Episode 16 - The Astral Sea & Village of Flotsam

Xiu charges the aberrant leader and slashes her, then uses action point to hit her again. Astral Giants are called to defend the aberrant leader, and they hit Xiu. Echo moves up and misses the leader. The light priest throws a ball of radiant light at Magnus and Alain, slowing them both. Foulspawn spit dark gooeyness at Echo, blinding him, then move in to attack him, one of them hits but the other attacks are deflected. Leader bites Echo, poisoning him. Alain fires predatory shards at one of the giants, then becomes immobilized due to the radiant light. Magnus shakes off the slow effect and moves up.

Xiu stabs the aberrant leader, then shifts away from one of the giants. Astral Giants take force damage, start attacking Xiu and she is bloodied. Echo shifts out of the darkness, activates his healing fonrt and uses virtuous strike on the leader, healing Xiu. Light priest summons light from the star dome, hitting everyone except Alain and healing the foes. Darkspawn summon more darkness on Echo and then attack him, and he is nearly dead. Leader bites Echo again, further poisoning him, then swings her greatsword at Echo. Alain activates animated arbalester, which crits the leader. Magnus moves up to flank the leader, and uses lasting threat on her, uses his action point to use crushing surge on her and misses.

Xiu uses arterial slice on the aberrant leader and kills her. As she dies, she calls out for someone to save her, which does not happen. Astral Giants look at the priest, who is struggling with indecision, and after taking force damage, they attack Xiu. Echo takes poison damage, is still alive, takes his second wind, lays hands on himself, is no longer bloodied. Light priest moves back and fires blinding light of power at Xiu, blinding her and damaging her, but she is still alive. Darkspawn attack Magnus to little effect, other one attacks Echo and misses, then they flee. Alain's arbalester hits Darkspawn, then he moves up and gives restorative infusion to Xiu. Magnus runs over to attack that Darkspawn and crits him with Tide of Iron.

Xiu steps away and takes a second wind, but she is still bloodied. Astral Giants close in to attack Xiu. Echo heals Xiu, who is now no longer bloodied, and moves in to attack the Astral Giant. Light priest calls stars down again, hits Xiu and misses Echo. Darkspawn move in to attack Magnus, who does avalanche damage to one of them, and they hit him with no effectiveness. Alain fires arbalester at bloodied Darkspawn, gives regenerative infusion to Xiu, swings and misses at Astral Giant. Magnus swings and hits the non-bloodied Darkspawn.

Xiu burns her regeneration for a healing surge, and is no longer bloodied, attacks the giant with bloodbath. Astral Giant hits Xiu with a crit, but Echo takes the damage instead, bloodying him. The other Astral Giant flanks Echo and hits him. Echo tries to give the Light priest a save, but it doesn't work and his holy symbol digs further into him, then he attacks the Astral Giant. Light priest moves to the back of the room and fires, blinding and bloodying Echo. Darkspawn dies from avalanche, the other one attacks Magnus to little effect. Alain fires the arbalester at the light priest, runs toward the light priest and uses his action point to static shock the light priest. Magnus swings and bloodies the remaining Darkspawn.

Xiu moves up, uses her action point to ride the light priest like a pony. Astral Giants attack Echo and miss. Echo, blinded, swings at the Astral Giant in front of him and misses. Light priest blasts Alain back, pushing him into a statue, then runs away with Xiu clinging to him. Darkspawn takes avalanche damage from Magnus. Alain fires arbalester at light priest, gives fleeting dweomer (force) to Xiu's weapon. Magnus kills the Darkspawn, then moves in to help Echo against the Giants.

Xiu uses her katar to slice the chain of the holy symbol, and the astral giant light priest's eyes clear (but remain pupil-less). The Astral Giants lower their spears and step back. The light priest knocks the statue over, and it smashes into a thousand pieces on the floor. He then spends a minute staring at the ceiling, and calls energy down to heal everyone.

The giant, who calls himself Zanashu, apologizes for being under the influence of a demon. We explain what we are doing here, and find out that the leader was unable to escape with information about the Auctorica Draconis. He explains that of the five pieces, some of them have moved recently. Two of them are in the possession of the fire giants at a place called Flamefall Tower, one remains hidden at a place called Ice Shear Isle, one is in the possession of a genie called Kasiim and one is in the home of the mayor of the city of Brealton. Kasiim lives in a village named Flotsam in the northern seas of Khorvaire, not far from Ice Shear Isle, there is a force of frost giants closing in on that island. Of the pieces not already under the control of the giant army, those two seem most vulnerable to Zanashu. He offers to teach the ritual to repair the divine engine and use it to re-establish the prison of Piranoth. We will also need the assistance of one of the creator dragons, Zenora.

Magnus asks if we can be transported to help Kasiim. After a minute and a half of consideration, Zanashu tells us he can effect our transportation back to our own world, and put us back in the northern part of our world. We all take an extended rest, and Magnus learns the ritual of binding Piranoth with the Auctorica Draconis.

We are transported to somewhere very cold and dark. We are in a cave full of stalagmites and stalactites of ice, and there is no apparent exit. Xiu climbs up the walls to where she saw lighter ice, and she hears wind, which seems odd since we're in an enclosed space. She suspects we're in a pocket of air inside a glacier, and that this part of the glacier she's next to is the thinnest. Magnus suspects that the teleportation circle is what causes the wind sound, which might be extraplanar. Xiu climbs high up, using her pitons and crampons, and finds it easier to see where she's going when the light isn't on. Alain notices that the runes for the circle are very old, not House Orien, and he suspects they date from the Age of Giants or before. With this in mind, Magnus is able to use the correct sequence of runes to activate the portal.

The cavern lights up, we vanish from the bubble and reappear in a frozen wasteland. We hear a great horn. Three kayaks made of ice, impossibly large, are heading toward the shore. They are filled with frost giants, and one of them blows the horn again.

The kayaks glide into shore. Echo uses wrath of god, we all move forward toward the giants. One giant moves off the kayak and kills a villager. The larger giant moves in and steps on one of the tents, then kills another villager with an ice spear. Echo charges the large giant and hits him for radiant damage. Xiu moves in and charges the large giant as well, but she misses. Magnus moves in to flank the giants. Alain moves up and misses the larger giant with his crossbow.

The smaller giant crushes his way past the tent, drawing an attack from Echo. The Frost Giant Windkeeper (larger giant) blows frosty breath and knocks us all down, then crushes through another tent. Echo stands, activates his healing font and charges the Windkeeper, missing him. Xiu stands and charges the Windkeeper, missing him. Magnus charges the Windkeeper and hits him, pinning him in place, then uses his action point to use come and get it. Alain fires predatory shards at the Windkeeper and frost giant.

Frost Giant takes force damage and misses Magnus. Windkeeper takes force damage, summons up a vortex of snow and ice that catches Xiu and Magnus, sliding them and breaking the pin, and then he stands up. Echo hits the Windkeeper with his blessed weapon and bloodies him. Xiu moves up and attacks the Windkeeper with arterial slice. Magnus uses inexorable advance on the Windkeeper, killing him, and then on the other giant. Alain gives flame dweomer to Xiu's weapons, fires repulsion strike at frost giant.

Frost giant misses Magnus. Echo uses virtuous strike on frost giant, who is bloodied. Xiu moves in and hits the frost giant with Rogue's Luck. Magnus uses crushing surge on the frost giant. Alain misses the giant.

Frost giant hits Xiu, drawing a hit from Magnus, then tries to flee, drawing attacks from Echo and Xiu that kill him.

Echo switches weapons and fires at the nearest frost giant, but he misses. Xiu leaps across the water onto the other island. Magnus dimisses his armor, stows his shield and jumps to one of the islets, and Alain follows him.

Frost Giants destroy huts in a frenzy, the other two Frost Giants move in on Xiu, one of them attacks her and the other throws handaxes at her, and she is down. Magnus jumps into the water, and swims up to shore, then puts his armor back on and draws his shield. Echo jumps onto the islet. Xiu is still vulnerable to cold. Alain moves into the water and begins sinking.

Frost Giant Marauder moves in on Magnus, hitting him with a handaxe. The other Marauder moves in and misses Magnus with a hand axe. Frost giants hit Magnus, making him vulnerable to cold and kick her into the water. Echo fires his bow at the frost giant and crits, healing Xiu and waking her up. Xiu swims up onto the islet and takes a second wind, and saves against vulnerability. Magnus attacks skirmisher with appalling crunch with a crit, marking all of the giants. Alain begins freezing, sinks further into the water.

Frost Giant Marauders throw axes at Magnus and Echo. Echo misses the skirmisher. Xiu throws shuriken with tornado strike and bloodies the marauder. Magnus uses crushing surge on bloodied Marauder and misses. Alain is drowning and freezing to death.

Frost Giant Marauders attack Magnus. Echo fires his bow and misses. Xiu drinks her potion of vitality and jumps onto the shore, then charges the frost giant. Magnus shifts up to use crushing surge on the bloodied Marauder and misses. Alain regains his wits, swims up onto one of the islets.

Frost Giant Marauder throws axe at Alain, the other one attacks Magnus. Frost Giants swing and miss. Echo fires an arrow attached to a rope to give himiself a handhold. Xiu tumbles next to the bloodied Marauder, activates her sidestep stance and attacks, nearly killing him. Magnus uses crushing surge on Marauder and misses. Alain fires runic resistance at the bloodied Marauder and Frost Giant.