Arrow runs to the other end of the bridge with the others.
Arrow will ready his bow and take aim.
Hob quickly follows everyone across the bridge and will then fight to the best of his ability. (What did you expect, a berserker charge?)
The party quickly scrambles across the bridge over the nausea-inducing chasm, the sound of the horde growing nearer and nearer with every moment. Oshro and Karikhan take up positions at the end of the bridge, shield and spear at the ready.
The non-dwarves of the party hear the sound of the door slamming open and a surge of little bodies swelling into the chamber but can see only blackness. Dur’dan can see them just fine: A stream of goblins pouring in, yipping and hooting in their vile tongue. Dur’dan readies his shortbow as the goblins funnel onto the bridge. He looses an arrow into the darkness where it strikes a goblin in the chest and sends it tumbling over the edge and into the endless pit below.
Jonathan Brenley holds his torch aloft with one hand, the other gripping tight his sword, shield slung over his shoulder. His face is painted with fear but also determination and he squints his eyes and struggles to see the far side. John is similarly equipped and behaves likewise.
Eventually the double line of goblins comes into Arrow’s view and he immediately fires a shot, sending a second goblin sprawling into the darkness below. He and Dur’dan are each firing as fast as they can (with the former firing fully twice as fast as the latter). Dur’dan sends an arrow plinking along the side of the bridge; in the same time Arrow sends two more greenskins to their deaths in the endless blackness of the chasm.
Though the greenskins are dying quickly the two archers can not kill them fast enough and they eventually near the party’s line. Jikhal tosses a javelin and it and a fifth goblin are sent over into the depths.
“Keep it up! Keep it up!” Jonathan’s cries echo over the squeals of dying greenskins.
Jikhal takes a javelin from Karikhan’s back, not bothering to ask first, and tosses it, killing a sixth goblin. Dur’dan kills a seventh and Arrow fires two shots at an eighth, bringing it down as well.
A pair of arrows rockets across the pit from the horde, one snapping against Oshro’s shield and the other thudding plaintively against Hob’s brigandine, causing one bashing damage.
The goblins continue to stream through. Two dozen at least are in the chamber, about half of them on the bridge itself, about to hit the party’s position. This is it.
“Well, my new friends, it’s been nice knowing you.”
“Alright gentlemen, we can keep this line up or fall back deeper into the ruins. Like it or not, I believe this bridge has the best defendable position. No matter how many there are, only two can get to us at a time. I say we continue holding here until the last second. Someone needs to get that door open for a fighting retreat when the time comes.”
Dur’dan yells this while still firing his bow. He may not be quick with it but at least he has it. A dwarf of many talents.
“Now is not the time for goodbyes hin! Try and get that door open!” Dur’dan yells.
Karikhan hopes to be able to slow the tide of goblins by threatening the first to cross the bridge with his spear. Khan can see the archers are doing the real work here, and the longer Khan can keep the greenskins from crossing, the more Arrow and the others can send to their deaths. If any goblin is brave enough to attempt to make the final step across the bridge, Khan will skewer it.
“Preparing to run away, yes sir!” Hob replies and hastily runs off to move the door (which looks altogether big for a halfling, but gosh darnit he’s going to try!)
Dur’dan will continue using his bow for as long as possible. He’ll pull out his axe if the party is over-run and in close quarters combat, although (hopefully) if this happens the party will be retreating through the (hopefully) opened doors.
John will shout at the goblins, “Come on, you rotten greenskins! I won’t go down that easy!”
The halfling bolts towards the door as another arrow clatters to the ground at his feet, sending wooden splinters raining across the ledge. He makes it to the door and starts prying at it. Moments of struggle and strain go by without anything to show for his effort. Kittix appears alongside Hob to render assistance. Together they manage to snap the door free and it collapses from its hinges and falls to the ground with a bang. Beyond the doorway is a room filled with a dim, green light. The ceiling of the massive hall is covered in glowing mushrooms and the tiled, debris-covered floor extends off a hundred yards towards a raised platform atop a winding staircase and, situated on the platform, a huge throne carved from a single gargantuan block of marble. Flanking the platform are grand staircases descending down and around the platform itself, into darkness. Three dwarven corpses are scattered along the hall’s floor.
Jikhal takes another javelin from the shaman’s back and hurls it down the length of the bridge where it plucks a goblin from its legs and sends both over the edge. While Dur’dan is reknocking his bow Arrow is still keeping up a monumental firing pace, his next shot cutting through a greenskin’s arm, prompting a squeal of pain. The injured goblin keeps moving forward, finally coming within range of Karikhan’s spear, which penetrates its shoulder. Karikhan yanks the spear free before kicking the flailing creature into the darkness. Oshro takes a half-step forward, “IRONBEARD!” he shouts as he brings his axe into a goblin skull, killing the pathetic mongrel outright.
The goblin horde presses forward along the bridge. Those in the front hesitate at the last moment, their ears still full of the screams of a dozen of their fellows from beneath their feet. Jonathan slashes at the oncoming crowd, menacing the goblins with his blade. John scores a blow, his weapon catching a goblin by the leg and bringing it to its hands and knees at Khan’s feet.
Another incoming arrow splinters against Oshro’s shield and a third grazes Dur’dan’s cheek, amazingly only causing one bashing damage. The Ironbeard finally readies an arrow into his bow and is set to fire, when he stops, eyes frozen on the far side of the chamber:
The stream of goblins has finally come to an end, leaving only those that are already in the chamber, but the party will not get the chance to enjoy this respite- A massive, grizzled, humanoid head comes into view along with an equally massive set of hands clamping along the sides of the entrance. A pair of shoulders is next, squeezing through as if the mountain itself was birthing it. The huge monster comes to full height within the chamber, standing nearly 30’ tall with limbs the size of a tree’s trunk. It is wrapped in hides from an assortment of creatures: Cows, goats, deer and the revolting skin of a human. It is not yet within low-light vision range but the dwarves and lizardfolk can see it clear as day.
“Giant!” Dur’dan’s voice cuts above the frenzied sounds of battle.
Arrow will prioritize the giant in hopes of killing it before it reaches the party.
John will keep stabbing goblins until someone informs him of the giant or until he sees it himself. When that happens, he’ll curse everyone who has contributed in any way, shape, or form to his being present at this time, and then run in through the door.
“They have a [del]cave troll[/del] giant!” Hob echoes, panickedly.
Dur’dan wipes the blood from his cheek, swearing out loud. When he sees the giant, he is as calm as ever, for his nephew’s sake. If he loses it now his nephew will as well. He’ll remain strong, for the Ironbeards.
“The time has come to fall back once more! We use the door way to the next room as a choke point! Again they can only funnel through a few at a time. But beware those corpses, we all remember what happened last time!”
Dur’dan will begin to fall back, at this time he will also put away his bow and draw his axe. Once he gets to the doorway he will cross over the threshold, turn and be ready to cover the party’s escape.
Karikhan will guard the door until the others are through. As Jikhal goes through, Khan hands him the last of his javelins. He speaks to Jikhal in Shelic;
Use it wisely.
Once the others are through the door, Khan follows them.
The party rushes through the door, goblins right behind them. Karikhan darts through the door last, Dur’dan clotheslining a goblin that follows through the doorway with his axe. About a dozen goblins are on the near ledge, none brave enough to pass through the doorway.
The giant tentatively steps onto the bridge, gauging its strength. He takes another step forward and bellows a challenge to the party, in Arcadian: “YOU COWARD! FIGHT GRIMFIST! FIGHT HIM!” He’s answered with a shot fired by Arrow, the projectile burying itself into his left shoulder. The giant roars in annoyance, yanking the arrow free with his thumb and forefinger and tossing it aside. “RUN COWARD! WHEN GRIMFIST GET YOU- YOU-” The giant sways a bit, his large, square jaw hanging as he gapes down into the chasm, the bridge groaning and cracking beneath his weight. He takes a large step back as cracks spread like spiderwebs across the bridge’s surface. The giant’s concern melts away into amusement and he explodes into hearty laughter. “BYE BYE!” He stomps his wolf-sized foot upon the bridge, which begins to crumble and send bits of debris raining into the darkness below.
The goblins look between the party and the giant, terrified. One of them makes a break for the bridge, desperate to make it back to the other side in time. After a pause its fellows join him. The giant, booming with loud guffaws, smashes his foot upon the bridge a final time as a section of it explodes with a CRACK and the entire thing begins to fall away from the chamber walls. The bridge and the goblins upon it fade away into the dark as they all tumble down and out of sight. Three goblins are left on the nearest ledge, cowering together on its corner.
The giant is on the far ledge, laughing at his handiwork. With him are perhaps a half a dozen goblins, most of them archers. One in particular stands out to those who can see it, a goblin armored in boiled leather. He scowls across the chasm in silence.
Dur’dan smiles, as he draws his bow once more, knocks a arrow into place, and fires it at the smug greenskin. He will use willpower to do so.
Dur’dan lines up his shot, taking his time. He exhales and releases the bowstring, the arrow coursing across the chasm and plunging into the goblin’s neck and sending it to its back. The greenskin croaks painfully, roaring with a gurgle at the other goblins as he scrambles back like a crab, sputtering. Four goblins who had arrows at the ready send return fire across the pit, most of the arrows clattering uselessly against the far wall. One skitters through the doorway and shatters against Dur’dan’s breastplate, causing one bashing damage.
The injured goblin is struggling to scream, its voice pained. The others respond to their master’s call and drag it from the chamber. The giant stares back across the party, chuckling still, unconcerned with the plight of the goblins.