Day 2: Part 4: Making friends
As the team continued their battle with the towering giants to the north, Silvius noticed something peculiar. His sharp eyes spotted 12 large chests located at the back of the room, arranged in a neat row. The chests were adorned with intricate bronze crests and were accompanied by a beautiful tapestry that hung on the wall behind them.
Silvius approached the door to the north that didn’t have any noises coming from it and attempted to pick the lock. However, to his disappointment, he failed miserably. Silvius then turned to Kalinar and signaled him to give it a try. Before proceeding any further, Silvius warned the others of the possible danger, stating that there was a loud bang on the other door to the north. Kalinar unlocked the door in front of Silvius and stepped back to prepare for potential attacks.
Czolg immediately moved towards the door from where the noises were emanating. He braced himself, ready to hold the door against any potential threat. Fennuris drew her bow and readied herself for an attack. Meanwhile, ADC moved to the side to peek inside the door, preparing to dodge any incoming danger. ADC’s construct, a magical construct, followed close behind, taking up position next to Czolg.
Czolg prepared himself for the epic battle with whatever was on the other side of the door. He readied Panzerfaust, braced himself to attack, and slowing got a tight grasp to pull the door open. When Czolg was fully ready he pulled the door with all his might… it was locked. A voice from the other side of the door, speaking in common, bellowed out, “Who’s out there?! Who’s out there?!” The team exchanged glances, uncertain of how to proceed.
As the tension rose, Kalinar stepped forward and addressed the door in a stern voice, “Lay down your arms, or you’ll die like the hydras we faced before.” Kalinar then turned to the lock and attempted to pick it himself. He worked with precision and after a few moments, the lock clicked and the door opened.
“Got it,” Kalinar whispered to Czolg, who was ready to pounce on anyone who dared to attack. As they stepped inside, they saw a dwarf standing in front of them, dressed in a leather work apron. His hands were dirty from manual labor, and his face was stern and suspicious.
“Who are you?” the dwarf asked in a raspy voice. “You’re not the hyenas, how did you get here? Ombi is the name,” the dwarf introduced himself. Kalinar walked up to the dwarf, studying him closely.
“We’re adventurers,” Kalinar said with a friendly smile. “We’re here to find our friend, Snure. Can you help us?”
Ombi replies to Kalinar “If we find Snure I’ll help with more than that”
“What? Are you going to kiss him”
As the group continued their battle with the giants, suddenly a deafening roar echoed through the room. They turned to see a Chimera, with its dragon, lion, and goat heads, looming over them.
ADC quickly cast a shield spell, preparing to avoid any incoming attacks from the beast’s ram or dragon heads. Fennuris, who understood these creatures well, knew that Chimeras breathed fire and had no weaknesses, causing her to nervously drop her bow.
Oscorn cast Toll the Dead, attempting to weaken the creature. Kalinar, seeing an opportunity, attacked the Chimera with a blast and tentacles, managing to land a few blows.
Czolg, taking advantage of the creature’s distraction, attacked it with full force. His axe landed a devastating blow on the Chimera, causing it to roar in agony. The group continued their fierce assault, and eventually, Czolg landed a decisive blow that killed the beast.
Meanwhile, Silvius entered the adjacent room. He found a room that was surprisingly clear and contained a bed, chair, cabinet, and arming rack filled with impressively made armor and weapons hanging above the wall.
Silvius felt a strange feeling as he gazed upon the equipment. He closed his eyes and prayed to Ilmater to guide him on what he was seeing. Suddenly, magical glows filled the room, and the armor, a hammer, shield, and something beside the bed began to glow.
He picked up the hammer, feeling its weight and power. He then noticed it wasn’t the armor that glowed but a set of gauntlets beneath it. He also took a shield that also glowed with magic.
Ombi bursts into the room and confronts Silvius, who’s holding his belongings. He demands Silvius return his magic shield and hammer and makes a grab for them. Silvius, bewildered by Ombi’s sudden intrusion, questions his presence in Snure’s volcano, armed to the teeth with magic weapons. Ombi explains that he’s been doing what he must, but he’s being held captive and wants to aid the team in defeating Snure. Silvius counters that he’s seen many prisoners held by the giants, and they’re usually tortured to within an inch of their lives. Ombi responds by mentioning his acquaintance with Kazug, the dwarf who fought bravely against the frost giants before succumbing to the deadly serpent.
As Oscorn enters the room to defuse the tense situation, Silvius relents and hands over Ombi’s hammer and shield. However, Ombi isn’t satisfied and requests the contents of a drawer behind Silvius. When Silvius inquires about the drawer’s contents, Ombi remains tight-lipped, only stating that it holds great significance to his family. Eventually, Silvius tips the drawer over, revealing a small box attached to the bottom. Inside, he discovers a golden ring inscribed with dwarfish script.
Silvius agrees to return Ombi’s belongings on the condition that he proves his worth to the team. Ombi takes his shield and hammer and informs everyone that Snure’s throne room lies to the south. With Kalinar sprinting ahead and Oscorn attempting to calm Silvius and Ombi down, Czolg chimes in “Give Hombre his stuff back Silvius!”. Silvius agrees to give him his things once Ombi has proven himself. Ombi charges towards the fire giants, ready to do battle.
As Ombi charged out of the room, the fire giants roared, “They’ve come for the dwarf!” The battle had begun. ADC quickly conjured an ice storm that rained down on the giants, while the construct went after one of them with brutal force. Silvius dragged Kalinar to safety as he was struck by a giant’s blow, and used a healing spell to revive him.
Czolg stumbled as he tried to attack, but quickly regained his footing and picked up his weapon. Fennuris let loose a barrage of arrows at the giants, while Ombi landed three crushing blows with his hammer, killing the giant to the south. ADC summoned another construct that went after the remaining fire giant.
Oscorn created a powerful prayer to maximize his healing spells, casting Beacon of Hope. Kalinar used Enervate to weaken the remaining giant. Meanwhile, Silvius hid and taunted the giants from the safety of the bedroom.
Czolg swung his weapon again, but fell down, leaving himself nearly defenseless. The giants took advantage of this and began to beat on him mercilessly. Fennuris continued to shoot arrows at the giants, and ADC used Toll the Dead to weaken them further.
Oscorn pulled back and cast a powerful Cure Wounds spell to heal his allies. Silvius, who had gone to check the corner, came back and warned the group that they needed to fall back and regroup.
Ombi runs back into the room, breathing heavily. He turns to Silvius and says, “Tell me you saw that. I took down that giant on my own!” Silvius nods and says, “Impressive, but we need to focus. What do you want with that ring?” Ombi negotiates with Silvius and offers to reveal the purpose of the ring in exchange for its return. He explains that he can disappear with the ring, but he needs it to do so. Fennuris pipes up and asks, “Why didn’t you escape with your ring of invisibility?” Ombi replies, “Because I forged everything here, the swords, armor, and even the gauntlets of ogre power.”
Oscorn listens intently and tries to sense if Ombi is being truthful. He believes that Ombi has been forging in this place and that the ring is making him uneasy. Silvius then reveals that there’s a beast being kept in the guest quarters, and Ombi adds that the plate mail is well-made but not magical, dwarven plate. He also mentions the team can use the magical battle axe.
Ombi then became fed up with the situation with the team and decided it was best to escape on his own. He tighted his shield and walked out with his hammer.
ADC then begins inspecting the ring. “This is a ring that creates light, don’t see any invsibility magic within it.”
The team then begins to prepare to rest in the room. Unsure if they made the right decisions with Ombi.
Will Ombi escape to find his freedom? Will he warn Snure and the fire giants about more details of the team? Will the team be able to rest in Ombi’s bedroom? Will they make it back to Snure’s throne room?