Balmir watches Toboyn with the manticore and scratches his head. These creatures aren't for playing with. They are dangerous killers. Doesn't this human know anything? Maybe too much devotion to Cayden has addled his brain.
But, surprisingly, the manticore calms down and even looks like it's going to talk to the cleric.
The manticore replies. "You are far from civilization... what do you expect to find? The giant's cathedral? You are in the wrong valley, but you are not far as I fly - maybe 10 miles that way?" He motions directly NW of your current position.
"Lots of these huge men-like things there."
Somer smiles at the idea of talking to a creature like this. Fascinated, he looks for anything to say.
"That sounds like where we should head. If you are looking for a snack fly there after some time, we will be doing cleanup most likely."
"Let's go through their pockets quickly and be on our way then", says Toboyn. , then Toboyn looses the creature.
"Bon appetite", he says, wasting little time departing ... perhaps he'd pushed his luck far enough.
Upon release, the manticore flies off. If it felt any gratitude, it surely din't express it.
The hill giant is wearing giant fist gauntlets (Ultimate Equipment 236) while the cyclops has eyes of eyebite (Ultimate Equipment 224) among the other items in its sack.
"The glasses could be useful though I doubt I would take the time to use them over my bow. The gauntlets, none of us tend to punch things so less useful."
"Yes. We know where to go to finish wiping out this scourge of giants."
The mountain flanks draw together at this point, creating a narrow pass that is blocked by an impressive wall that spans the entire valley. Sloppily cemented stone and timber make up the wall, which contains a large archway in the center blocked by a massive portcullis of sharpened logs bound together with thick hemp rope.
Mouser sneaks ahead and reports back that there is an ettin and a hill giant watching from atop the wall, but there are also two large tigers stalking around in front of the gate.
"Hmm. A fortification. One might even call it a hill giant steading," says Tam after Mouser reports back.
"How do we want to do this? If we can get up onto the ridgeline, we might be able to ambush the ettin and hill giant, perhaps we can take them out quietly without alerting the fort."
Balmir hmphs. "I suppose that's a better idea than just charging the front gate. But how will we get up there?" Balmir squints as he looks up towards the steep sides of the valley.
"Charging in has worked well for us in the past but yes, probably no the best now. Problem being the tigers may well notice those of us who are not Mouser."
It seems clear that the tigers will have to be dealt with. Unless you can fly, there is no way to really get to the top from the outside, short of siege towers.
"I like your idea of luring the tigers out and away from the wall Mouser. I wonder if they would chase someone once they saw the person. I would volunteer but I'm definitely too slow for outrunning a tiger."
"I can cast a rainbow pattern out by the tigers and then make it move to come out to an ambush spot. Any tiger hypnotized by it will follow it. It'll be visible to other guards, though—can't do much about that."
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Mouser nods at Tam's plan.
"Here--I'll sneak down and try to lure them over, but without alerting the guards on the walls. I've got some jerky-- and maybe I can make just enough noise to get the attention of just the tigers."
The halfling pads off quietly. Once he gets close enough, he starts throwing pieces of jerky toward the tigers to try to lure the toward the group.
"... perhaps I can silence the other guards", suggests Toboyn.
The ruse appears to be working. The cats smell the jerky and come over to sniff it. They don't seem to notice Mouser. Atop the battlement, the giants don't seem to notice the cats meandering away.
Mouser continues to pull them out further.
Once they are about 100ft out, you are starting to get closer to the group. Then they lose interest and start to head back to the barricade.
As soon as Tam sees the cats starting to circle and wander, he releases his rainbow pattern spell. Shimmering lights like a moving aurora flash into existence and slowly continue to move away, enticing the cats further from the barricade and closer to the group.
One of the cats is fascinated, while the other turns to walk away. The cat that saved doesn't seem to notice or care that the other is fascinated.
Whispering quietly.
"Do we kill the one?"
He readies an arrow if that is the plan.
"I can't think of a reason not to. But while that one is chasing rainbows, let me get up next to it so I can deliver a solid blow."
Balmir moves up to the cat and readies his hammer. He waits for others to get into whatever position they want to be in.
"Hit it while you can!"
Knowing that the rainbow pattern will last a short time without further concentration, Tam next fires off a phantasmal killer at the retreating cat.
As Balmir begins to move away, Toboyn lays his hand on the dwarf's shoulder, "Cayden grant you strength," he says, casting Heroism.
Somer takes a step forward as he whispers a spell and lets two arrows fly at the yellow cat.
Balmir takes Somer's shot as a signal. He slams agrimmosh down on the tiger.
Somer's arrows fly, injuring the fascinated cat but ending the effect of the spell. Mouser then stabs the same cat. Toboyn casts his spell on Balmir, who is confident he will destroy the beast. The dwarf gets a hit in first, but not enough to drop it. (Only 1 attack in a surprise round).
The green cat pounces on Mouser. And then it dies in mid-air, thanks to Tamxander's spell.
With one enemy down Somer does not feel the need to waste any decent spells. Instead he simply fires off two arrows at the cat.
Toboyn hesitates. He's pretty sure he'll need his spells to help 'storm the castle', and the other tiger was so easily dispatched ...
The sabertooth-like cat attacks small Mouser, but the halfling is ready and guts the large beast.
"Well that wasn't all that hard. But I think that those giants noticed. If we're lucky, they'll come down here and fight us." Balmir raises a fist holding Agrimmosh and shakes it at the giants. "Come down here you foul filth. Let's see if you're brave enough to meet your doom." he shouts towards the wall but he's not certain if the giants are close enough to hear.
If they are, they don't seem to move.
"Can try for the shift change, or I can drop an invisibility sphere and we can go in now and try to catch them immediately," says Tam. "We have no idea how they're organized in terms of alarm response and reinforcements."
"Organized? I doubt it. They're just giants. They just like to smash things. I like the idea of attacking now. But I don't know how we'll get up on top of the gates."
"Can your big hammer smash the gate down?"
"Given enough time it could but I don't think it would be quick."
The mountain flanks draw together at this point, creating a narrow pass that is blocked by an impressive wall that spans the entire valley. Sloppily cemented stone and timber make up the wall, which contains a large archway in the center blocked by a massive portcullis of sharpened logs bound together with thick hemp rope.
"Do you think you could climb the wall and tie off a rope without being seen? If so, then once you've done that, we can all charge in and try to climb. Maybe Tamxander can provide some mind illusions or something to keep the giants distracted while we climb up."