Kahan pulls the portable hole out of its carrying pouch and hangs it over the edge of the ledge. "Try that again, hmm? Perhaps it will not be within my power to hold onto this portable hole any longer, and it might just fall into the lava, with the items you need to escape," the priest threatens. "And besides, if we give you these items, how are we to leave? If you need them to escape, so do we!"

Haklara says, "Give me the items or die. Find your own way out. I care not."

"What did you do with Borimer?  Where is he?" Tahldar asks with concern.

"If I die, or I drop this hole, you'll die down here too, so choose your next words carefully," Kahan added. "I will gladly die down here to keep you trapped here forever."

"This 'Borimer,' I assume, is the warrior who was charging at me? I portaled him away. He is alive...somewhere."

Shae says, "Let's give him what he asks for. We can probably figure out an alternate way to get out of here. However:" And now she turns to Haklara, "It is on condition that you tell us what we are to expect if we try to get out, and why you need these items to escape."

Haklara hears Shae and says, "It is true, perhaps, that you may find a way, since you are a group and can use magics. The vials I need marked 'not air' will provide me the ability to move without breathing. You will need to hold your breath for an inhuman length of time. And the lead stopper container is to help me resist the electricity that would otherwise kill me. If you can find ways around those two obstacles, then you may be able to escape without them. Now, will you give them to me?"

"Kahan, don't give him anything until he returns Borimer to us." Tahldar says, adamant about getting their companion back.

Addressing Haklara directly he adds, "If you portaled him away, you can portal him back.  It's within your power."

"Also, from what I know of you, you radiate an anti magical field around you.  How do you propose to use these items you want if they will lose their magic the moment you open them?"

"And won't we need these items to escape as well?"

"Why don't you just portal yourself out of here?"

Haklara takes a deep, frustrated breath from his distance away. It is visible and he rolls his eyes. "So many questions. Just give me what I need and we will go our separate ways. The portal is a once per day power. It goes one way only. I do not know where it goes because if I try to approach it, the portal will disappear due to antimagic aura. The other items are not magic. They are chemical in nature. I don't know how they work exactly."

He shifts his weight as he continues standing atop the altar.

"Yes, you may need them, but there's not sufficient for your entire group anyway. Who will you choose to save or sacrifice? Should you not survive or perish together? Does that answer all your questions? I have waited a long time. Let's just be done with this. Throw the items to me from a distance. If you come too close, your magic will evaporate, whatever it may be. I will take the items and leave."

He waits expectantly.

"If I give you these items, you'll have to give us something in return. It appears you have nothing we want, but perhaps you have knowledge to share. You've lived down here a long time, tell us about this place. What is going on here? Who made this place? Why is there a fire giant trapped there?" Kahan asked, making no move to open the hole. Not yet anyway.

Shae says, "Let's just give him the things he needs and hope he doesn't double cross us." Then to Haklara, she says, "What can you give us in exchange for these items? Or are we just to surrender them empty handed?"

"Under no circumstance do I see giving him what he wants after what he's done to Borimer.  At least not without at minimum some way for us to save him.  He wants us to give him what he needs while offering nothing in return and done who knows what to Borimer."  Tahldar says to Kahan.

To Haklara he adds, "I am willing to wait here until you can use your portal again.  I will volunteer, myself and myself alone, to follow after Borimer to try to find him.  If I can locate him, I can then try to Teleport us both back."

"And if I don't find him or can't return us back then so be it.  I'm willing to try, even if it means my death or banishment."

Speaking to the others in his group he says "And that still will not be enough to give him what he wants.  He needs to offer more.  Whatever that may be.  But it better be good."

Haklara seems to lose patience with your bickering, and he seems to be concentrating as if digging into someone's brain and memories. "Enough of this. If you will not give it to me, I will see if ... Geebo or...Sark...will give me what I want after you are all dead."

With that, he slams the switch on the left pillar with one hand and quickly hops to the right pillar and turns that one.

The immense giant behind him moves and shudders, released from whatever magic bound him.

Haklara jumps with inhuman ability like a frog to the ceiling, where he then suspends from all fours like a spider.

The giant stumbles out from the lava waterfall, enraged. He spots your group.

Taking in the enormity of the Giant.  The urge to flee comes suddenly.

"Run!" Tahldar shouts as he flies as fast as he can south.

OOC:  I suggest we retreat to either W9 or W10 where hopefully we'll find some protection/cover from the Giant.  With Fly, Talhdar is moving 18 and can make it to W10 in one turn.  Where he plans on going (behind the bed).

Shae, who stands at the front of the group and closest to both the giant and Haklara, ignores Tahldar for the moment and throws her spear at Haklara with careful aim, and then recalls the spear to follow the others.

Anyone else doing anything?

"We are not responsible for putting you here. Your fight is not with us!" Kahan shouts as he backs towards the cavern mouth with the others, drawing his shield in case the giant threw some lava or something.

Shae hurls her spear...but misses. It returns to her as she begins retreating with the others.

One good thing that happens from her spear throw is that the giant's attention is diverted to the ceiling and to the changeling who is crawling across the rocky surface like a spider.

The giant swipes at the ceiling with a hard hit of its right hand, slapping Haklara, who grunts and flies to the ground near you with an "oomph" and injuring him. (He lands right where the W is in the map.)

Having been trapped for so long, the fire giant goes on a rampage. He begins by smashing the altar and two pillars at the end of the walkway and then starts walking south through the lava, his eyes on the retreating group and Haklara.

Haklara weakly pushes himself up, sees the approaching giant, and begins also heading south in your direction.

The party reaches room W8. Tahldar goes to W10 with his greater speed.

Seeing Haklara down and injured and vulnerable, Shae takes the opportunity to throw her spear at him again. "Your evil shall not see the light of day," she says in anger.

Kahan gets to the opening of the cavern and stops, turning to Haklara. "You let the giant out, you deal with it, or die here with us," he demands, holding out the enclosed portable hole where all the items he needs to escape are being held. If he tries to go past Kahan, they will be trapped in there forever with him.

"Belay that." Tahldar says to Kahan as he swoops into the main room.  He begins to cast.

OOC:  Taldar will cast wall of stone to close off the passage leading north out of W8.  Once cast it is permanent and non magical. It is his hope to seal off Haklara and the Giant.

Leo draws his weapon and hopes they don't break through the wall.

Shae throws her spear...this time hitting Haklara, who groans in pain and tries to struggle to his feet even as the spear flies back into Shae's hand.

Meanwhile, Kahan is yelling at Haklara and Tahldar is casting...

The group runs back to safety as the granite wall materializes, blocking you off from both the giant and Haklara. The last thing you see is the giant breaking off one of the stone pillars to hurl in the direction of you and Haklara.

OOC: FYI, I reread the description of wall of stone. It is negated by a dispel magic or disintegration spell, as well as by normal chipping and effects. Haklara is essentially a walking dispel magic spell, so keep that in mind.

Your vision of the beyond is currently blocked by the giant wall, but you hear something loud strike the ground outside and assume it is the flying pillar. You wait, poised for a few moments, but nothing dispels the wall.

Shae tells the others, "I hope that giant weakens or takes care of Haklara for us. In the meantime, maybe we should get prepared. Is there anything that can help us?" She will have her spear ready. "Can we make a trap? Maybe fling rocks or something at him with telekesis or something?" She is thinking out loud. She will stand near the southern pillar to take cover and throw her spear again if Haklara should show up.

"We are safe here for the moment.  Let's give it a few minutes and if nothing happens I'll fly around the corner and take a look." Tahldar says to Shae.

"With luck the Giant will kill or drive Haklara off.  Time will tell."

OOC: If after a few minutes it remains quiet I will fly around the corner to see if the coast is clear. Remaining as quiet as I can.