Cache a Fallen Star pt. 4

Once again, the party stands on the field of recent battle... the twenty feet wide paved and walled "trough" that has been cut into the ridge of the Malochan Mountains. It runs to the West from this scene and toward the enclave of the Frost Giant Jarl. It also runs to the East toward the Mistwood Forest.

In front of the party a portal has opened some four feet off the trough floor and extends fifteen feet in the air. Two Frost Giants, armed with their ubiquitous axes, have stepped through the portal. No sooner do they do so, then they are immediately attacked from behind by Beleg, who has brought up the rear guard of the party and is only freshly arrived from Wanderhalt. He has a human woman in tow that the rest of the party does not know.

The Giant turns to face Beleg showing a fear that does not seem commensurate to his stature. Most of the rest of the party joins the attack against that particular Giant and within moments has killed it. Budokai, however, has backstabbed the second Giant with his magical sword and apparently slain it in a single blow. The rest of his party looks on in amazement -- so far, not even the mighty (and enchanted) Quin or the beastly warrior Sabretooth have had such effect.

After both foes are fallen, Budokai wastes no time dismembering the bodies, while muttering something about reanimation. Quin looks on in horror, but allows that there might exist some need. The portal meanwhile remains open for about four more minutes before it winks out of existence. During the time it was open, Sabretooth has thrown various accoutrements and possessions of the deceased back through it, in an effort to goad others to come through. During the entire time the portal is open the party is divided about what to do next. They have a loud, and at times, abusive discussion amongst themselves.

Quin and Mai lead the voices which say they should retreat as far from the Giant's stronghold as possible, if only to rest and recuperate. Beleg and Budokai, on the other hand, are chief among those who argue that the open portal is an opportunity that should be seized. They see it as a gateway to their foe and want to take advantage of it to take the fight to those who are whittling the party down. The three other party members -- Sabretooth, Patrick and the new girl -- are largely silent, and at times vascillating as the minutes tick by. Eventually the portal closes and only one option remains. The party hotfoots the five miles back toward the tower that overlooks the climb.

Once there, they post Beleg and Budokai as guards and seek rest and recuperation within. Mai settles in to draw mana from around her. She urges her friends to maintain peace and quiet, but no sooner does she do so, than a part of the roof collapses in a shower of stone and wood. The accompanying loud crash of thunder nearly deafens them all. Once outside, they find an unconscious Budokai and a still reeling Beleg, both are scorched from lightning. Meanwhile, about 90 yards away a Gnome is running off at an unusually high rate of speed. He cannot escape pursuing missles, however, and is riddled by those both magical and mundane. The Gnome falls dead. From his body, the party recovers some coins, a gem, a brass key, a dagger, and a blank scroll. After some fussing and fretting by new girl, revealed to be a wizard named Ala, it is revealed that the scroll and key radiate faint magic. Beleg finds his senses enough to pour a potion of healing down the unconcious throat of Budokai and avails himself of the same.

Deeming the area of the tower unsafe, the party retreats still further, but make it only yards before another one of the portals opens in front of them. Most of party manages to sprint past the opening, but Budokai and Mai do not. Instead they are caught as two Frost Giants step through to confront them. A still greatly wounded Budokai bangs his shield with his katana and threatens, "Come and get it!" Mai turns invisible to the jeers of her companions.

When they become aware of their missing fellows, the rest of the party stops in mid-flight and returns to battle these new foes, rather than leave their friends behind. The party concentrates all of their attacks on a single Frost Giant, who falls easier than any of those who have, so far. The remaining Frost Giant, not yet aware of his fellow's fate, swings a mighty body-rending blow at the wounded and frail-looking Budokai, only to find his axe mysteriously blocked. Then, a rent and ruined shield clatters to the floor of the trough, split in twain by the Giant's axe. Those around the scene recognize it as bearing Mai's device. Budokai, thus spared, returns the attack and is joined subsequently by his friends. Soon there are two more giant corpses on the trench floor.

With even more gusto than before, the Frost Giants are dismembered by an increasingly disconsolate Budokai. Quin tries to reassure him, but then discovers that one of the two giant heads is "missing." Sabretooth, who has been throwing things through the open portal, now stands by idly and whistling innocently. There is blood still dripping from one gauntlet.

"Where is the head?" Quin demands. 

Sabretooth grins and shrugs.

Fr. Patrick claps Quin on the shoulder and says, "Brother, sometimes you have to let a half-orc be a half-orc."

Quin mutters angrily and stalks away.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party, with arguments led chiefly by Beleg and Mai, have once again fallen into disagreement about what to do about the still-open portal. Four minutes pass before it winks out of existence. The party's choices are limited by inaction, yet again. So, they redouble their strength and rally the wounded before simply fleeing, as before. This time, Beleg shouts that everyone should maintain a gap to keep from bunching-up, but his words are little heeded.

Quin, mindful of rear attacks, checks behind them and notes four Gnomes moving as if under one of Mai's haste enchantments. He shouts a warning to the party which stops, and attempts to point them out. Suddenly several Gnomes appear to the rest of the party. A lightning bolt streaks forward and explodes in their midst, throwing everyone into disarray. In the wake of the dazzling explosion it becomes apparent that Fr. Caeli of Wanderhalt is slain.

While they are confused by the sudden appearance of several Gnomes, Quin tries to direct the party to attack one of the four that he can see. Tireo Redshirt, clambers up the side of the trough and begins running in the direction indicated by Quin. He is followed by Mai and Quin himself. Just then, another lightning bolt crashes into their midst, throwing Tireo through the air and wounding Quin while Mai escapes unscathed -- she is somehow resistant to the spell's effects.

The trough now seems to be filled with fleeing Gnomes even though Quin insists that there are only four. With enough direction from Quin, the four he sees are slain and the rest disappear. The party recovers two more brass keys and two more scrolls of parchment, along with some random coins. The new girl, Ala, indicates that both keys and the parchment are radiating a faint level of magic.

The party turns to flee, realizing that repeated encounters are weakening them greatly and more distance needs to be put between them and the Jarl's lair. As they begin to leave, however, Quin calls the party to a halt. Tapping on the floor of the trough, he realizes that the center of it resonates differently than tapping near the edges. He asks Beleg to render a Dwarf's opinion.

Beleg passes his axe from one hand to the other and says, "I'm not that sort of Dwarf."