DM Rambler's "The Hill Giant's Pledge"

Game Master Scribbling Rambler

It has been 10 days of recovery from the orc attack, where the heroes have had the opportunity to enjoy their new status as the heroes of Trunau, when they are requested to come to Ivory Hall to meet with Halgra of the Blackened Blades and the rest of the Council of Defenders.

Giles has been drinking himself insensible, but obeys the summons.

Zigil will try to negotiate with the Wizard to get items enchanted for cost. Diplomacy? Pleeeeeeeeease?: 10 + 8 = 18

Zigil will also obey the summons.

Grodar obeys the summons.

The heroes arrive at Ivory Hall, and are escorted to a meeting room.
Waiting for them in the room are the Council of Defenders: Halgra of the Blackened Blades, Agrit Staginsdar (dwarf wizard), Sara Morninghawk (blacksmith), and Lessie Crumkin (banker and priest of Abadar). Also present are Patrol Leader Jagrin Grath, his son Kurst, Silvermane the druid, and a stranger.
You interacted with all of these people in the first adventure, except for the Banker and the stranger.

Halgra begins.
"We have been able to piece together a few things from the evidence you found and from our interrogation of prisoners from the attack, and we don't like what we have figured out."
"We managed to foil the plans of the Twisted Hearts clan and their chieftain, Grenseldek, largely thanks to you. However, it's probably only a matter of time before they mount another attack. And the majority of the militia are needed here, to protect and rebuild Trunau."
"I'm afraid I must ask you to undertake a dangerous mission: travel to Grenseldek's lair and dispose of her and her officers before they can muster another army. We believe that they are holed up at Redlake Fort, an abandoned outpost near the River Esk."

She nods to Silvermane, and the mute elven druid begins flashing a series of hand signals, which Halgra translates.
"On your journey to Redlake Fort, you will pass the Ghostlight Marsh. Within, you may find an entrance to the Vault of Thorns, a demiplane created by the druidic Council of Thorns, of which Silvermane was once a member. The vault should contain a number of items which may aid you in fighting this menace."
"Silvermane has enlisted his acquaintance Mannfred here, to aid in his endeavor, and given his Ghostlight Lantern to him to help find the path."
"To find the Vault, first you must look for the circle of thorns carved into a rock on the riverside where the Esk and Kestrel meet. This marker should place you on the correct path. Then place the husk of a dead will'o'wisp into the lantern, and it should make a beacon that points to the circle of standing stones that is the entrance to the Vault. Pass the light of the lantern over the standing stones to open the way."

Halgra continues.
"I have secured working passage for you aboard a riverboat that regularly travels the rivers of southern Belkzen. Captain Raag Bloodtusk has agreed to transport you to Ghostlight Marsh, and then on towards Redlake Fort, in exchange for your aid in sailing and defending the ship."

"I have here a letter of introduction to Captain Bloodtusk. I'm also prepared to offer you a reward of 1,500 gold pieces for this mission, half now, half later."

"Are you willing? Do you have any questions?"

Mannfred nods by way of greeting, with a friendly smile. He is a tall, thin human wearing strange wooden armour over dirty green clothing. His curly dirt-encrusted hair and beard are tangled together beyond the point of no return. His skin appears sunbeaten and tanned, but the grime covering him makes it difficult to tell.
He is likely the source of the pungent stench in the room.

"Well met. If it is acceptable, I would also like to bring my dog. He always travels with me."

"Gosh, a dog? I don't know. Will he get along with Garm? Or is it a she?"

"In any case, welcome to the group. Do you play music? I can picture you with a band." Blinking. "Or maybe I'm just a little blinded by the light...."

He wrinkles his nose and takes a step away.

are there any knowledges that might appliy to shed more light on what has been said before I ask any questions?

Geography, History, and Nature would be useful Knowledge.

"Is Garm a dog too? I'm sure they will get along just fine." He beams. "I have a way with animals"

"Unfortunately I do not play music. Never tried it"

"Aye Garm is a foolish dog who will no doubt get up to all sorts on this expedition. Well met stranger. We accept the mission."

Know Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Know Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Know Geography: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

(Add 2 if it regards mountains or hills)

Giles shares his information with everyone.

"Are you by any chance a lover of cheese dip stranger?"

Picking up a sage from Groo the wanderer vibe.

I missed that Giles shares what he knows. Feel free to look at the spoiler above.

As Giles shares his knowledge with the party, Silvermane nods in agreement.

Groo the Wanderer, now there's a blast from the past. I had to Google him just to refresh my memory.

"It will be a great honor to find the Vault of Thorns. I am humbled by this mission.
When does Bloodtusk sail?"

Halgra replies, "He will be ready in 4 days time. The Kestrel River is just under 20 miles north of here, so long days travel for some of you."
She glances at Slei's legs as she says this.

Note that 20' speed means about 2 miles/hour overland.

At the approach of the stranger, Eldan wrinkles his nose briefly before regaining his composure, “Have any of you, or our patrols, had a run in with Grenseldek? Do you know any of her commanders?”

Knowledge History: 16 + 12 = 28

Please note that I added a rough area map to the Drive.

In response to Eldan, Jagrin Grath replies, "Well obviously we have been fighting members of that tribe, but we didn't know that the Twisted Hearts had been formed. There was a clan of hill giants called the Heart Eaters, and an orc tribe called the Twisted Nails. Probably those are the clans that united. Don't know who led the giants, but the Twisted Nails used to be under the command of a General Karrguk."

“Also, if I may Master de Hammo, a slight correction. The Council became the Wisps as part of their ritual, not summoned.”

Silvermane pales a bit at Eldan's statement.

Halgra asks, "Are there any further questions? If not, you're free to go make preparations."

She also hands Zigil a 15 lb bag of gold pieces.

"I am ready to go. We can live off the land and sleep under the stars."

"Which of you fine heroes is the leader?"

Eldan looks at the strange smelling one, somewhat puzzled, “Do we not already live off the land? The crops we grow, the animals we hunt. These all come ‘from the land’.” Looking pleased with himself now, “I will need to purchase a scroll And then need a couple hours to scribe the scroll into my spellbook. I would also suggest we look at a tent because the elements can be...troublesome.” He avoids looking directly at the druid with that last part.

I want to purchase a level one scroll Mount and scribe it into my book.
Spellcraft: 8 + 11 = 19 (DC is 16)

After the meeting, Eldan is able to purchase a scroll of mount from Agrit Staginsdar for 23 gp.

"Aye my families been working the land for generations. Hard work, but honest work. Even Garm works in his own way, though he would prefer to laze his days away, the devil. But no harm in a little travel and living rough.

Perhaps we should buy a mount to carry Slei and enough supplies for camping and the like."

“Well, I suppose we could easily get a noble mule for Slei. Then it will also double as a beast of burden for all our loot after we crush the Twisted Hearts beneath the heals of our boots.”

"Leader? We just kind of agree on things. Sometimes it takes a little while though."

“Ah, yes, please forgive me Master Man-fred, it is rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Eldan, or as many of the citizens here call me, Whitecrow. This is on account of my pale white skin along with my long, lusterous jet-black hair and violet eyes that remind people of a crow.” Gesturing to the rest of the party in a sweeping motion, “These are my companions. Master-iss Ziggy priest-, er, cleric of Iomedae, Master de Hammo, marksman extraordinaire and his travelling companion Garm, Master Grodar the Mighty, a brawler of no compare, and Mistress Slei, a, ah - swashbuckler? - yes, swashbuckler.”

"Mostly we just agree with Eldan. He's pretty smart."

Halgra adds, "Right then, we'll let you get acquainted and depart for other business."

The council each go their separate ways.

Eldan gets his scroll, and puts the spell in his book. Zigil gets her weapon and armour enchanted. You can purchase a mule and tent(s) if you wish. Let me know if there is other business which would've been done either before or after the meeting.

Two days later, the group sets off towards the Kestrel River and the waiting boat of Raag Bloodtusk.

Please make sure your characters are leveled up and/or rebuilt in the next couple of days, and also update their status line for hp, initiative, AC, saves, perception, and anything else you think would be useful to have easily available.

“Well, I suppose we could easily get a noble mule for Slei. Then it will also double as a beast of burden for all our loot after we crush the Twisted Hearts beneath the heals of our boots.”

"Yes! Boots and hearts! Then we blow at high dough....."

The loot sheet has been updated for a final time (I hope) with all sold and distributed items recorded. Final GP distribution is at the bottom of the second sheet.

I took the liberty of purchasing some supplies that the mule can carry. Feel free to change. (Eldan, I did not include the cost of your scroll or the stuff you need to scribe it into your book. I may have missed other items as well.)

Zigil will ask Agrit to safely store the Uskroth's Armor until our return.

I had gold of my own so I used that to purchase my scroll.

When the group reassembles, Mannfred brings his dog.

-It is clearly not a dog-

"This is my dog." He says with a warm smile.

-It is clearly a wolf-

"He lives in my cave with me"

-It is a nasty looking grey mottled wolf with an ugly scar from its jawline to the stub of its ruined left ear-

"He's very friendly," says Mannfred, ruffling the wolf's fur on its head.

-It is glaring at your throats like it hasn't eaten in three weeks-

"You are all welcome to share his body heat at night to stay warm"

-Spittle drips from its wickedly sharp teeth-

"He loves to have his belly rubbed."

-It looks like it wants to kill you-

Agrit says she can find somewhere safe for the armour, if Zigil is sure that the group won't want it some time during their long expedition. She also still has time to enchant one more item before the group leaves. Possibilities: the chain shirt for Slei, the morningstar or shield for Grodar, or purchase a masterwork weapon and enchant it for someone. Enchanting a weapon costs 1000 gp, armour or shield costs 500 gp.

Does the party wish to try to make the entire journey in a day, or are they going to camp halfway?

I’ll have to double-check how much gold Grodar got, but if nobody else wants an enchantment, Grodar wouldn’t mind taking the morningstar and getting it enchanted.

According to the spreadsheet, Grodar has 1163 gold, so just enough.

Does the party wish to try to make the entire journey in a day, or are they going to camp halfway?

Waiting for answer to this. And confirmation about Uskroth's Armour. Is Grodar using the last "free" enchantment?

Since nobody else is objecting, I am getting the morningstar enchanted. Also, I vote for camping halfway (or whenever it gets dark).

Agreed.

The group travels through the rough terrain of Belkzen, then set up to camp for the night. They easily find enough food and water to ensure they do not have to dig into their supplies.

I see that you purchased three 2-person tents. Who is pairing up? Who gets to share a fragrant tent with Mannfred? Are you setting up a watch for the night? Lit campfire?

No particular reason for these questions, of course.

Unless it's particularly cold, Mannfred sleeps outside with Dog.

"Why would you need these artificial shelters? Nature provides everything we need."

He will take first watch with whomever else wants to.

Mannfred will not build a campfire, but won't object if someone else does.

Woof.

Grodar takes second watch so his dark vision will be more useful.

Eldan will take last watch if there is a fire so he gets the 8 hours rest he needs.

Giles will take the first watch with the suspicious stranger, just in case he kills us in our sleep.

Garm chews a bone warily, looking side-eyed at the wolf and skulking away if it growls at him.

Zigil will take the watch after Grodar, and Slei can take the one before Eldan. "We have a potion of darkvision that Giles or Slei can use if they hear something suspicious."

So....
Mannfred and Giles
Slei and Grodar
Zigil and Eldan

Ah. I assumed that only the first watch would be doubled. That gives 5 watches over 10 hours if everyone gets 8 hours of rest. If we do that, then it's:
Giles & Mannfred
Grodar
Zigil
Slei
Eldan

I slightly prefer taking less time, but I'm okay with doubling up with 4 hour shifts if the rest of the group prefers, In that case I like your watch order.

And a fire? Ziggy and Grodar have darkvision, Eldan has low-light (as do the pets), and the rest have normal vision.

"I would not presume to tell the Heroes of Trunau how to set up a watch. I defer to your leader." He looks at Eldan.