GM Bigrin's Giantslayer (Inactive)

Game Master bigrin42

Sander waves goodbye to the freed slaves, telling them they may be back if they need a safe place to rest or to let them know the giants had all been dealt with.

"I guess we should do see if there are any patrols," he suggests. "Maybe we can get a few more at a time. But you have to be more careful, Molly! If there aren't, I guess we can figure out what to do next when we get closer."

I think we need to go investigate again to see what our best options are, if we don't find any patrols that we can ambush.

"No fear. Next time, I attack from cover," Molly replies in a dark tone. "One time drowning on my own blood was enough."

Did Molly get her clothes altered?

Sure, why not? ;P

The night before

Once they reach the cave, Pyrrhus quickly starts to tell the tale of Ormug, a dwarven war general who lead his men into caves to shelter them against orcs. In their desperate situation, without food and drink, Ormug begged for the spirits of earth so they could feed his people... and they surprisingly answered to his pleas!

As he tells his tale, the slaves could clearly smell ale and good dwarven food. Casting twice Bountiful Banquet (making a feast for up to 40 people) and once Tears to Wine, creating a whooping 37 gallons of average quality ale from the water in the cave.

Next day

Pyyrhus agrees with Sander's plan and follows along.

Storn stares in open wondernment at Pyrrhus as he tells a great story and then feeds everyone, the big ol' softy almost tearing up at the simple storytelling and powerful display of magic and generosity.

Am I worshipping the wrong God? No. The world needs slaughter.

After everyone has rested and had a good time of it, he confers with the group on their next steps. "Watching for patrols we can also watch for supply lines. Their slaves work the fields, the patrols catch the slaves, and patrols also guard food shipments. So find giants, punch giants, win prizes. Good plan."

Chwaer continues the conversation as they head back toward the camp, "so harry the patrols and try and disrupt their supply chain. Do we have any way to spoil their food or water? Maybe the mammoths would like to go for a longer run."

"This is a very good idea, Chwaer! Look, they used the slaves to tend their fields... they have no slaves anymore, but I'm sure there is a place for them to storage what they already have... if we can find it and burn everything, they will be in a pretty bad shape."

Minds made up, you decide to see how far your hit and run tactics can take you, while letting short Molly spy on the camp with her bird friends. The next day, you made you way back to the mountain region around Skirgaard to set your plan into motion. Molly managed to convey her request to an eagle, who agreed to watch the giant camp for most of a day and report back.

What she learned was very interesting. There were hundreds of giants in the camp, according to the bird, though the patrols and training marches had half of them out of the walls at any given time. There were some mines in one of the cliff faces, and buildings that appeared to be granaries, a tannery, a mess hall, a mill, a smithy, and a couple of temples.

"Don't forget the dragon," came a voice from a dozen feet away.

The eagle exploded upwards in terror as a huge red dragon appeared from thin air. The air around her shimmered with heat. Though enormous, the dragon sat back on its haunches with forearms held out with palms upward in a sign of peace.

"Do not be alarmed. My name is Naximarra, and I am here to discuss an alliance."

"Dragon!" Sander cries out in alarm, diving behind Storn.

Once he realizes he hasn't been incinerated, he peeks out from behind the Gorumite. "Wait, an alliance? Why?"

Chwaer feels as small as newMolly and stands there tharn.

Pyrrhus bows slightly to the creature, showing respect as he feels it is their only choice. "We can certainly talk of an alliance, but we can't stop ourselves from being alarmed... I'm Pyrrhus of Janderhoof."

Storn's eyes go wide with delight. He can finally murder a dragon.

"Do not be alarmed. My name is Naximarra, and I am here to discuss an alliance."

AWWWWW!

Storn lets out a soft groan but decides that he doesn't want to disappoint Sander or get Molly murdered again.

"Alright dragon, let's hear it."

"I do not know how much you know about dragons, but we are a fiercely independent lot. Despite this, the giants have been using my kind as messengers, mobile threats, and general heavy workers. The one they call the Storm Tyrant has an Orb of Dragonkind, a magical bauble that can bind a dragon's soul and obedience. Several of my kin have fallen prey to it, and one is based here, with a nest atop one of the watchtowers, though I have not seen him in some time."

"This is not an 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' situation. I doubt that you would ever trust me that much, and I know my own safety relies on your deciding that my worth as an ally is more than my worth as a dead and rotting corpse. However, I believe that we can benefit each other as true allies, and strike down this Storm Tyrant and his armies together."

"What say you?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Chwaer eyes the dragon, surprised at it's candor but unable to tell how truthful it is, what's the harm in talking for now, it might still eat me. "How would you see us, err, how can you assist us in taking down the Storm Tyrant? And what is your desire at the end? Do you wish to retake the nest?"

Sander nods at Chwaer's questions, wondering the same things himself.

"Those are good questions. I can assist by acting as a scout and font of knowledge of the Storm Tyrant and his minions. While I cannot come within a hundred miles of that accursed orb, I can steer you clear of some of his legions, and aid you in disrupting things here and there. But, I am loathe to reveal my presence to the giants, lest word get back to the Storm Tyrant. As to what I want, I want to destroy that orb. I want dragons to live free, not bowing the neck to some giant simply because he hold a magic abomination. That is what I want."

"Well if someone had an Orb of Stornkind I'd want them dead too," reasons Storn, reasonably. Storn tries to see if the dragon is sus.

Sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Sander thinks.

"Would you promise to stay away from our home forever, and not direct any other dragons there?" Sander says, hoping they can get a little more out of what seems like a good deal. After all, they already have to deal with this Storm Tyrant before he can go back home to his wife.

Storn is still uncertain about the dragon. I mean, it seems to be telling the truth, but isn't that how it goes? They sound perfectly reasonable until they try and eat you?

To Sander, the dragon replied "Forever is a long time, little one, and not even dragons live that long. However, if you can tell me what town you hail from, I will promise to leave it alone, and tell my brethren and sistren to do the same."

Sander looks around to make sure the others are willing to take the bargain. A dragon's bargain certainly seems better than a devil's bargain, at least.

If no one objects, he answers and agrees to help, then asks for the dragon to tell them as much as it can about the current fortress they're facing.

Chwaer nods to Sander in support.

Sense motive 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (7) + 16 = 23

"Let's not swap the names of our birth towns just yet," Molly says in a dry tone. "If someone - anyone - gets captured and tortured - or enslaved by a magic orb - it'd be best if they can't mention anything that's going the families - or hoards - of the other party stomped by a bunch of angry Giants, am I right?"

"My what an untrusting sort. Say, were you not taller just a few days ago?"

"I must be getting old, then," Molly says, dryly. "Us two-legged folks get short again when we age, unlike you dragons, who just keep getting bigger."

Pyrrhus also nods in agreement. If he can make Janderhoof safe from red dragons, this deal was certainly worthy for his kin. "And this orb, Naximarra, sounds like a powerful artifact if it can control dragons. I've always heard of how such powerful itens are incredibly difficult to destroy. Do you know, perchance, how to do it?"

"Yes, I do know how to destroy the orb, though that is information I will be keeping to myself until this partnership has borne good fruit. It sounds as if we are in accord."

Then, true to her word, the dragon began relaying all to you that she had learned of the giant training camp, the giant's numbers (lots), and the Storm Tyrant's location. She helped you fill in your map about the locations in camp, and told you of the camp's leaders, or at least what she could observe of them. She agreed that your best bet in disrupting the Storm Tyrant's plans here would be hit and run tactics that spread the giants thin and reduced their morale, and that freeing their slaves was a good start.

Naximarra agreed to serve as both scout and informant, letting you know of opportunities to catch giants in the open and where ambushes would most likely succeed.

Chwaer takes in all the details and ponders the possibilities. "I wonder if we could find a way to poison or affect Qupenarth's food. Making them sick might cause discord in the camp at the very least. And the Wickerman might be an easier target if we can figure out how to put it out. Skirklata and Rohkinirr sound like the most difficult challenges."

"Yes, I do know how to destroy the orb, though that is information I will be keeping to myself until this partnership has borne good fruit. It sounds as if we are in accord."

Pyrhuss scratches his beard, not understanding the point of withholding this information. "But, when we, and if, we manage to get the orb, bringing it close to you would not also cause it to affect you?"

Chwaer takes in all the details and ponders the possibilities. "I wonder if we could find a way to poison or affect Qupenarth's food. Making them sick might cause discord in the camp at the very least. And the Wickerman might be an easier target if we can figure out how to put it out. Skirklata and Rohkinirr sound like the most difficult challenges."

"As for ruining their food... Just point me to the nearest rats or lemmings."

"I have a little poison," Sander admits, "but giants are so hardy that I don't know if it would even affect them."

Reminder to others the camp map is linked in the campaign tab, since I'd forgotten and had to go back to find it. Can Naxi fill in the remaining buildings for us?

"I still think if we could disrupt the mammoths, that might help. Maybe if we knew where their food was, that would be easier to get rid of? We could also try setting some buildings on fire..."

Map will get filled in tonight. I got sidetracked

"If by get rid of, I hope you mean make them leave. They seemed willing to help out a little earlier."

"I more meant, if we get rid of their food, they might be more willing to leave. Molly said they seemed to not be too bothered about being in camp before," Sander replies. At least that's the way I remember their interaction.

I think you're right. Chwaer would mildly object to killing mammoths that weren't attacking us just as a distraction.

Oh, definitely. I was more thinking of ruining their food so they would be less placid and more eager to leave, with our encouragement. Other than that (until we get more info), I'm not sure our best bet beyond trying to pick off any patrols that are out looking for us/our slaves.

Storn nods once. "They've lost their slaves, now we need to go for their stores. We want this to be like a siege except without an army on the outside. We learned teh giants aren't good at getting people to stay together, so we give them reason to leave."

"Do we know we got all of their slaves out?" Molly asks, arms crossed and a pensive frown on her face. "And didn't they have ogres and trolls? Those might be stupid and aggressive, but they're strong and they can be bullied into doing an honest day's job."

"I will be off then, and let you know if I see patrols that would be suited for ambush, or can think of ways to disrupt the camp. Which of you should I send a message to? And be thinking about how to infiltrate the camp. Eventually you are going to have to get inside."

After bonding with the person who will act as go between for your group and the dragon, Naximarra flapped her mighty wings and took to the air, disappearing quickly from view.

What are your immediate plans?

"I think we can only work with what we have, Molly. Maybe there are more and we can free them, but if the ogres and trolls have to do other work, then that's keeping them busy," Sander says.

He looks over the map that Naximarra provided them. "Maybe we could try to enter from the northeast?" he suggests. "It looks like there's some space there, though I don't know how much we can really do at the target range? But at least we could get in. Or I could probably make most of us invisible again, but that just gets us in and takes most of my extracts. The north of the camp definitely seems like there are fewer giants, though. We could try to disrupt the brewery and smithy? If we sabotage the smithy, they couldn't make weapons, and then. Naximarra said the brewery has their most powerful spellcaster, so that's scary, but if we can kill him -- and stop them from having anything to drink -- that might really hurt their morale?"

He looks around to see what others think.

We're at full resources; I could make four of us invisible, though obviously that's only enough to really get us INTO the camp. We'll have to get ourselves out after the inevitable fight. That said, despite my thoughts above where I suggested smithy first, thinking about it, maybe we hit the brewery. They know there's some threat outside, but if we can take out their most powerful spellcaster before they realize the threat is also *in* the camp, that makes sense to me. Then depending how things are looking, we go try to hit the smithy, or we come back and do that the next day. Future missions IMO can take care of the gristmill, mammoths, and svathurim before we move on the farther south areas of the camp.