Day Three of the Odinsleep (The Plains of Vígríðr - A Perilous Defense Part 5)

Day Three of the Odinsleep – 9:50 am

 

Ra’ziir calls out to the scattered party, “To me!  NOW!”  He races ahead, trying to get to the rough center of the spread and pulls forth a stick of licorice from one of the pouches hanging from his belt.  Raven, the elementals, and the other party members begin converging on his location.  The bladesinger’s eyes dart to and fro, estimating distances and how long it will take everyone to reach him.

 

The elementals form a defensive line and Desmond, Niklas, Raven, and Grog fall in behind it while Drax moves in to wait for whatever spell Ra’ziir is planning to cast.

 

Arthur swoops in, followed by Cedron who drags Grotto along by one arm.  The bladesinger casts his spell and nearly everyone is enchanted by his spell of speed.  As soon as the spell takes hold, Shadow launches himself skyward to ready himself for the upcoming battle.

 

Grog shimmies and shakes, turning his hands palm up as if lifting something invisible and a wall of ice, 110’ long and nearly a foot thick grows out of the ground.  The spellcaster angles the barrier to direct the giants toward Raven’s location, giving as many people as possible a chance to fire on them as they approach before they can reach the fighter.

 

Morn unlimbers the seldom used bow, knowing he doesn't have the same range as his more combat oriented companions he murmurs a quick poem to focus the magic on his muscles offering him better reactions.

"Lurks the black shadow shape,
Dark on darkness, a duskier dusk,
A movement fluid, midnight oil,
Pierces the velvet night with tooth and claw.

Death comes with the merest whisper,
The hint of breath at the body's passing,
Two yellow eyes catch the cold moon's light,
Pawfall cuts short a second's precious grace."

 

The magic of Morn’s poem soaks into his bones, quickening his reflexes and heightening his sense of balance and timing.

 

Korbin swoops in, landing beside Raven and asks, “So, do we have a plan then?”

 

Raven looks over at the talking crow from the Aesop Islands, “Yes, do not engage until I draw the attention of the giants.  Let the archers soften them up and make sure you stay out of reach.  EVERYONE ELSE!  Do not let the Jotuns separate you from our group.  They are deadly one-on-one!  Concentrate on taking them down one at a time and archers, make sure you are only shooting the ones I shoot at!  Anyone else who will be engaging in hand-to-hand, you’ve got clean-up duty!”

 

There is an edge to Raven’s voice that almost no one in the group, save Ra’ziir and Kysek have ever heard.  The group has faced difficult odds before, been outnumbered or opposed by powerful foes but Raven has never sounded afraid before.  Whatever it was that his bracer showed him before burning out has him on edge.

 

The Jotuns come into view.  The first leaps, jumping over the conjured chasm that Cedron created and lands on the near side.  The second does not clear the illusory barrier and lands almost in the center of it.  The Jotun collapses to the ground and stretches out its arm to reach for the ledge before it realizes that it is not falling to its doom.  It cries out, “ILLUSION!  The gap isn’t real!” and the other two Jotuns begin to trample through the falsified image.

 

Kysek concentrates on the lead Jotun and shouts out “Хідэоус Лаугхтэр!”  Magic flows through Malazzarr’s former apprentice and washes over the massive giant.  The spell’s energy seeks out its target, seeping in between cracks in the giant’s mental defenses and for just a moment, elicits a brief chuckle.  The giant shakes its head, clearing away the compulsion and raises its axe.

 

Raven shouts out, “NOW!” and begins drawing and firing arrows as quickly as possible.  Feathered shafts fill the air.  All five arrows suddenly appear in the Jotun’s chest, clustered in a tight grouping near its heart.  Desmond, Niklas, and Morn all follow the elf’s lead and open fire as well.  Three of Desmond’s shots pepper the giant’s face and then its forearm as it raises one hand to shield its eyes from the stinging attacks.  Morn’s arrows hit but it is hard to tell if he was able to hit anything vital but Niklas’ second shot hits the Jotun directly in the Adam’s apple.  The giant gags for a moment as it tries to swallow past the unexpected knot in its throat only to be struck by two more arrows.

 

That’s when Arthur strikes.  The paladin’s holy blade flares brightly as he closes in on the looming titan.  Brilliant flashes of light explode as the quickened knight’s sword swings back and forth, tearing through the giant’s thick hide boots and gouging great rents in both of its legs.

 

Drax follows the knight, his twin shortswords seeking gaps in the Jotun’s defenses and his blades sink deeply into the frost giant’s flesh.  Hansuke rushes in behind the assassin and launches a devastating series of punches and kicks to the giant’s shins.  The blows bang into the Jotun’s lower legs with blinding fury.  The third blow connects with terrifying force and cracks several bones in the titanic foe’s ankle and the giant roars in pain as Korbin swoops in with a rock clutched in his talons.  The bird peels away sharply, releasing his deadly projectile.  The stone tumbles through the air and strikes the giant just behind its ear with a resounding crack.  Instinctively, the giant raises one hand to cover the wound.

 

Despite the focusing of all attacks on the lead Jotun, the brute seems more inconvenienced than injured and continues to close in on the group, pushing past Arthur, Hansuke, and Drax to strike at the main body of the group.

= = = = = =

• All party members plus Elder Elemental, Huge Elemental, and Elemental 1 and 2: Haste (from Ra’ziir, 17 rounds remaining)

• Arthur: 94% health;
• Bubo: 100% health;
• Cedron: 93% health; Major Image (Concentration plus 3 rounds remaining)
• Desmond: 100% health;
• Drax: 100% health; Greater Invisibility (9 rounds remaining)
• Grog: 100% health; Wall of Ice (11 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)
• Grotto: 100% health;
• Hansuke: 94% health;
• Korbin: 100% health;
• Kysek: 100% health; Stoneskin (67 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)
• Morn: 100% health; Cat’s Grace (9 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)
• Niklas: 100% health;
• Raven: 86% health; Bull’s Strength (from Grog, 10 minutes, 9 rounds remaining); Bane Weapon (2 rounds remaining)
• Ra’ziir: 100% health; Stoneskin (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: 100% health; Overland Flight (14 hours, 27 minutes, 9 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, 2 minutes, 1 rounds remaining); Keen Edge (from scabbard: 49 minutes, 9 rounds remaining)
• Spewer: 100% health