The Mothers decided to leave the burning building. To ensure that they would not be ambushed, Gaspode and Fonesca went out first, as they were invisible. Jito, who was also still cloaked in Dust of Disappearance, levitated upwards from the entrance to see if he could get a few over the open areas of the Steading. They heard the enemy coming before they saw anything; yowls and yelps of what could only be wolves echoed around the valley followed by the crack of a whip. Gaspode reached the corner vantage point, only to see fourteen large wolves being driven on by a group of ogres and giants. Gaspode retreated to the defensible doorway where Levi and Guthranka remained, so that they would not be surrounded. Jito launched a fireball from his wand, aiming it at the on-rushing group. Fonesca, who had been heading in a different direction, turned at the sound of the wolves and cast a cone of cold, trying to catch as many ogres and wolves as possible. Both of these attacks thinned the numbers of foes somewhat, but there were still too many foes for them all to attack at once. Guthranka used her wand of fear to send two wolves away in a fright before some ogres and giants engaged herself and Levi in the doorway. Gaspode had noticed that one giant was hanging back and wielding a whip, which it was using to control the wolves. So he headed in that direction, slipping past the on-rushing ogres to get behind the beast-master. Fonesca was trapped on the ground, and the remaining wolves were directed towards her. As they came towards her, she transformed herself into an eagle. Although she did get bitten, she managed to escape and rose towards the tower as a safe vantage point, where she resumed human form and healed herself slightly. Jito also spotted the beast master and loosed two fireballs at him in quick succession, unknowingly catching Gaspode in their blast each time. The giant responded by sending a huge rock hurtling through the air, hitting Jito and forcing him back beyond the tower and out of range. Gaspode then managed to finish off the beast master with a back stab, hoping that this would stop the gnome lobbing more destruction his way. As the beast master fell and the enemy forces seemed in disarray, Fonesca, Levi and Guthranka were all surprised by attacks from a new direction: behind them. Stone giants had appeared from within the building, one scaling the tower to come upon Fonesca from behind and two others, attacking the Tyr worshipers in the doorway. Fonesca痴 position was given away as she lobbed some spells towards where Jito had swooped down to on his broom to engage the wolves. The axe blow drove her forward and she decided to climb over the ledge and lower herself onto the roof of the hall to escape the giant, luckily she rolled to the safer side of the pitched roof and ended in the gutter rather than falling further onto the ground. The giant sent a few boulders careering her way, when he thought he could detect her position. Meanwhile, Guthranka and Levi had managed to kill the hill giants in front of them, just as the stone giants arrived from behind. So they were still beset by many enemies when another force arrived, this one of ogres and one huge hill giant carrying a ballista in his hands like a crossbow. The ogres engaged Jito and also in the melee at the doorway, while the huge giant, Nosnra directed them from the rear. Gaspode rushed over to help the gnome, getting Imp to heal him as he entered combat with the ogres. Jito used his boots again to free himself of the local combat, rising into the air, still invisible to his opponents, although the stone giant in the tower was throwing the occasional rock his way, squashing the odd unfortunate wolf. When he was high enough he launched a fireball at Nosnra, which seemed to affect him slightly. But the chieftain took umbrage at this affront and sent a spear hurtling to the place from whence the spark of flame emerged. Jito was skewered, landing fifty feet further back from combat, unconscious. Luckily the two in the doorway were more successful, ogres and giants eventually falling under their blows. Fonesca thought that she could succeed in bringing down the chief with more magic, but he took aim at her when another ball of flame surrounded him briefly and he emerged undaunted. This shot also flew true and Fonesca collapsed in the gutter bleeding. As another stone giant fell in the hallway, he was replaced by the stone giant from the tower. The priest and the paladin traded blows with the ogres and the remaining giant, thinning their numbers. Gaspode fought free of the ogres and through the wolves; killing some and driving the rest off, before finding Jito痴 invisible body with the help of Imp and staunching his wounds. He then turned to Nosnra and fought him alone while worrying as to where Fonesca had got to. He eventually, he prevailed and went searching the rooftop for Fonesca again using his short sword. Levi痴 broadsword kept answering any successful stroke from an ogre or giant and Guthranka痴 blade leapt to her defence whenever it seemed that she would fall, finally the last enemy was vanquished. Gaspode called for help and they gently lowered Fonesca from the roof and brought her to where Jito still lay. Levi prayed over them and soon they were well enough to stand, if not for much else.