Jorgenfist

Predawn, Wealday, the 25th of Kuthona, 4707 AR

The headless undead ogre strode into the room as Treana launches freezing-hellfire arrows against it. The armored giant in turn hurled one of a pair of massive hatchets it carried at Treana which, after striking the archer, wrenched itself free and returned to the giant’s waiting hand. And so began the second battle of Jorgenfist. Lumbering into view beyond the doorway were a trio of hill giants zombies clad in heavy plate armor. Aubrey mystically opened a gaping sinkhole beneath the doorway; and in so doing sent the lead zombie hurtling into its depths while blocking the advance of its fellows. Undeterred by the physical obstacle, the three hounds of Tindalos used their otherworldly abilities to travel instantly to the raised stage upon which most of the Sihedron were clustered. Spinning in place, Ton pummeled the nearest of the bug-eyed horrors as it appeared; breaking one of its limbs with a devastating kick. Bitten and clawed by another of the alien monsters, Treana retreated a few steps down the stairs and finished off Ton’s injured hound with a barrage of arrows. With both weapons again in hand, the Headless-zombie Lord hurled a hatchet at Treana and the other at Kivu. The architect thwarted the abomination’s plan however by harmlessly catching his second hurled axe. Treana was not so fortunate and suffered another staggering blow. Aubrey, flying overhead, conjured a swarm of wisps which swirled around the two remaining hounds of Tindalos; successfully blinding one of the alien monsters. Dropping the axe she’d caught, Kivu drew and launched a pair of arrows at that hound’s unseeing bug-eyes; killing it instantly. Finally having closed with the Headless-Lord, Elshbeth smote the creature with a powerful blow of her holy blade as Trena’s wolf companion Shiloah harried it. Not to be undone, the towering undead giant swung his remaining axe at the paladin and canine; gravely injuring both. Fearing for Elshbeth’s life, Aubrey mystically twisted space itself and so caused Ton to exchange positions with the faltering paladin while Shiloah limped away to safety. Finally, in a hail of fired arrows from Kivu and Treana and blows rained down by Ton, both the undead giant and remaining hound of Tindalos were felled.

The Sihedron remained on guard as they regrouped and quickly healed their wounds with prayers. Aubrey had recognized the sound of the elusive scanderig moving unseen within the very walls and so the group suspected that an attack by the metal monstrosity was imminent. Indeed, hungry for the metal armor she wore, the elusive scanderig repeatedly emerged to bite at the paladin’s feet before quickly disappearing back beneath the stone floor. Finally, eager to engage the scanderig, the group accepted to enter a corridor it’d mystically opened for them in a previously featureless wall; an obvious trap. Predictably, the metal monstrosity partly emerged to bite at Elshbeth. Wasting no time, Ton grabbed hold and forcibly dragged the monster out of the wall as the others backed away to make room for its bulbous frame. Kivu and Treana rained arrows and Elshbeth rained blows down on the scanderig as the monk and it grappled. Suddenly, Aubrey opened a sinkhole beneath it, but the metal monstrosity clung tenaciously to the wall; refusing to fall even as Elshbeth slipped into the sinkhole’s depths. Unable to free itself from Ton’s grip, the scanderig changed tactics and assaulted the monk with its earthen magic; transmuting his body to lifeless stone! Under repeated magical attacks from Aubrey the metal monstrosity, with the petrified monk still attached, finally lost its grip and fell into the sinkhole. Elshbeth was ready for the scanderig’s fall and succeeded in slaying the creature with her adamantine blade. She then took hold of her petrified companion so that Aubrey could magically whisk the two of them up and away from the burning slag pouring out of the felled scanderig’s gut-maw.

In a bid to save his petrified companion, Aubrey searched his stocking cap for a possible remedy; but to no avail. The spryte then turned his attention to the well-stocked wizard’s laboratory in which he found himself. Out of curiosity, he spoke to the caged ogre head and so discovered that it was not only capable of speech but in fact quite talkative and more than willing to reveal what it knew about Mokmurian, his invasion plans, and of their mutual Runelord master. According to the head, Karzoug had succeeded in escaping Earthfall and the destruction of the Thassilonian empire by finding succor in a “space between worlds”. The head went on to claim that Karzoug required the Runewell of Greed to be empowered so that he might return to the world from which he’d been absent for the past 10,000 years.

Aubrey found Mokmurian’s spellbooks and spell components while rifling through the unconscious giant’s personal effects . After some study, the spryte conjectured that the giant, himself a transmuter of no small skill, likely knew of magics that could restore Ton to life. After discussing their limited options the Sihedron chose to try striking a deal with Mokmurian. After stripping, binding and blindfolding the unconscious wizard, Aubrey roused Mokmurian with minor healing magics. Through a combination of magical and conventional diplomacy, the wily fey succeeded in brokering a simple exchange with the bound giant; he’d restore Ton in exchange for being kept alive. Having been handed the diamond dust he required, Mokmurian wove powerful magics to wish the monk’s body restored to flesh. And so it was.

With the Sihedron hale once more, the group went about collecting the chamber’s valuables while Aubrey placed their prisoners (Mokmurian, his falcon familiar and the Beheaded Lord’s head) into magical torpor as he had his companions a day earlier. Once ready, the Sihedron girded themselves and exited the chamber in search of the remaining giant zombies who’d wandered off during the battle.