axe, doing a 10A crush critical, for 2 more hits. Sai Kyo targets it as well doing an 8B crush critical. The giant goes for Digby again, doing 36 damage, putting him on -30 and almost knocking him off his feet. Two of the troglodytes target Brovar and Lilrie, the first missing Brovar. Lilrie attacks next hitting a one of them for a 14B puncture critical, stunning it for two more hits. Meanwhile Baka goes down to meet the troglodyte coming up the slope to allow Tripp to continue firing his bow.
Sai Kyo does one damage to the giant and, pissed off at his impunity, turns to attack a troglodyte. Brovar hits the giant with his long sword for 7 damage, and misses with his mace. Baka attacks hitting the troglodyte for 13B slash critical, for 2 more hits. Digby hits the giant doing an 18A slash critical, for 2 more hits. Tripp also continues to target the giant, his first arrow doing 6 damage, his second doing a 7A critical. In return, the giant hits Brovar for 37 damage, stunning him, and making him unable to parry next round. Baka is attacked, but the troglodyte misses. Lilrie is also attacked taking 18 damage, slashing muscles and tendons in her leg, putting her on -50, stunned and unable to parry for 2 rounds.
Sai Kyo hits the troglodyte in front of Brovar, doing a 12B strike critical, stunning it for 3 rounds. Tripp fires at the giant, his first arrow missing badly, his second hitting it for a 9B puncture critical, doing 3 more hits. The trog in front of Baka fumbles, dropping his short sword. Lilrie parries using all of her OB, but is still hit for 12 damage. Digby attacks the giant doing an 14B crush critical. The giant goes for Sai Kyo hitting him for 16 damage, reducing him to 16 hits remaining. Baka attacks but misses badly.
Next round Sai Kyo attacks again doing a 10B strike on the only trog not stunned, for 6 more hits, preventing it from attacking this round. The giant takes aim at Brovar, doing 46 damage, reducing his OB by 30. Brovar attacks back, his long sword doing 6 damage, his mace doing an 8A crush critical, for 3 more hits, and getting +5 to his next attack. Baka hits her trog for an 18E slash critical, slash tendons and crush bone in shoulder, arm useless, 2 hits per round, stunned for 4 rounds. Digby hits the giant for a 16B crush critical, for 9 more damage, stunning the giant! Tripp fires at it again, his first arrow doing an 18C puncture critical, his second arrow doing a 15C puncture critical, for 5 more hits, killing it at last. “Tripp, the giant killer”.
Sai Kyo attacks one of the trogs doing a 7A strike, stunning it for 3 more damage. Baka hits one with an 11B puncture critical, stunning it, making it unable to parry and felling to the ground. Brovar misses with his long sword and his mace. What has got into him? Digby does a 9A crush critical, for 2 more damage. Lilrie misses – in sympathy with Brovar perhaps? Tripp fires at the both remaining trogs, his first arrow fumbling, and he decides not to fire the second. Brovar is hit for 5 damage, but Lilrie is missed.
Brovar misses with his long sword and his mace again. Seriously? Digby attacks with his battle axe, he also misses. WTF? Sai Kyo does a 10B strike for 5 more hits. Lilrie is hit for 5 damage, while Tripp fires into the melee, his first arrow missing, his second also missing. Baka does a 14C crush critical, killing the trog at last. It’s a bad day when Baka is doing more damage than anyone else.
Brovar misses with both weapons again. Again. Again! Sai Kyo does a 10B strike critical, stunning a trog for one round, and 5 more damage. Lilire misses, but Digby does a 18C slash critical, slashing muscle and tendons in his foes shield arm, killing it. Tripp fires his first arrow for a 23E puncture killing the last of these annoying enemies.
What an epic fight! We are almost completely wiped out and it is amazing that no-one went down. Tripp having fired most of his arrows goes to see what he can recover, managing to retrieve 3 intact. Recognizing the importance of his prowess with the bow to the group, Digby and Brovar both give him 10 arrows. For now, we all ignore the last remaining man who is frozen in fright and has soiled himself.
The object on the beach is more than 6-foot long, 6 inches in diameter, and is made up on 12 hexagonal segments. One end section is completely smooth, but each of the others look as if they might rotate, and each has a word written in Tasyo. The section next to the smooth section, has the word “wot” and all the others have words. There is also a small scroll case, which contains a scrap of paper upon which is written a poem beginning with the words “three wizards gazing out across sea”.

Kitty

• Session start – 1135 gold, 187 silver
• Income – none
• Expenses – none
• Session end – 1135 gold, 187 silver

Report Date

30 Mar 2021