Picking Up Where We Left Off

Recap... 

The party arrived in Asgard during the Odinsleep. After meeting Baldur, the group fought alongside Idunn, protecting the Grove of Golden Apples from Loki's Army of Darkness. After two full days of fighting, the group decided to confront Loki himself and cut the head off of the snake as it were. A Valkyrie named Hildr took the adventurers to a cloudy pasture where Shadow was elected the group's leader and won the services of a herd of sliepnirs. The eight-legged horses began flying the troupe toward the Sea of Marmora and the God of Mischief's lair. 

Ever alert for trouble, the group soon spied a quartet of spike-armored giant's heading in roughly the same direction. An attempt at communication by Shadow and Cedron resulted in a breath weapon attack that left the dark elf and minstrel's horses paralyzed, causing both to crash.

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Day Five of the Odinsleep; 7am (Sunrise) 

Shadow rolls nimbly to his feet, remarks that was very rude before waggling the fingers of his left hand in an arcane gesture and whispering, "Πετώ". He rises into the air until even with the armored giant's eyes and shouts "HALT! We want to speak with you!" 

Cedron floats nearby, the Witching Cloak billowing out wide around him and shakes his head, "I'm no expert in giants. I can't tell if they like us or not." 

Grotto unslings his axe while downing a flagon of ale and begins belching at the monstrosities. The dwarf's entire abdomen lights up with pain as his bladder cramps, filling with a dire urge to relieve himself. He groans, "Better to go now than in battle" as sweat begins to bead along his brow, angling for a position to attack from should real attempts at communication fail.

Kysek joins the others in their attempts at speaking with the metal brutes, touching his fingers to the Amulet of Tongues he'd acquired so many months and worlds ago. 

Raz'iir brings his steed around, scoffs, and mutters to himself, "See, we just should have attacked 'em like I suggested." Just then, Raven drops past him, having rolled off of his mount to drop toward the spike-armored giant with Nightwatcher in hand. 

The elven warrior's adamantite blade strikes sparks as it digs into the behemoths shoulder, splitting the armor like butter and revealing a mass of gears and springs within. He lands atop the snow and springs away, bringing his sword up to face the creature’s counterattack.

With the gears exposed, the group's demeanor shifts immediately. Kysek calls put, "This won't be good! Someone is controlling them and it's more than likely that it's the same fool we are planning to kill!" Upon hearing Kysek’s proclamation, Arthur begins scanning the ground, looking for whomever is directing the spiked giants.

Drax hauls hard on the reins of his steed, pulling the horse back in a tight circle. His eyes flash from the revealed mechanisms to joints and seams in the armor where his thin blades would wreak havoc with the automaton's inner workings.

Upon seeing the mechanical gears inside the spiked giant, Cedron slaps a bolt into his crossbow of force and lets fly before reloading and firing twice more. All three bolts, enveloped by a sheath of solid energy, fly through the air toward their target. Each sinks to the fletching of one of the many corpses impaled on the spiked armor.

Ra'ziir spurs his horse forward and into a dive, his eyes dart from one ally to the next as he takes in their relative positions as he chants the words to a spell.  As his spell reaches its culmination, he shouts out "Festinato!"  The energy radiates outward from him and washes over Shadow, Cedron, Grotto, Drax, and Raven.  Each of the adventurers feel the mystic field enhance their speed, making them faster.

Raven takes immediate advantage, rushing in and swinging his nigh-unbreakable blade with all of his might.  Two blows from the black adamantite blade ricochet harmlessly off of the thick armor but three gouge deep furrows in the spiked golem's ankle. As the creature takes a step, part of the foot collapses and the monster's severed stump grinds into the ground, churning up frozen earth.

Grotto sails in from behind, raises his axe above his head and hurls it at the hobbled giant.  The massive blade hits squarely in the back of creature's neck, leaving a long scratch but failing to penetrate very deeply at all.

Shadow, lagging somewhat behind, draws both Swiftwind and his Nasty Surprise, salutes his uncomprehending foe and dives into battle.  A flurry of blows rain down upon the spiked monstrosity, pinging and clanging against the thick armor.  The unyielding steel all but repels the attacks from the slender silvered blade and dagger.

The creature groans in response, although it is impossible to tell if the sound is an actual vocalization or the straining of its metal components as they try to react to the multiple attackers.  It pivots, trying to bring its jagged stump down upon Raven.  The elf throws himself sideways in an attempt to escape but fails.  Twisted metal and sharpened spikes scrap down his back, tearing skin even through the protection of his mithral chain armor.  A massive hand shoots out and snatches Grotto off of his mount.  The spiked giant then smashes the dwarf against its chest, skewering him in place.

The lead giant plods along, unconcerned with its fellow's plight while the two bringing up the rear of the column continue forward at at steady pace that will bring them in contact with the party in a matter of seconds.

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• Arthur: 100% health;

• Bubo: 100% health;

• Cedron: 100% health; Haste (16 rounds remaining)

• Drax: 100% health; Nondection (active until 7 pm), Undetectable Alignment (active until Day Six at 5am); Haste (16 rounds remaining)

• Grotto: 36% health; Haste (16 rounds remaining); IMPALED

• Kysek: 100% health; by morning half of the Tome will have been read

• Raven: 88% health; Haste (16 rounds remaining)

• Ra’ziir: 100% health; Haste (16 rounds remaining)

• Shadow: 97% health; Fly (16 minutes, 9 rounds remaining), Haste (16 rounds remaining)

• Spewer: 100% health; Haste (16 rounds remaining)