Kensing

Ogre Surprise

Too many ogres

The party members interrogate the ogre who was captured during an ambush. After tying his hands and feet, they take turns intimidating and chatting him up. Finally, he gives a little information, the name of the leader of his tribe, Yarnat. Yarnat had given instructions to ambush travelers on the roads, which they had been doing for a while. Telling more, the ogre speaks about having to leave his favorite cave after giants took it over, but he hadn’t heard anything specific about Ilkaris. When asked about what sorts of giants inhabit the mountains, he explains that the population is mostly hill giants, with scattered frost. Mustering up some bravery, he refuses to reveal any more information about Yarnat or the giants, so after repeated warnings Smoth Harkshire slits his throat, sacrificing the ogre’s life to power his magical poisonous dagger.

While conferring on what to do next, Keldon sits down and identifies some red velvet boots that had been sitting in the bag of holding for while, and Smoth carves out an ogre tooth for his collection.

After a short discussion, the party decides to go after the ogres and try to take them out, because they are still a danger to the people in the area. Fin takes to the skies in eagle form to scout around and look for ogres, finding several in a camp with some crude, poorly constructed teepees.

Having two poison charged items, his dagger and spell-storing javelin, Smoth casts invisibility on himslef and sneaks into the camp. Keldon and Fin wait anxiously, waiting for the telltale sounds of commotion before attacking.

Smoth searches around between the tents, and begins counting adversaries: six ogres in the camp, one patrolling, one asleep, and then two of them having a conference of some sort in a large tent. The two in the tent are dressed differently than the others. One wears normal ogre garb, but has a massive axe with him, while the other wears a cape, chain mail, and sits with a broad sword across its knees. Smoth tries to keep investigating tents, but the female in mail hears him, and defensively casts a sleep spell on the area where she hears the noise, but Smoth easily resists it. However, within seconds she raises the alarm, and Smoth is forced to move to the outside of the camp as ogres begin spilling out of the tents.

Smoth tried to run back to Keldon (while still invisible) to give him some warning as to the numbers they were facing. Fin meanwhile, sees the commotion from his vantage point in the sky and decides to attack. Tucking his wings and going into a steep dive, Fin drops several hundred feet in only seconds. Without giving warning, he attacks the large ogre wielding the massive axe. In short order, Fin is surrounded, but acting quickly, he retreats back into the air and drops a flame strike on several of the ogres, killing them.

Combat rages on, with javelins thrown by ogres, searing light shooting out from Keldon’s outstretched finger, and a cone of cold from the suddenly un-invisible, flying ogre mage. Smoth, still invisible, intently scans the ogre mage, finding a weak spot to attack, only to have her turn invisibile again.

Rushing into melee, Keldon and Shun find the ogres to be strong opponents. Using some nearby trees as a wall, the two fight back to back, preventing the ogres from flanking from too many directions. Still, blow after blow rains down, nearly killing both of them.

Deciding that he can no longer stay out of the fight, Smoth, still invisible, creeps up behind the axe-wielder. Appearing suddenly with electricity crackling across his outstretched fingers, Smoth delivers a shocking grasp directly to the back of the ogre’s knee in a crippling sneak attack. Staggered, the ogre stumbles around the battlefield . Any strain on his part will surely cause him to collapse, yet he knows that when the fatigue from his rage takes its toll, he will die anyway.

Fin manages to summon 2 unicorns which run in and heal Shun and Keldon enough to survive. Taking a chance, Keldon spends precious time radiating a healing aura, in which their cures are maximally effective. Seizing the moment, Fin and Shun cast maximized cure spells and heal their most grevious wounds. Realizing the fight was lost, the ogre mage flees while invisible. Finn wild shapes into a giant bat and uses his echo-location to try to locate him, but finds nothing. Strange…

After the fight, they examine the surrounding carnage and reflect on just how lucky they are to have survived. Having faced death on many occasions, and sometimes losing, they decide to be more cautious in the future.

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Micah Micah