Game Posts

Billy does his best to keep his own spirits up, but the devastation is overwhelming. He puts his dulcimer away, music seeming inappropriate at a time such as this. He looks forlornly around him, knowing that his ability to heal would be exhausted long before the line of injured people ceased. By the time the group makes it passed the siege engines, he is no longer able to hold back the tears and weeps, openly but silently, as he plods forward.

Baern seems unfazed by the carnage around him, his face stony and set upon the keep.

Ryyrik's hand hovers over his warhammer, as he closely follows behind Ulfren.

Phineas is saddened and sickened by what he sees. He's seen his share of battlefields, but he's never seen the aftermath of a siege before. He retreats in his mind to a place of logic, pushing away his emotions. He ponders how some of his druidic teachers used to say that war and civilization are inseparable.

Is war a necessary consequence of civilization?

He follows behind Ulfren, silently pondering this question.

Ulfren continues forward even as he hails the soldiers ahead. "Oy! Men of Rain-Hell! We of Those-Under-the-Mountain seek your master!"

"Right. Thanks," Ulfren states, proceeding onward.

Phineas follows his acting commanding officer.

Ryyrik follows behind and to the side of Ulfren. His shield and warhammer rest comfortably ready at his side.

Gunnar slings his rifle onto his back as he doesn't anticipate any need for it anytime soon. "So it looks like everyone just thawed out today, same as us." he says to no one in particular. "Does that mean the war's still on?"

"I'd imagine it's still goin' on. Just because people got froze, doesn't remove the hatred between the battling side, just put it on hold for a bit. Ryyrik responds back to Gunnar.

"Aye," agrees Ulfren, plodding through the mud. "If that be the case, then they's have looked at it like we did. But we had that wriggly fella on the boat, what said many years had passed because he wasn't strong anymore. I figure Rain-Hell and the orcs gotta have same kinda folk, too, so they's prob'ly know already."

"Even if the hostilities have resumed, it seems this magical flash freezing has disproportionately affected the orcs, killing most but turning a handful into giants. If the giant orcs are all as dumb as that last one, we could work with the humans to round them up pretty effectively."

"Honestly, I am more worried about the destruction of the land. With the crops destroyed, how will these people be able to feed themselves? I suspect starvation might yet be the greatest foe this island nation faces. Fortunately, gold freezes just fine. Hopefully King Reinhel's coffers are full enough to afford to import food for a year as they rebuild. Perhaps we can assist in this regard as well?"

"Either way, King Reinhel is the man to speak to."

Ulfren nods, and continues to walk in silence.

But after a moment, he pauses. "What?" he says, frowning. "What about that giant makes you think it was 'cause of the ice?"

"I admit, it is only a hypothesis, but: I suspect not just the ice itself, but the magic that caused the ice also caused the transformations. I have read a very large portion of the entirety of Dwarven literature on orcs, and I've never seen a reference to giant blue orcs before."

"To start with, they are blue, and turning blue is a common reaction to cold. Most humanoids' extremities turn blue when exposed to excessive cold. Our bodies naturally conserve heat by decreasing blood flow to our hands and feet, which is why they turn blue. My father's texts on the medical were very clear on the subject."

"Also many ice creatures are blue: Blizzard Golems, Gelugon, Frost Giants, Frosteye Basilisks, Ice Elementals, Ice Mephits, Ice Toads, and others. I concede that I have never met any of these creatures in person, but the illustrations in Dimgol's Manual of Monsters are considered highly accurate by all Dwarven scholars in good standing." †

"And of course, they are giant: an unnatural condition and almost certainly the result of magic. I can think of no natural reason why an orc would be so large."

"So, I feel it is a reasonable hypothesis that giant blue orcs are the byproduct of a major ice magic event."

---

† Although admittedly, Blue Dragons are not associated with cold, nor are Genies or Blue Slaadi. Hmm, I'll have to consider that if I publish these findings at some point.

The barbarian resumes the walk to the keep.

"Yes, we turn blue when it's cold and black when we freeze," says Ulfren, very familiar with such conditions. "Why is it that only the orc turned giant? All the other orcs we saw, frozen or not, stayed the same size. Why only orcs and we seen no humans get big and blue?"

"For all our efforts to control it, magic is inherently chaotic. There might not be a reason for why that orc changed, and why not a human. For all we know that was only creature on the whole island that was affected, or perhaps there are giant blue men and orcs walking about right now and we just haven't found them yet."

Ulfren considers the hypothesis some more. Finally, he shakes his head in a manner that conveys the whole thing is way too complicated to devote any further brainpower to, and to his thinking bears no further discussion on his part.

Gunnar, on the other hand, is intrigued by Phineas' hypothesis. "Bear in mind though, that freezing causes most materials to shrink. But it's true, magic is wild and often defies natural laws. Or seems to defy them, until previously unknown or misunderstood natural mechanisms become understood. I wonder if that creature's transformation was deliberate or if it was a mere side effect?"