Vorodon, Grilgrull, Talia, Aerex, Vee, Kadarin, Dujek...and Mazoma.
“Pebbles and paste, paste and pebbles” the Stone giant hummed his favorite poem as he rose to stretch.
As Vorodon climbed over the last ridge and strode forth, Grilgrull managed several moments of stunned silence. This was no human, that he was seeing now, no, this one looked more like a member of that smelly and belligerent race---in fact, this one looked a lot like the brother of another Volgotoi Grilgrull had recently pounded and stomped.
Grilgrull thought for a moment, straining himself, and then tried to make sense of the half-ogre’s tone and tongue.
“Cold, big, night-thing late” was that what he had said? Grilgrull was at a loss truth be told, the stone giant was not used to being blatantly accosted, even the ogres of the Great Escarpment knew better than to mess with the ‘Stone-Kings’.
“Come Grilgrull greet, little ogre”, the giant managed, his voice rough and harsh from his earlier wound. The giant was simply unsure of what to do. Alzamus had bid him slay intruders, but was this an intruder or a visitor? It would be easier to kill later and be punished for being a poor guard, than it would be to kill now, and be more severely punished if the wizard had been expecting someone, and forgot to tell Grilgrull. Besides, he was so tired of smashing people to pulp. Maybe this tusked “little-big-one” would be a friend to Grilgrull. Maybe he—The giant realized suddenly that his own thought process was going to slow.
“Walk here”, the giant waved to Vorodon, and as the half-ogre slowly approached, Grilgrull thought of a good way they could be friends. He remembered an old ritual the ogres had when it came to greeting kin and acquaintances.
“Hit Grilgrull, then Grilgrull hit you", the giant managed a smile, showing rows of granite-like teeth. As if to assure the visitor Grilgrull meant no ill, the giant slightly bent, and arched his massive chin in front of the Volgotor.
Vorodon knew the Old Ways. Sighing, for the Volgotor now knew there was pain in his immediate future, he unleashed a powerful roundhouse to the giant’s lower jaw.
“Crack!” came the sound of the half-ogre’s fist smashing the giant’s chin, and it was at this point, as Kadarin and Dujek looked on, that the two mages stared in stunned silence, mouths agape. Vorodon had lost it. He was thouroughly insane, of this there was no doubt, he had just punched (!) the giant.
Grilgrull moaned, as his face reeled back and to the left, but a moment later, the giant was grinning and clacking his jaw, rubbing it briefly with his huge hand.
“Grilgrull turn” the giant remarked and swung at Vorodon without further warning, smashing Vorodon’s chin in turn, but even from a distance, the two hidden mages could now tell that the giant had held back his full power.
A bizarre noise of anguish briefly escaped Vorodon’s lips as the half-ogre went down like a stationary lancers dummy.
Dujek and Kadarin looked on in amazement, as Vorodon grunted, but slowly rose, his nose now bloody, though the two mages could not see that in the dark.
Grilgrull meanwhile started making strange noises, ones that could only be described as laughter, or more like throaty gurgles, perhaps, then helped the half-ogre up, and pointed to the main gate.
“Wait here, then you come meet master”, Grilgrull offered and without another word, turned to enter the monastic abode, leaving Vorodon standing in place, and rubbing his nose, which was now officially broken, and gushing blood. Strange, thought the two mages as they continued to look upon the scene, not sure of what to do, Vorodon seemed to be smiling.
Meanwhile (and moments earlier), as Grilgrull and Vorodon were getting “acquainted”, Talia had burst like a nocturnal feline from her hiding place, and rushed to the side and past the giant, heading to the main gate. Aerex followed her quickly, and soon two shadows were racing across the open terrain, beneath the bright light of the full moon. Several agonizing seconds later, they were huddled against the cold stone of the keep. The monastic gates were not meant to keep people out, they were meant simply as an entryway, and soon, Talia and Aerex had slipped between the iron bars, and deep inside moonlit courtyard, approaching the main door of the abbey.
It was Aerex who hissed and shoved Talia emphatically, to the side and behind the stone staircase leading up to the actual entrance, for the rogue had spotted the giant returning now in the same direction. The two crouched and hid, as Grilgrull walked up the ten wide steps and entered the door.
For a moment all was silent.
Unseen to all, including his own companions, Vee Keykold, had also been on the move at the same time as Talia and Aerex had bolted for the entrance, but the lone rogue avoided the main gate and instead made a beeline to a section of wall fifty yards distant of the action, the tower wall.
Vee crouched and smiled. A rope dangled innocently from a window in the lower part of the tower, and Vee was now holding the bottom end and grinning to himself.
“Let see where this twine leads” he mused and without a further word, scrambled nimbly up the wall. By the time Grilgrull and Vorodon had exchanged punches, the Night-Prowler from Nimz, was halfway up to the window. By the time, the giant had seemingly left Vorodon standing in place to return to the keep, Vee was looking through the window, fifty feet above the ground.
Meanwhile, Aerex and Talia were just about to move again, when they heard the great door opening once more, and froze in place, merely ten feet from the opening aperture, but hidden on the side of the courtyard’s staircase. This time the giant came forth, but wasn’t alone. Aerex smelled perfume before he noticed a voluptuously heavy-set woman walking ahead of Grilgrull, back to the outer gate where the giant had left Vorodon.
As Vorodon stood, he now saw a human woman emerge from the keep, lips painted, eyes blackened from kohl, a white wolf’s pelt cape, trailing behind her in the night wind.
The two walked up casually to Vorodon.
“A cold night to be wondering so far from home.” She cooed to the half-ogre in a strange lilting fashion.
“Whatever brings you here, warrior, know that you are welcomed by the Master of this Household, Alzamus. You may come with me, away from the cold, and meet the Master. He would welcome your company on this lonely night. But of course you do not travel alone, mighty one, where are your traveling companions? Surely, like you, they may wish for roasted meat and a warm bed, eh?”
She smiled, with a smile that could kill, if indulged long enough.
<OOC> Yes, there was rolling involved. Hide in Shadows, Move silently, Climb Walls, Dex checks, perception, and others</OOC>
