Status effects at session start:
- Oz is SLOWED (-10ft move) until the end of Skalfang’s next turn
- Callie is BLINDED (from thrown rockspeaker gems) until the end of Erka’s next turn
- Callie and Cal have DISADVANTAGE on next save or attack (from Rhyzophus energy explosion)
- Cal and Callie are STUNNED (from Rhyzophus energy explosion) until end of their next turns
Callie’s Journal
The Ambush Develops Not Necessarily To The Giants’ Advantage
I am stunned by the weight of injustice, and also electricity. The horrible storm cloud comes over to me and Bec and hovers overhead. Then it attacks us. Perfect. FML.
I take 17 damage from this attack
Then I feel an icy cold protective force enter my body, followed by a white-hot rage. It’s Munin, who greets me without words. She’s the spirit of memory, an aspect of knowledge. Despite my suddenly roiling emotions, I manage to stay calm. Then I experience what seems to be a memory of Lorelei and Rubinia. From the perspective of…um, the cloak? Rubinia talks about containing something in a “flesh partition” using Necromancy. Sounds very above-board. The raven cloak is draped over Lorelei, protecting her from the worst of whatever is affecting her. Rubinia is sticking pieces of flesh into Lorelei. Earlier, Lorelei says she feels her “corporeal body” being pulled apart. After the surgery, Lorelei’s condition is stable, but certain parts of her have changed: sharp teeth, clawed fingernails, and something like scars across her skin. Rubinia asks her how she’s feeling. “Amazing,” Lorelei replies, showing off her sharp teeth with a grin. The Flux is now contained. Rubinia pulls the cloak off, ending the vision.
I now get +10 to all Wisdom-based rolls! I’m also not stunned, or blind, or disadvantaged.
Freki grabs me and pulls me behind him. Thanks, appreciate ya!
Cal turns into a flying were-sheep. [GM’s note: Hugin’s spirit inhabited him, but he didn’t manage to control his emotions nearly so well as Callie did!] Um. Look. I know how that sounds, but everyone who could see it swears it’s true. He gets fluffy and has wings, and I don’t even know how, but he looks pissed. Very salty mutton here. And his legs and hooves are stretchy, tentacle-type appendages that he can use as whips. Which he immediately does, flying up at the storm cloud and smacking it recklessly with his new weapons. Then he goes ahead and bites it. I can hear the snapping and gnashing, though it doesn’t connect.
Still cowering behind Freki, I send my Spiritual Weapon and Sacred Flame at the storm cloud. I freakin’ hate that thing!
Oz suggests that Kavaki attack Verthandi and finish her off, which she does, with the mace we gave her. It’s pretty brutal. I’m not sure if we can salvage Verthandi for the, ahem, task that Grohnea set us.
Vondal summons a wall of light, deftly choosing its dimensions to avoid hitting us.
Suddenly there are rays of prismatic light (not Vondal’s wall!) coming at us from the giants! Bec falls down, unconscious.
I cast Mass Healing Word at lvl 5
I cast Cure Wounds at lvl 3
Freki takes out Skalfang. “Say I did it singlehandedly!” he calls. “Okay, you Shake-n-Bake bastard!” Oz yells back.
Then some of the other giants head over to attack us. This is officially the WORST situation we have ever been in, and that is really saying something. One of them heads over and attacks Vondal directly in the hole. These guys are really pretty smart, which isn’t great for our chances.
I take 27 damage, and I’m blind.
Suddenly, a surge of Wild Magic bursts from the hole where Vondal was hiding. The effect isn’t immediately obvious, but his feet start growing and…don’t stop. For like, a while. Erka’s feet also get huge. It’s hard to say what happened here exactly, but it feels like something got…bent. On a cosmic level, I mean. Probably the big feet are the least bad thing that could have happened.
Oz does 144 points of damage [GM’s note: because Bec paralyzed her with enchantomancy, leaving her extra vulnerable!], bloodying Erka. “Guess I’m gonna have to kill another one for ya,” says Freki.
Freki leaps at another one of the giants, biting it with his normal mouth, and also a spectral mouth, and then raking it with his claws. As the giant falls down, Freki jumps up and rakes the stormcloud with his other claw.
“Another kill for Freki the Giantslayer, bane of all large people!” Oz shouts, putting everything into it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we’d make it out of this one alive, and it’s looking like one for the bard songbook.
I cast Mass Healing Word at lvl 4
After healing my comrades, I sneak over to Verthandi and stick one of the soul larvae in her mouth. “Hey! What are you doing?” says Kavaki.
“Making sure she stays dead,” I say smoothly.
Oz is also a little confused. He must have forgotten when we filled him in about our visit to Grohnea. “Can you put one of those in that thing in Cal’s bag?” he asks. “Nah, I left that back at HEADQUARTERS,” says Cal. Wokka wokka wokka!
One of the lieutenant giants advises taking out Bec—which they do—and then retreating.
Rhyzophus sizes up the situation and moves way backward, into his column of water. “YOU’RE RIGHT. DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR, AFTER ALL.” Then, to us, “YOU WILL ALL SUFFER FOR THIS.” He floats up the column.
Cal the sheep, still furious, flies after him to get him into headbutting range.
I Cure Wounds on Bec at lvl 3
To stop Rhyzophus from getting away, Oz rallies all his acrobatic and speed skill to dash across the room and swing up to grab him. Bec tries to hold Rhyzophus and his one remaining lackey, but they shake it off. Anyway, then Freki comes running and kills Rhyzophus, who falls partially into the lava.
Ormar (the lackey) runs over to attack us, presumably to distract us while Rhyzophus gets away. Cal the sheep headbutts it and lashes out with a tentacle, which somehow results in an enormous fireball, because nothing makes sense but at least we’re winning. [GM’s note: It was his fiery sword in sheep hoof tentacle form, of course!]
I cast Lesser Restoration at level 2 to restore my sight.
I restore my sight and attack with my Spiritual Weapon, but unfortunately I still have a hard time hitting these things anywhere that makes a dent.
Infuriated by all our attacks, Ormar lashes out. He hits Bec and knocks her unconscious again, then tries to go for Vondal in the hole. Cal, nearby and watching his team’s back, takes the opportunity to smack him and knocks him unconscious. He feels satisfaction and relief, the rage subsides, and he morphs back into his familiar form. At the same time, I feel Munin leave my body with an elegant farewell.
After resuscitating Bec again and making sure everybody is stable, I go around and stuff the remaining soul larvae in the mouths of the vanquished giants.
I am so tired, and we’re still in this hot, stinky cave. Are there no B&B’s in giantland? What a hellhole!
[GM’s note: What a battle! The agents exhibited exceptional teamwork, with everyone contributing crucially: Oz with massive DPS; Bec with tide-turning action denial debuffs; Cal tanking huge amounts of damage; both halflings punishing opponents relentlessly with cooperative sentinel tactics; Callie with critical healing interventions; and Freki with tremendous lycanthropy-infecting kill steals. This is how legends are born, people!]