Cache a Fallen Star pt. 2

The train arrives to assist the van... well the first part of the train, anyway. Quin and Sabretooth arrive at the quarry in time to intimidate the cave bears from leaving the plateau. Father Patrick arrives without fanfare some time later, his report is that Beleg and Mourning Elk may be behind them still.

The hidden giants fall victim to a dizzying display of enchanted melee by Budokai and Bjorn who had remained in their position of ambuscade, with some help from the hired man-at-arms, Tireo Redshirt. In short order, there is only one Stone Giant left and he is clambering for safety. Suddenly the base of the mountain erupts in the crackling boom of multiple lightning bolts which wounds everyone thereabouts and kills the cave bears dead. The party does not pursue in order to regroup. Quin's arrival means that those things normally invisible are laid bare and he mentions something unseen by the rest of the party. That is, a bald-pated cross-legged "elderly" Frost Giant sits in midair some few hundred yards above the party and is observing them.

So warned, Mai flies up invisibly after the Stone Giant and is just as quickly chased down by a skeletal dragon that appears to be tinged with frost and ice crystals. After suffering three blasts of its icy breath weapon and doing all that she can to avoid its lethal damage against nearly impossibly executed aerobatic manuevers, she finally closes her eyes and decides it isn't real. The next blast of its breath weapon disapates before striking her, and the icy beast is revealed as a phantasm. She returns to her friends to convalesce and to enchant her fellows.

Freja and Budokai make for the halfling village for fear that it will be set on in reprisal. They catch up to Nor Nidrah, dwarven materials engineer, along the way. Meanwhile, Quin and Bjorn use Mai's flight enchantment to get to the top of the mountain. They are followed by Sabretooth on griffonback.

The ridge of the mountain chain has been excavated into a large and winding stone-lined trough that runs east and west with great precision and little change in altitude over miles of travel. At the top of the party's best path of ascent there is a small stone tower that overlooks the climb. There are also small bulwarks of wood that appear to be erected against avalanche. The immediate area appears to be unattended -- no Stone Giants in sight. The trough passage to the East seems to go for leagues without any remarkable features. The passage west is only five miles before it ends in an imposing stone structure with a single double door and a long ramp that leads down to the trough. The entire area has a far more finished and polished look than it is remembered to have had a year or so, ago. Apparently the work of captive dwarves has continued unabated in the party's absence.

Quin and Sabretooth decide to fly back down and rejoin the party. Having avoided the climb already, and seeing a far-off chain gang of beard-plucked dwarves being whipped to work by a fat ogre leads Bjorn of Clan Tokill from Dun Balnolmor to remain behind. Quin does what he can to talk him out of staying, but Bjorn will not relent and Quin flies back down to rejoin their mates.

It is a three day climb from top to bottom. The way will be treacherous and difficult. But, led by Oghren's mountaineering proficiency, the party makes one day's work from a day and half's worth of climbing and the party spirits are high. Father Caeli, an itinerant priest of Wanderhalt, is the only one who has trouble, but he finally obeys the firm orders of Father Patrick and joins the party in tears of exhaustion and joy. They know that the next day, if similarly successful, will see them at the top of the cliff. There is good cheer around even as the night is passed uneasily on the face of a sheer cliff.

Half way through the next day's climb the party begins to hear distant hammer falls on wood and suddenly a cascade of pebbles and rocks, and finally boulders, cames pouring down on them. Fr. Patrick, uses his divine favor to craft an angled awning from solid stone as though it were made from mere mud. Only Tireo Redshirt does not manage to scramble to safety in time and is dislodged to fall to his certain death, screaming. Sabretooth, without regard to his own safety leaps from his griffon's back onto the rock face and handily catches Tireo as he plummets by. Then by sheer force of his strength, positions the two of them behind the stone shaped outcrop. When the avalanche passes and Tireo has regained his senses, he grabs the half-goblin warrior by the lapel and pledges his undying loyalty saying, "I swear by my ancestors alive and dead, I am YOUR MAN for life!"

Sabretooth bats him away and leaps back onto his griffon while Mai enchants Quin for flying. The two of them arrive near the top of the mountain to see an Ogre ordering 8 dwarves to knock loose more of the rock retaining walls. The Ogre spots them and sounds his horn thrice, then orders his dwarven slaves to redouble their efforts. His warning was sounded successfully, but the Ogre's orders are belayed by Sabretooth's fatal darts. The dwarves, ashamed for their state, ask what they are to do now, and are advised by a swiftly climbing Oghren to make for the halfing village far below.

Some hours later, at long last, the party stands on the edge of the trough looking East and West. A long climb behind them, they hole up in the empty watch tower to await the morning. Once in the watchtower, though they make a gruesome discovery. There, upon a giant-sized table, next to a giant sized chair is a rich silver platter with Bjorn's crumpled armor laying upon it, trimmed in dried blood. A note in illegible script lays beside it. Using a clerical faculty, Fr. Patrick makes the grisly translation... It says, Tasty. The mood is sour as the party passes another uneasy series of watches for dawn.

The next morning before much can be done in the way of preparation, a squeaking and rumbling sound is heard from the West. The party assembles in the trough to see a wide wagon bearing some sort of abbrevated pyramid on it making its way toward them. It has come from where Quin spotted the massive structure two days previous. Just then a low flying white dragon swoops down and breathes an icy warning blast, before rounding back and disappearing from sight. Slowly, the top of the pyramid rotates and reveals itself to be a three-sided chamber powered by dozens of dwarven slaves. In a throne-like chair, with another snapping white dragon at his feet, sits a massively framed Frost Giant in rich furs. Behind his chair is a bald-headed, older giant standing impassively. On either side of his chair are two axe-wielding Frost Giants.

The Frost Giant Jarl leans forward to speak, but is interrupted by Sabretooth who has been tracking the first dragon as it flies by and launches a flurry of attacks that brings the young thing down and dead. The two Frost Giant gaurds are incredulous as they bound from the wagon and come at a run. The Jarl stands up furious in front of his chair.

The battle does not end quickly. With the two priests praying, and Mai firing her enchantments at Quin and Sabretooth, the rest of the party hides in the tower from the coming wrath. Even buttressed by divine favor and great magic, Quin and Sabretooth have a tough go of it. While they are distracted the Jarl has strapped on his helm and shield, and taken up his massive broad axe. Then he releases the second white dragon to occupy Oghren and then joins the battle with an incredible display of acrobatic avoidances and axe strikes.

Quin assures his compatriots that the two remaining Frost Giants -- old man and Jarl alike, along with their dragon associate are but phantasms. Sure enough the Jarl's axe blows come to naught and on its next pass, Oghren turns his back to the dragon and rejoins his friends, bleeding and panting with some profusion. The rest of the party spills from the tower and takes stock of their situation.

The way here has been difficult and only 10% of what they expect to find has been met in battle. Whatever awaits in the stone building ahead may soon be coming. Adding a fallen star to their wealth will not happen without some difficulty and more death.

*edited to eliminate -ed and add "a" 3/10