As you all watch, Julian concentrates for a brief moment, murmuring the arcane words required to summon his servant. Suddenly, from the far side of the kitchen, confusion erupts as large piles of dishes come crashing down. Orcs and ogres alike begin bellowing and screaming as they attempt to prevent more damage from occurring. The giantess in that area is just as confused, slapping and kicking the smaller beasts that are now underfoot.
Quickly, you dart from the entry door to the storeroom door, an by the luck of the gods (and a bit of cover provided by Aelfric's spell) you make it without (you believe) being seen. Taking stock, you realize a second later that Alain is not with you. From the far side, you hear more commotion as the giant in the hallway begins yelling. In the mix, you can hear Alain taunting the giant, screaming to '
come and get me'. The bellows and shouts fade as Alain apparently is leading the brute away, but the fracas in the kitchen still persists.
In the storeroom, the smell hits you immediately, as rotted meats of who-knows-what animals and humanoids are piled on top of one another, along with various cooking materials such as vegetables, salts, spices, etc. barrels of water and ale are stacked haphazardly and torn and molding bags of grain give testament to the hardiness of the giant stomach. At the rear of the space you see a wide set of stairs leading down into the lower level. There are torches burning at the top as well as the bottom of the steps.
[ +- ] Hill Giant Steading - 9