Session 49: Heavy Metal
Short Summary
The party takes down four fire giants in the blazing forges below. Boarstack volunteers to stay down stairs to find the hallway to the main room and create a blockade or diversion. The rest of the party ascend the stairs.
On the second floor, the party prepares their plan to drop a Giant-sized weapon on Zalto and to steal the enormous gem from the eye of the Vonindod (an enormous construct of heavy metal). Rolann decides to levitate down in front of where the weapon will drop. Kelderrin times the casting of Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Zalto collapses onto the ground and Gileas releases the weapon. It comes crashing down on Zalto with a resounding boom. In the confusion, Illidian and Jax extract the gem in the Vonindod’s eye socket and place it into Illidan’s bag of holding.
Chaos erupts in the main hall. Rolann steps into the forge and releases the fire primordial from the iron flask that the party had believed was in Illidan’s possession. With a magical incantation, the primordial spirit is sucked into the Vonindod’s body to activate it. Rolann places the Eye of Galor within the construct, and after doing so, seems to come out of a trance. Gileas unleashes a greater demon into the tumultuous hall below. A colossal animated construct, a greater demon, a group of angry fire giants and some confused (and desperate) adventurers enter into a bloody melee. With the assistance of the Vonindad (and the cannon fodder greater demon), the party defeats Zalto. Illidan gives the Vonindad/Stone of Galor the gem-eye and the construct/stone spirit wanders out.
Boarstack triumphantly takes Zalto’s head while Kelderrin helps free the dwarf trapped in the cage-like maul wielded by Zalto. The dwarf leads the party to Zalto’s room. There are a number of valuable items.** The most mysterious is a locked chest that the party hopes will contain the object of their quest…a Giant conch.
** The duke’s wardrobe contains a cloak (worth 2,500 gp and weighing 250 pounds) made from a red dragon’s scaly hide and wings, with a necklace of engraved gold plates draped over its broad shoulders. The duchess’s wardrobe contains a gown made of gold ingots and rings (worth 7,500 gp and weighing 750 pounds). The items atop the basalt table include a bejeweled obsidian hair brush with wire bristles (worth 750 gp and weighing 75 pounds), a tinderbox made of ebony inlaid with flames of melted gold (worth 750 gp and weighing 75 pounds), a hand mirror with a gilded iron handle and frame (worth 250 gp and weighing 125 pounds), and a bronze jewelry chest (worth 250 gp and weighing 250 pounds) that contains six giant-sized gold rings with gemstones set into them (each worth 2,500 gp and weighing 25 pounds).
Long Summary
Boastack’s crossbow bolt is the opening note to a frenzied battle with fire giants in the scorching forges of Irongslag. A pair of Fire Giant ironsmiths, certified members of the Brotherhood of Metal, come charging towards the party. Bringing in some of his own Nordic metal, Nord steps up to join Boarstack in the front. Showing that Fire Giants appreciate other genres of music, another pair of newcomers throw some rock at Boarstack and Gileas. The headbanging gets so intense that Nord and Boarstack collapse to the heavy beat, but are eventually revived. Jax finds his groove and, with the rest of the party, starts thrashing the Fire Giants. Kelderrin uses Tasha’s Hideous Laughter on the last Fire Giant and the party makes sure that the Fire Giant gets plenty of metal. Illidan decides to do some crowd surfing with the bodies of the Fire Giants to retrieve some loot.
Like all flashy artists, Jax and Kelderrin try to come up with some pyrotechnics to erupt for their next number. Boarstack decides on doing a solo on the ground floor while the rest of the party goes up to perform on the second-floor stage.
The party decides to orchestrate an elaborate set piece. Kelderrin will create a distraction to lure Duke Zalto underneath a Giant-sized weapon suspended by a crane. The gnome will give a signal to Gileas who will drop it upon the Fire Giant lord. This will signal Illidan and Jax to begin pounding away at the gemstone in the eye-socket of the Vonindad, a colossal heavy metal construct. Kelderrin announces that he is ready to make a distraction.
Like any fiercely defiant musician, Rolann decides to improvise – he steps off and does a dramatic stage-dive into the crowded hall below. Duke Zalto charges over towards Rolann. Realizing that he has to respond Rolann’s spontaneous play, Kelderrin quickly extemporizes by casting Tasha’ Hideous Laughter on Duke Zalto as the giant steps beneath the suspended weapon. Zalto collapses into fits of hideous laughter onto the floor. Kelderrin gives the signal. Gileas releases the Giant weapon from the crane and it crashes down onto Zalto with a resounding boom. On cue, Illidan and Jax starts pummeling away to release the gem-eye from the Vonindod.
Deciding to jazz things up some more, Rolann steps into a furnace to unleash the fire primordial from the iron flask that everyone believed to be in Illidan’s possession. This activates the Vonindod and it makes its way to Rolann. Rolann also knows a bit of rock, and places the Stone of Galor in the metalhead of the Vonindod. Once he delivers the stone into the Vonindod, Rolann seems to break from a trance and looks confused. The Vonindod/Stone of Golar demands the gem-eye to be returned to its socket.
Knowing that heavy metal is reputed to be enjoyed by demons, Gileas throws a greater demon into the mosh pit below. After some crazy slamming, the Fire Giants overcome the greater demon and the party (with some assistance from the Vonindad) overcomes the Fire Giants.
Illidan hands over the gem-eye to the Vonindad.
“It’s been real,” says the metal construct. Then it exits stage left.
The party goes to Duke Zalto’s dressing room to see if they can find his personal instrument…the big conch.
