Day Three of the Odinsleep (The Plains of Vígríðr - A Perilous Defense Part 2)

Day Three of the Odinsleep – 9:50 am

Those still in flight notice a winged shape flying toward the battle.  Drawn by the death of Korbin, the Valkyrie is returning to collect her due.

Raven, not knowing that Korbin has been killed, focuses all of his attention on the towering Jotun standing before him.  His adamantite blade slices through the giant’s boot and slams into its shin, splitting skin and muscle and leaving the bone beneath exposed.  The elf spins out of the way as Ra’ziir leaps in behind him, striking with Deathblossom.  The fiery blade stabs into the open wound, tearing it further.  Blood flows freely as Ra’ziir works his sword high and low, slashing and stabbing as his feet beat the ground in a rhythm while intoning the words to a spell.  Finally, the bladesinger cries out and fire pours from his outstretched hand, arcing up through the air to strike the giant in his overhanging belly.  The smell of sizzling bacon fills the air and the giant howls in shock and fury.  It roars, shaking the ground with the volume of its bellow and begins stomping the ground, working itself into a frenzy.

Cedron bows his head when he sees Korbin struck from the air, “Fly strong, bird.  Your bravery will be remembered.”  The priest focuses on the battle raging below.  He concentrates on the fissure he created and the mist within takes on a reddish cast and the smell of brimstone competes with the scent of the burning meat.  There is a rumble deep within the ground and a red, scaly clawed hand grasps the edge of the chasm.  Moments later, it is joined by another and then the body of a huge red dragon, lava dripping off of its scales pulls it way out of the yawning pit.  The dragon’s head sweeps from side-to-side and it snarls at the Jotun closest to Arthur, Hansuke, and Drax.  That giant turns when it hears the noise and raises his axe defensively, puzzlement crossing its features.

Hansuke takes advantage of the giant’s distraction to focus his qi.  Radiant energy appears around the monk’s fist, suffusing it with a sublime glow.  The energy spreads up his arms as his mind, body, and soul become one.  A single step carries him across the open ground to the Jotun, Drax hobbled and leaps up to brush the tips of his fingers across the Jotun’s opposite knee.  Numbness spreads out from the point Hansuke touched and the giant’s other leg gives out as well.

The Jotun that killed Korbin finishes wiping the bird’s remains off the bottom of his foot and strides forward.  It swings its huge axe at the back of the red dragon’s head.  The blade passes through harmlessly and it angrily yells, “NOT REAL!”

The Jotun facing off against Shadow swings its axe in a huge, two-handed arc.  The blade roars through the air with enough force to chop the top off of a mountain but somehow, miraculously, the axe passes by just above the flying drow’s head.  The giant plants it foot and shifts its weight, bringing the axe back the way it came and clips Shadow on the shoulder, flinging more sparks into the air and sending the dark spinning.  Two more fierce blows follow the second and Shadow feels his metal body warp with both strikes.

The Jotun battling Raven and Ra’ziir continues to thrash, froth boiling from its mouth as its tips over into a berserk fury.  The first two swings of its massive blade crash into the ground beside the moon elf.  Shards of stone fly, shredding Raven’s cloak and tunic, the impact bruising him even through his mithral chain armor.  The final two swings are directed at the bladesinger.  One hit strikes Ra’ziir solidly in the chest, battering him mercilessly but his stone-warded flesh turns some of the blow and bladesinger manages to skirt the edge of the follow-up strike, peeling away several layers of the stone covering his body.

The final Jotun, the one on his knees, glances over his shoulder at the dragon once more and disregards it, believing the proclamation that it isn’t real and forces himself to his feet.  His legs are wobbly and his balance is iffy at best but he raises his axe and turns, pounding Arthur with the heavy blade.  Two blows crash down on the paladin, rendering him nearly senseless.  Arthur staggers and somehow manages to avoid the next two swings of the massive axe.

On legs as unsteady as the giant’s, vision blurred from blood running down the inside of his helmet and into his eyes, the First Paladin of Malazzarr takes a step forward and swings at the giant for all he is worth.  Two of his blows strike with brilliant flashes of light.  The massive giant shifts his weight, bracing himself as each blow lands and chokes up on his axe, gripping the handle with to deliver a lethal blow on his next attack.

Shadow rights himself in flight and swoops in.  Spewer leaps from his shoulder and lands on the back of the giant’s neck and swiftly skitters beneath the shaggy mane covering its scalp.  The lizard’s master hangs at eye level just long enough to make sure he still has the Jotun’s attention and then drops about five feet, thrusting with Swiftwind.  The rapier punches through thick layers of flesh to strike at the jugular vein and carotid arties in the titan’s neck.  The silvered weapon flashes as it stabs more holes in the giant’s throat and the dark elf flies in as close as he can, tearing the wounds even farther with his dagger.  Blood pours down the giant’s chest but it seems not to notice.  Spewer makes his way around to the giant’s ear and inhales deeply, drawing a thick wad of phlegm up into his throat and hocks it forward, down the giant’s ear canal.  The acidic spittle starts to sizzle on contact with the delicate flesh of the eardrum and the giant stumbles, its balance thrown out of whack by the burning attack.  It lets go of its axe with one hand and jabs a finger into its ear, trying to remove the offending substance.

Morn snaps his fingers, willing his magic into effect. He begins to appear and reappear with little popping noises as he makes dozens of short teleporting hops across the field, racing to join Raven and Ra’ziir as they battle their titanic foe.

Kysek rolls in at the giant’s feet, striking once with his fiery black sword before rolling back out of the way.  His sword slices smoothly through the thick leather of the giant’s boot and opens a long gash down the back of its calf.  Blood pours freely as the mage raises his wand and makes ready to fire.

Drax slips away from the fight between the crippled Jotun, Arthur, and Hansuke and closes in on the one that killed Korbin.  He moves with practiced stealth and sweeps around behind the enraged giant and sets himself, waiting for the right moment in which to strike.

Desmond raises his bow, takes a deep breath and fires.  Thick arrows, each as big around as his finger and nearly four feet in length fly from the bow, piercing the meaty flesh of the towering giant battling Shadow and Kysek.  Two of the feathered shafts sprout from the small of the giant’s back, each buried at least halfway up their length.

Grotto calls upon Hanseath to make him grow, knowing that more axe in a giant’s leg is More Axe In A Giant’s Leg.  The dwarf doubles in size, his body swelling as the spell takes hold and he closes rapidly on the giant that killed the crow.

Niklas continues to contribute his efforts to bring down the nearest giant, firing two more arrows that lodge in its back.

Grog slips a stone into his sling and begins whirling it overhead, building momentum with each orbit.  He hurls the rock from its leather strap and the stone tumbles through the air toward the only giant not being swarmed with warriors – the one who killed Korbin.  The rock tumbles end over end and grows rapidly in size until it’s as large as a boulder.  The large rock crashes into the giant’s chest, denting its breastplate and pushing it aside a half-step before crashing to the ground.

The elementals all moves forward, their thunderous steps shaking the ground as they close in on the Jotuns.

= = = = = =

• Arthur: 4% health;

• Bubo: 100% health;

• Cedron: 93% health; Major Image (Concentration plus 3 rounds remaining); Heavy Warhorse from bag of Tricks (10 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)

• Desmond: 100% health;

• Drax: 100% health; Greater Invisibility (8 rounds remaining)

• Grog: 100% health; Stoneskin (109 minutes, 9 rounds remaining)

• Grotto: 100% health; Enlarge Person (7 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)

• Hansuke: 94% health; Haste (4 minutes, 9 rounds remaining)

• Korbin: DEAD

• Kysek: 100% health; Stoneskin (66 minutes, 9 rounds remaining); Greater Invisibility (19 rounds remaining)

• Morn: 100% health; Blink (9 rounds remaining)

• Niklas: 100% health;

• Raven: 58% health; Bull’s Strength (from Grog, 10 minutes, 8 rounds remaining); Bane Weapon (1 rounds remaining); Haste (16 rounds remaining);

• Ra’ziir: 65% health; Stoneskin (86%, 147 minutes, 1 rounds remaining); Elemental Swarm (8 Large Earth Elementals, 1 Huge Earth Elemental, 1 Elder Earth Elemental – by the time the Elder arrives, 128 minutes, 9 rounds remaining)

• Shadow: 25% health; Overland Flight (14 hours, 27 minutes, 8 rounds remaining); Iron Body (DR15/adam, immune to blindness/critical hit/deafness/disease/drowning/electricity/poison/stunning and effects that affect physiology or respiration, Str 21 (+5)/Dex 16 (+3) attack bonus/penalty cancel out, gains +3 damage, ASF 50%, -8ACP, 1 minutes, 9 rounds remaining); Keen Edge (from scabbard: 49 minutes, 8 rounds remaining)

• Spewer: 100% health;