Day 1: Part 3: Entering the volcano

After seeing Melf return to his home plane the team decided to also return to where they came: the gate to Snure’s volcano. They teleported back from the astral plane asteroid and found themselves back near the bridge.

Oscorn approached the massive door with the team close by and asked Waythe, the powerful sword, what enemies awaited them. Waythe had been itching for a fight, as it had been awhile since their last battle together. “It’s been awhile,” Waythe said.

“Yes, we’ve slayed many giants here at this bridge,” Oscorn replied. “Now it’s time for us to go after Snure.”

“Why was I not a part of this glorious battle?” Waythe asked. “I have to help you.”

“How?” Oscorn asked.

“I can kill everyone,” Waythe replied.

Oscorn turned to his team and said, “This sword wants to fight!”

Waythe was excited at the prospect of being on the front line of battle. “We can start with the giant nearby to the north by northwest,” he said.

The team was surprised to hear that a giant was so close, but Czolg, along with his trusty spear Panzerfaust, was excited to take on the challenge. He opened the large doors and they entered a long hallway with 30-foot ceilings. The walls were adorned with beautiful tapestries depicting fire giants in their moments of glory.

Kalinar and Silvius snuck ahead inside, checking behind the first tapestry. They found a sleeping fire giant sitting on a stool. As they continued further down the hall and checked the other tapestries along the hallway, they found nothing.

Aas they returned to the front gate and the rest of the team, Kalinar slightly caught his foot and bumped into the tapestry in front of the sleeping fire giant guard. Silvius, seeing the fire giant waking up, used magic to suggest to him that he tells them about the stronghold while they took a walk outside. The fire giant’s eyes glazed over in a distant stare as he agreed.

The guard began to speak. “Today seems like a great day for a stroll,” he said. “Are you coming?”

Silvius replied, “Of course, tell us about this place you’re protecting. Who’s guarding it? Are there any prisoners or treasure here?”

The fire giant replied, “We have the watchers with many heads that help us. We need to keep an eye on the prisoners. We have some upstairs, downstairs, and all the way downstairs.”

As they approached the bridge over the river of lava, Silvius sent a telepathic message to Czolg. “We need to attack before we get across this bridge,” he warned.

Czolg asked the fire giant, “What about the dragon?”

The fire giant responded, “Ah yes, him too.”

Silvius grew increasingly urgent. “Now Czolg!” he yelled as they neared the end of the bridge. He tried running to keep pace on the opposite side of the fire giant.

Czolg, realizing the danger they were in, sprang into action. He struck the fire giant with Panzerfaust landing a vicious strike to the fire giant’s chest. Oscorn, Fennuris, and Kalinar also released magic and arrows at the giant, but they missed their mark. Kazik ran forward and bit the giant.

But the fire giant was a formidable opponent, and he nearly killed Kazik with one powerful strike from his sword. Waythe begged Oscorn to enter the battle. Oscorn agreed and charged the giant, but his swing went wide. The fight seemed to be going poorly for the team, until Czolg, Silvius, and Kazik continued to stab and bite the giant, weakening it.

Oscorn, seeing that their current strategy was not working, said to Waythe, “This isn’t working, I can’t give you the fight you crave.”

Waythe asked, “What about the big one?”

“He’s already in a weapon relationship with Panzerfaust over there,” as Czolg stabbed and smashes the giant with the butt of Panzerfaust. Oscorn glanced over to Silvius, who was also locked in battle with the giant and watched Silvius get slammed with two powerful blows. “Now he’s du… definitely the kind of guy you’d enjoy some time with.”

Waythe seemed excited by the idea as Oscorn returned him to his sheath.

At that moment, three eldritch blasts from Kalinar ripped across the bridge, striking and killing the fire giant. The team searched the giant’s body but found nothing of value. They dumped the body and possessions into the lava and took a moment to catch their breath.

They walked back through the front gate and closed the door behind them, entering the guard room to take a much-needed rest. Silvius tended to his wounds as Czolg grumbled about not having relieved himself before the battle.

Just as they were settling in, they heard steps approaching. “Get up! It’s my shift now,” a giant called out. Silvius quickly responded, using a minor illusion to to sound like the fire giant guard they had killed. “Ugh, give me a few minutes. Finishing up a poop,” Silvius replied through the illusion.

The giant, irritated, growled “I knew it! Again?! Hurry up and get out of there!”

Silvius whispered to ADC “I need a bucket of giant poop.”

ADC was hesitant, “No, no, no. That’s not my kind of summons,” but Silvius grew increasingly anxious, “You can do it and it’s what we need right now.”

ADC reluctantly agreed “Fine” and with a series of intricate and beautiful hand gestures, he created a bucket of stinking giant poop.

Silvius slid the bucket out past the tapestry and said “I need another bucket. I’m not done yet”

The fire giant guard was furious “You took the small bucket again!! Why?!” as he calmed himself with a deep breath “OK, I’ll go get the bigger bucket. Hang on. It’ll take some time.”

The team could hear the footsteps get quieter and fade away. Silvius peaks past the tapestry and sees a two headed giant on the hall. The team rushes out to the hall ready to face this new enemy.

“Here is a proper summons,” ADC exclaimed as he called forth a beholderkin. The creature blasted the ettin, but it ended up hurting itself and fell to the ground . “Actually, possibly not my best work,” ADC admitted.

The ettin took advantage of the situation and hid along the hallway. Czolg charged forward as Kalinar unleashed blasts of magic and Silvius taunted the two-headed giant.

“Approach!” Oscorn commanded. One two-headed giant obeyed, while the other scurried away.

ADC stepped out above his beholderkin and smacked it with his staff. “Get up! You’re embarrassing both of us!” The creature groaned and rose up to fight again.

Fennuris released a volley of arrows at the approaching giant, one of which lodged in one of the creature’s eyes.

Silvius hopped on Kazik and rode out to Czolg. “Chase them down, Czolg,” he said with a grin. “And don’t forget to bark so Kazik understands you.” Czolg barked to Kazik and rode up Kazik to the ettin, killing it with Panzerfaust.

Just as they thought the battle was turning in their favor, several hell hounds appeared around the corner. Kazik charged forward as the hell hound snapped at him, but they missed their mark.

Oscorn cast a spell, bringing the radiance of the sun down on the hell hounds and others in a 30-foot radius cylinder. The wolves barked in pain, including Kazik. A hell hound tried to run past Czolg, but he stabbed it, stopping and dropping the creature.

Arrows and blasts of magic flew at the hell hounds and ettin. The ettin swung and missed Kazik, and tried to run away. Kazik bit and knocked the ettin down. The creature stood up and scrambled away from the light. Kazik ran back to the party and out of the light of dawn.

As Fennuris’ arrows found their mark and killed a hell hound, Silvius used his powers of mockery to defeat another. Oscorn, still wielding the radiant light of dawn, charged forward, chasing after the fleeing giants. Fennuris, ADC, and Kalinar joined in, finishing off the remaining hell hounds with blasts and arrows.

Silvius once again hopped on Kazik’s back and rode him up to Czolg. He hopped off Kazik and stabbed the two-headed giant with his flaming sword.

The team could see a particular large giant with an iron crown sitting on a large thrown along with other fire giants nearby.

Has the team found Snure? What other enemies will defend the volcano? Is Oscorn’s sacred relic in this place of lava and fire?