Part 45: The Giant's Forge and the Isolated Inn
Update 039 – The Giant's Forge and the Isolated Inn
“It's not that far!”
“It sure seems like it.”
“I think I'll trust the Slith in this regard.”
“I have to agree.”
“Well, that's nice and all, but now that we're at our destination, wherever that is..?”
“Hold on.” 
“You can really feel the heat.”
“Yeah. But the giants have built bridges. How nice of them.”
“So, what's the plan. I see some sort of temple there.” “Sneak around, obviously.” “That's awfully cautious of you.” “Yeah, but with this much lava, who knows how many times I'm going to have to cast Firewalk?” “That makes sense. It looks like the path north leads to a dead end, we should check that out first.”
“SNEAKZIES FIIFS! SLAY!”
“That was ... anticlimactic.” “Looking at this, it's actually a guard post for the path on the other side of the void. They would be able to throw stones at the attackers in tight quarters.” “Sorry, wasn't paying attention. Busy springing the lock here.”
“Is there some pattern to the value of the valuables in these boxes? They seem so ... random.”
“Who knows? They're Giants. None of us are one, so how could we understand them?” “By talking!” “Find me a giant that wants to talk first, and I'll let Art handle it.”
“We would have never found this passage if it were not for my scrying skills.” “Can we deal with the Ogres first though?” “What? Oh sure.” 
“I love this sword!” “Now that we're done...”
“No clue. You guys can have'em.” “I found another box from where the Ogres came from!” “When did you wander off?” “I wasn't lost.”
“At least there's food in this one.” “You want to trust Giant food?” “Why not?” “It's Giant food.” “Which means there is more per serving for each of us.”
“You know, I'm really interested in what they're keeping secret in the lava cavern down there.” “Really?” “Yes. Let me cast firewalk first.” 
There's a gimmick in this corner of the map. There are random tiles that you can step on that cause you to get hit by fire damage over the entire party. Doesn't matter where they are, as I tried to bypass them using Bronwyn and her Ring of Resistance. So yeah, in addition to making it harder for status effects to land on her, it also halves elemental damage done to her. Who knew?
“Protect the Hammer!” “Well, crap. Fall back!” “Too late!”
“What's that?”
“I don't know!” “YOU! Your time is coming!” “Really? You've been saying that for years now.”
“Got it!”
So, guess what kind of weapon the Giants would be hiding away, guarded by demons?
SMITE! The best bashing weapon in the game (I think). Too bad no one knows the relevant skill. And of course, having a weapon optimized to kill Giants while in the middle of a quest involving Giants would be handy, wouldn't it? “Rook, you bastard.” “Who?” “No one you should concern yourself with. Take the hammer. We're taking it back to Exile, where it belongs.”* * *
“THEYZ HAZ HURTIE STONE ON STICK! KILL!”
“I suggest we fall back. I have a plan!” “I'm for that!” Guess whose last save was before picking up Smite?
“So, what is this plan of yours.” “Something your scrying showed me.”
“This would be the way out. Are you suggesting we flee?”
“Just to recover.”
“zzz” “Now, for my brilliant plan!”
“Stand over here... and duck in and out of the shadows to cast Fireballs, Flamestrikes and Firestorms on the Giants!” “I like this plan!”
“I feel distinctly left out.” “You got to be the rear guard!” “Not helping.”
“Missed one.” “No, I didn't!”
“Now that we're closer, it really looks like we can hop across the lava.” “Remind me why I'm the only one who has this spell?” “I can't cast it!” “I won't touch magic like that with an eleven foot pole.” “Looking for a ring?” “No.” “Good.” “It seemed unnecessary to have more than one person with it at the time...” 
“Very well. Matthias, haste us first, please.” 
“MOVE!”
“Is that a boat?”
“So it is.” “Odd place to put it though.” “But it will save me energy. All aboard!”
“How did these lockpicks get back here?”
“Come here!” “No.” There may be something behind the demon, I don't know. But as you'll soon see, I have a reason to come back here for more than just the maps.
“Well, this sucks.”
AAAAHHHH!! That immunity to Fire means they can walk on the Lava, and their stats are even more potent than the Dark Wyrms last update! And there's three of them! AAAHHH! 
“That was far too close. We're leaving for now. That damned temple can wait.” And thus, I left a dungeon incomplete because I was starting to get into fights over my head. I'll be back!* * *
“Where's the horses?” “On the other side. I'm more worried about what's going to ambush us on our way out.”
“No one, it seems. They are gone.” “Then let us away before they return.” “Amen.”* * *
“Horsies!” “Alright, mount up. The current plan is to go east to the mountains, then north and around it until we can go south and get to that cavern where the barriers are from.”
“Sounds simple enough.”
“And here is where we turn north?” “Yep.”* * *
“I hope this is a good pass.”
“Nope.” “Wait. There is something here.”
Hey, I don't think I've seen one of these in a long time – an even that requires the Woodsman trait to trigger!* * *
* * *
“Another pass! Please let this one work, I'm getting saddle sore.”
“We'll avoid it for now.”* * *
* * *
“PLEASE, be a shortcut.”
“Not like this, though!” “Let's see what we have here...”
“Leave them for now.”* * *
“Hail!”
“Something seems off here.” “I don't like the meat...”
“...” “I don't think anyone will mind if we take care of this little ... problem.” “Not at all.” 
A very easy fight.
“I don't recognize those symbols, and I don't want too.”* * *
“Have we reached the northern reach of this pass?”
“COME ON!”
“I think it is done.”
“Not quite. I can feel something happened here.”
“If this empty feeling has anything to do with that village...”
“Bodies everywhere.”
“Some died hiding.”
“There is nothing here, just bones and dust.”
“I don't like this place.”
“We rest here tonight.” “ARE YOU MAD?” “...” “No. But I know what needs to be done. I've done it before. Rest, but do not sleep.” “You... No. Of course. I understand.” “I've seen enough horror stories to know what's coming next.”
“AWAKE AND TO ARMS!”
“They have us surrounded.” “Then they will come to us!”
“Bronwyn, go secure the lobby with Sass and Ni'aurrl. You two, with me.” “On it.” Is it Night of the Living dead which involves the farmhouse? Yeah, a check of the IMBD agrees. Well, welcome to Night of the Living Dead, Exile 3 Edition! Where the defenders are a crack team of commandos with magic weapons, armor and spells.
“I suppose I should scry that Vampire this time...”
This is after it's taken 18 damage from Art.
“At least the horsies are safe!” After excessive applications of Blessings, Hastes, Slows, Cursings and Dispell Undead, we finally manage to drive all the undead away.
“That's the last of them. Come on, I think I see it.” “See what?” “From the dream.”
This is in the lower-left corner of the map. If I go one step to the left, I leave the map.
“Wow, that's sad.” “But it's what we had to do.”
“Let's go.”* * *
“Clear run to the south now.”
“Well, not quite.”* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
“Please let it be soon.”* * *
* * *
This is a very long and lonely trip, and there's no real way to make it go faster, except by horse.* * *
“This is the place.” “We're near the headwaters of the river that flows south of Sharimik. Just on the other side of the range.” “Well then, there's nothing left to do but go in.”