13. Belly of the Beast

Torgen shifts out of the fire, and crits the Earth Giant with his jagged axe, saves against slowed. Shaman re-enters the room and sends stones to pummel us, hitting Xiu and critically hitting Magnus. The bleeding kills the Earth Giant, one of the Hill Giants misses Magnus and the other hits Zargosz. Firestorm blasts Alain and Magnus, filling their area with fire. Slingers throw at Torgen, but are deflected by the dancing shield. Zargosz pulls out his club and swings at the Hill Giant with aggressive fury, and his crocodile bites from the other side. Xiu charges that Hill Giant. Magnus stands and uses lasting threat on the Hill Giant in front of him, bloodying him. Alain fires greater magic weapon and crits that Hill Giant, granting greater magic weapon to Magnus.

Torgen shifts into the vines and hits the shaman and Hill Giant, then spends an action point to attack, then swings his arc of vengeance on them, hitting the Hill Giant. Shaman steps back, casts a spell and encourages the others to attack Torgen. Bloodied Hill Giant swings at Magnus and misses, taking damage and killing him. Hill Giant swings his club and hits Xiu and Zargosz. Firestorm launches a firestorm at Torgen, immobilizing him, then withdraws into the other hallway. Slingers throw at Torgen and one of them hits. Zargosz stands and fires Nature's Balance for poison damage on the Hill Giant, then the crocodile chews on the Giant. Xiu stands up, uses her changeling's trick to gain combat advantage and charges the Hill Giant. Magnus charges the shaman and misses. Alain uses restorative infusion on Zargosz, puts away his crossbow, draws his staff, fires life-tapping darts at shaman and uses action point to static shock the Hill Giant.

Torgen heals Xiu, draws his throwing axe and throws it at the shaman. Shaman uses earth storm on Magnus and Torgen, hitting Magnus and blinding him. Hill Giant swings and misses Xiu. Firestorm moves out of sight. Slingers throw at Torgen and miss, thanks to the shield. Zargosz summons a boar, which charges the bloodied Hill Giant, but misses, and the crocodile chews again ineffectively. Xiu attacks Hill Giant with bloodbath. Magnus suffers damage, bloodying himself and removing the blindness, and uses tide of iron on the shaman, slamming him up against the wall. Alain moves in on the Hill Giant, hits him with aggravating force, then uses regeneration infusion on Zargosz.

Torgen moves in on the shaman and crits him with resurgent strike and kills him, allowing Magnus to heal up from being bloodied, and smashing the shaman through a door, subjecting his body to a guillotine trap. Hill Giant takes ongoing bloody damage, swings and misses Alain. Slinger throws at the crocodile and bloodies him. Crocodile finally chews through and kills the Hill Giant, then converts the regeneration into healing and is no longer bloodied. Xiu stows her katar, and throws her shuriken and misses. Magnus drops his defensive stance, then charges through the fire at one of the slingers, criting him. Alain reloads his crossbow, moves in to sight the slingers.

Torgen attacks the slingers with his bardic taunt. Firestorm throws another burst of fire. Slinger flees from Magnus, throws a rock back at him. The other slinger takes fire damage, attacks Torgen with a rock. Zargosz commands his boar to attack the wall. Xiu runs through the fire and spends her action point to leap at the bloodied slinger with aerial assault, killing him. Magnus moves over to the dead slinger to drag him onto the lava. Alain takes his second wind, then runs through the fire into the room.

Torgen moves out of the fire to attack the other slinger with holy strike and misses, then lays hands on himself to un-bloody. Firestorm launches a fiery burst at Xiu and Magnus, missing them but engulfing them in flame, and he disappears into the lava. Slinger punches Torgen. Zargosz's boar hits the wall again, then he blasts it with a stormspike. Xiu takes fire damage, realizes that the lava is being fed by an underground source, then moves and throws a shuriken at the remaining slinger. Magnus pushes the corpse further into the lava, then climbs on top of it. Alain fires predatory shards at the cornered slinger.

Torgen hits the slinger. Slinger takes force damage, then punches at Torgen and misses. Zargosz and his menagerie attack the wall while the rest of us are on the other side doing real work, smashing a hole in the wall. Xiu throws shuriken at slinger. Magnus rides the giant corpse. Alain uses fleeting dweomer on Torgen's axe, fires aggravating force at the slinger.

Torgen hits the slinger and kills him. We search the place for treasure, then divide up the platinum.

We find a magic box on the giant that is a communication device with someone who recognizes us and promises to make us scream and die.

Xiu picks the lock on the small doors and we begin walking down a dimly-lit corridor. Xiu unlocks another door at the end of the hall, hears sleeping creatures inside. Magnus finds a secret door. At Alain's suggestion, Xiu checks the door for traps, but doesn't find any. Magnus opens it and we discover the hall of the battle chief.

Torgen casts Wrath of God, then moves in and finds a pit trap dropping him into a cavern with an Earth Titan and Earth Giants. The Earth Titan exclaims "At long last, the giants shall have their revenge!" Xiu throws a rope down to Torgen and hooks it to the secret door. Hill Giant Shaman fires blast of fire at Xiu and misses. Alain turns his crossbow into an animated arbalester and misses the shaman, then draws his staff. Firestorm launches fire into the corridor. Zargosz unleashes storm on the firestorm. Orc mercenaries emerge from behind us to attack Zargosz, who is bloodied. Magnus moves into the room and falls through the floor at a different point.

Torgen attacks one of the Hill Giants. Earth Titan swings at Magnus and hits with one fist. More hill giants move in to hit Magnus, but he shrugs off the damage. Xiu throws tornado strike with shuriken, kills two hill giants, and saves against immobilized. Shaman misses Xiu again. Alain slides down to the ground, hits hard, falls prone, fires lightning motes at earth giants and titan, gives dancing shield to Torgen. Firestorm begins making his way down the magma. Zargosz moves the storm and kills two hill giants, summons a crocodile to attack orcs. One of the orcs, grabbed by the crocodile, blocks the others from getting out, but three of them are still able to attack Zargosz, and one hits and one crits. Magnus activates unyielding avalanche and uses come and get it, then spends his action point to use thicket of blades to hit all of them, critting one of them.