Gamelog: Murder of the Fire Giant King

crossing a lava moat in firegiant gatehouse

Had something stuck in foot and was going to Dr. Then got pleurisy from hayfever (keeps me awake lots of nights drooling and drowning in phlegm). Then I kicked my bed and couldn't walk so gave up going to Dr. Week later 90% normal. Watched almost all of Land of the Giants. Got invited to 2 games on at the same time. Sigh will try and work something out. Trying again to play online but I'm an idiot.

Writing my homebrew has taken odd turn. So was working on the digest version for years (started in 2012). Revising the digest has had problems as I started writing longerspelldescriptions and skills and more default example alt characterbuilds from basic classes. So I started a a4 size more detailed version intended for play up to Lv20 and covering apocalyptic stufflike psychon and my broken hill. When its done will go back to making digest version for making new characters and for up to name level. I also for another project making another simpler clone with only a few pages of rules, with no spell memorisation or spell lists - just lots of increasingly weird abilities up to level 4 max. For kids and short games which are increasingly norm so you can go from 1st fairly normal to feeling high level by 4th. Level gain fun is the main asset of DnD to me. Will be playtesting soon.

Currently playing fortnightly with 2-4 players. When we have at least 3 we play our now 15th Lv cave era game and if 2 players I run post apoc psychon/broken hill. So we got 4 players this game which is most since covid i have had. 

Currently, players had flown their flying castle from the frozen north Pleistocene tundra to the centre of the world Exile Island where long before Shadelport are prehuman ruins of the elder empire of monster kings that ruled for an aeon. Party had come hunting a Lich who escaped in their first war and managed to kill him by getting his Phlacentry from the well of the god Byatis under the lich tower. So they killed the current form of Byatis and crushed the lichs soul-killing it. So the heroes decided they would explore the world a bit while working on what to destroy and rob next. 

The flying castle has a population of former stone age trials and orcs and have learned to enjoy agriculture, archery and stone buildings under the party of heroes. The orcs many former giant slaves bought copper to the mix and metal weapons. They had tens of thousands of pretty discs that the ancients hoarded and mostly used them to make pretty costumes.

The wizard Orco has been busy creating firenewt abhumans as a servitor race
 and "improving"orcs (less afraid of surgery to gain might than humans) and a gate to the plane of fire in his tower and other research on fire lore.

The giant Lanos has been been breeding talking dogs and his main followers now bigger than a dire wolf and a 5th Lv cleric.

The fighter Boron has been building his sky cult with his priestess wife and is the champion of the faith he has restored to humanity.

The elf Sourberry the self-declared twilight elf and his followers has been dabbling in shadow magic and making magic weapons for warlike fireball wands.

So while wandering the world (can cross the world 10x in a year) so spent 3 months exploring the mysterious west (possibly controlled by some strange secret force), the warring tribes and beastfolk of the east and the burning lands of the south. Humans were uncommon. Demihumans were all hidden. They found a fire Giant volcano castle. Lanos was keen to destroy evil giants and the wizard fancied their magic lore.

So they arrived at the gatehouse crossing a bridge over a lava flow. The wizard put a water wall to make a missile free corridor over the bridge so it could be crossed free of giants hurling rocks. Then battled four giants and two huge fire lizards. During this battle Boron went berserk and as foes fell he went inside to see a lava pit with drizzling lava flow. Seeing giants beyond he lept over, was badly burned and started killing two giants and their lizard and elemental. The rest caught up to save Boron who got to -9HP to help finish off the foes. The wizard telekinetically parted lava shower letting others through with a leap over the pit.

Moving on Sourberry spied on complex invisibly and made a rough map. They attacked the mess hall with giants and a visiting cloud and stone giant and had a huge battle. First, they blocked doorways with ice walls and blasted the table with ice storm and managed to run through the cloud giants back before he could react. Several red orc servants were trying to flee and Lanos killed one for being red not like proper orcs back home. They captured the other one and he was willing to squeal on his mean masters. Meanwhile, one corridor blocked by 10 panels of ice to the lava bathroom had 4 naked giants smashing through and splashing lave to get through. Orko knocked the icewalls over with telekinesis like dominoes and the party poured through killing the naked giants. Found fire lizard egg incubator in the bath house and Orko teleported loot and eggs to his tower.

Cleaned out servant area capturing more red orc slaves and a fire giant cook. She agreed to help if they spread non-combatants and children. Party agreed and went straight for the throne room. Guards saw them coming and locked gates which Sour berry disintegrated. Party barged into throne room with king, priest, two vet guards and six lesser guards. Orko and Sourberry blasted them with chain lightning and other magics softening them up for the fighting men. Both frontline fighters Boron and Lanos took nasty hits and worried a bit but did win. All aware luck had helped. All healing depleted and Borons wife with her blade barrier had to flee as giants threw rocks at her. Had to chase the priest down who had summoned another fire elemental and called on the giant god Surter and the Prince of fire elementals to avenge him.

The last few in the complex fled and the heroes got their castle to fly closer and the stripping of all valuables began. Got a maul of the titans Lanos was keen to use the destroy the complex when looting was done. Got a horn of fire elemental summoning, tons of bronze, salamander wool cloak of fire immunity, bound efreeti ring of the fire giant king, wisdom boosting circlet (changes size), and a ring with the soul of its giant wearer inside and some other stuff. 

When players wondered what bronze for and knowing their orc tribe were copper users thought they might help. The new red orcs offered to teach the tribe redsmithing taking the tribe into the bronze age and most advanced humans in the known world.

Killed over 3000 hp of foes and all enjoyed their pre-emptive attack. Did discover giants were contemplating reconquering the mortal world as the recent floods at the start of the game had wiped out so many humans. So the giants were up to no good and it turns out killing their king in his home was slightly more justifiable. Yay!

Lanos learned a lot about the fall of giant land and it's pretty clear when he came to the mortal world he skipped many thousands of years and missed lots of stuff. He remembered giantland as a god-like paradise, an infinite giant castle with whole forests and kingdoms in courtyards. Now it's an endless ruin for the dim-witted descendants of the former rivals of the gods. The party stripped all the books scribed on fireproof salamander skin vellum too. Then they ruined the giants joint with the titan weapon weakening the fire giant kingdom forever.

Turns out more gods are noticing the party from this and the killing of Byatis in its current form.

Moving onto 16th Lv Sourberry wants to become a changeling and get into darkness/light clerical magic and the dreamlands and nightmare land. He says 8th Lv spells suck and not worth it. I'm having to pad out my higher-level spell list now. Orco doesn't mind and is now building an apparatus to grow monsters in his lab. 18 months of this campaign now and I never dreamed would last this long. The stone age start is more or less irrelevant to the game now.