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As darkness falls the group spends the next hour making it through the treacherous ice and snow covered slopes to the clearing where the voice revealed for them to go.
After several minutes of silence it almost seems like a set up. that is until Wren sees hoof prints begin to form in the snow headed towards them. Though they stay away at a good distance. An arcane word is utters in the silence and suddenly the blood eyed ram appears a mere 30 feet from you. It's lips curl back and it begins to speak.
I am glad you decided to come. I have been watching you for most of the day as you were...intriguing to say the least. The ram shakes it's snow covered fur and continues on as it looks about. Yes, this spot will do. It is far enough away from the village to take notice. You see I seek allies against these giants and I am wiling to share a bit of information as a sign of good faith. That is if you lay down your weapons. The ram's intelligent eyes watch your moves thoughtfully.
Rogzul, Torgan and Jorgan notice that the ram seems to be putting off quite a bit of heat from it's body. Enough to begin to melt the ice and snow around it as a small puddle begins to form.
Rog speaks briefly with Kashag and his spirits. Asking their advice. He's certainly not afraid of a ram, even if it does speak, but letting go of his weapon always seemed like a bad idea.
After some deliberation he lays his spear at his own feet, close enough to grab if needed.
"Say what you will, goat. We're listening."
Kraygan and Haggis ride to the meeting place with little effort. Once the ram reveals itself and sets terms for parlay, Kraygan turns his lance and plants it in the snow, then reigns Haggis a few steps away. He still carries more than a few other weapons of course, but he assumes the gesture is one of good faith rather then leaving oneself fully disarmed.
Torgan sleeps well despite the structural integrity of his tent (or lack thereof). The swaying of the roof in the wind of the mountains is actually a bit hypnotic to the fiery dwarf, though he still has a bit of trouble with breathing in this mountainous air.
As morning rises from the horizon, Torgan groggily exeunts from his multi-colored sleeping arrangements, fr some reason he has a chipper look to his face. "Oi." he grunts to those milling about. "Guess we should meet with that fake-goat."
With a smile, he grabs a steaming sausage from Jorgan's plate and bites down, savoring the meat. "Well, maybe after breakfast..."
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At least, this is what Torgan would have liked. "Bloody ram. Hot food. Sleep." he grumbles under his breath as they spend a whole hour moving through the dusk-laden lands, carefully picking their steps so as not to slip and tumble to their deaths.
As the Fake-Goat appears once more, Torgan rolls his eyes. "Enough with the theatrics." he says succinctly. "You already know we are here to kill the giants and my weapons are still sheathed." he says, holding out his open hands. "That's the best you get from us. Now share your information."
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I don't wish any harm. The ram says as its fur begins to stretch tightly over its frame. As it can't move anymore the fur and flesh split and burst, spilling bits of blood and red soaked fur onto the snow. The barbed horns curl further along the head that begins to elongate as razor sharp teeth fill it's mouth. After a few moments of transformation a massive and gargantuan red dragon stands before you. Waves of heat permeate from it's body as it melts the snow before it, but staying far enough away to not burn any of the party. With a quick shake the dragon heaves off the little bits of bloody flesh that still cling to its body.
My name is Naximarra. The dragon says as it purrs out its name with a roll of it's tongue. Firstly, you are obviously aware of the Storm Tyrant otherwise you wouldn't have dared come here. It seems he has come across a very powerful artifact within his possession. An Orb of Red Dragonkind. Naximarra sneers at the thought. He has dominated dozens of my kind across the land. One of these is the
old red dragon Akazerath, but he also uses younger dragons as messengers between his headquarters and his outlying holdings such as Skirgaard. The dragon assigned to the village normally nests in a watchtower near Skirkatla’s tomb (area R), but that it has been absent for some time.
Nodding towards the village Naximarra moves over to the ledge and leans over. The giants below are far too numerous for a direct conflict I am afraid. If you wish to control this camp you will have to resort to more than likely guerilla tactics to discourage and disband them. Sabotage their efforts. Certainly taking out the watchtowers before they are able to fire of flares and blare their horns would help in the efforts without alerting them. If you outrage the camp instead they may change their tactics and come hunting for your band to no end.
With that the dragon goes on explaining other areas of the camp and how you might be able to sabotage the certain areas.
Torgan's eyebrows raise as the giant red dragon appears to morph from the ram. "Hmm... that is interesting." he says in a bit of awe.
Realizing that this is a negotiation, Torgan grins as he looks at the dragon. "And what stops us from taking this orb and subjugating you all the same?"
Jorgan sticks his spear in the snow and steps away so it is just out of arm's reach. When the ram transforms into a dragon Jorgan is shocked and more than a little disappointed. So this one wasn't a sign from Gozreh. But Spirit still was, right?
Jorgan looks over at Wren and nods his head towards the dragon. "Can we trust her? You know more about dragons than we do, I think."
He turns away. "But then again, you've offered alliance and information against the giants and even if you aren't the best of yer kind, we might be willing to work with you as the lesser of two evils, the greater being the giants at this moment."
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Know (Arcana) - red dragon
Wren takes a step back, then another, then yet another (so he is totally not cowering behind Kraygan) as the dragon's true form is revealed. He hand goes to the Hand of Piddlespotting Glory around his neck, hoping that it was the sweet DragonFoe amulet, but it's not.
Ah piddlespot.
He listens tentatively, hoping that this encounter stays peaceful.
Know (Arcana) - Orb of Dragonkind?
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Wren recalls a bit about the red dragons and the dragon orbs. Few creatures are more cruel and fearsome than the mighty red dragon. King of the chromatics, this terrible beast brings ruin and death to the lands that fall under its shadow. Wren knows that one of this age has an aura of fire and fear that surrounds it, though it must be suppressing its fearful aura as another sign of faith.
As for the Orb of Red Dragonkind. Color shimmers within the smoky depths of this perfect crystalline sphere. Both the scintillating shade and emanations of an indefinable power suggest the breathing of a drowsing dragon.
Each of these fabled orbs contains the essence and personality of an ancient dragon of a different variety. The bearer of an orb can, as a standard action, dominate dragons of the orb's particular variety within 500 feet (as dominate monster), with the targeted dragon being forced to make a successful DC 25 Will save to resist. Spell resistance is not useful against this effect. Each Orb of Dragonkind bestows upon the wielder the AC and saving throw bonuses of the dragon within. These values replace whatever values the character would otherwise have, whether they are better or worse. These values cannot be modified by any means short of depriving the character of the orb. A character possessing an Orb of Dragonkind is immune to the breath weapon—but only the breath weapon—of the dragon variety keyed to the orb. Finally, a character possessing an orb can use the breath weapon of the dragon in the orb three times per day.
All Orbs of Dragonkind can be used to communicate verbally and visually with the possessors of the other orbs. The owner of an orb knows whether there are dragons within 10 miles at all times. For dragons of the orb's particular variety, the range is 100 miles. If within 1 mile of a dragon of the orb's variety, the wielder can determine the dragon's exact location and age. The bearer of one of these orbs earns the enmity of dragonkind forever for profiting from draconic enslavement, even if she later loses the item. Each orb also has an individual power that can be invoked once per round at caster level 10th. Red Dragon Orb: Wall of fire
An Orb of Dragonkind immediately shatters if it is caught in the breath weapon of a dragon who is a blood relative of the dragon trapped within. This causes everyone within 90 feet to be struck by the breath weapon of the trapped dragon as the orb explodes.
"And what stops us from taking this orb and subjugating you all the same?"
Naximarra growls low and moves low at the thought of being enslaved like his brethren. The same thing that stops me from eating you whole right here. It is true that I hold no love for your humanity but I will refuse to allow my own to be enslaved by giants.
"Hey, ther ain't any humans here, so let's back off on the insults, right?" Kraygan holds one hand out toward the dragon and his other toward his mentally unstable cousin. "The dragon's said the only sensible thing I've heard in days, so I think we should listen."
To the dragon, Kraygan says, "Besides tactical advice, what do ye bring to the table? Will ye help us fight?"
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Wren relates what he knows (the above) in the dwarven tongue. His dwarven probably sounds drunken and slurring, (but that's to be expected seeing as present company is how he picked up the language) and does not care if the dragon understand him or not. He does not make any threatening gestures or movements.
"I'm inclined to see how he/she(?) can help. We needed a plan to take this place and having one, even a dragon's, would be better than none."
Jorgan agrees with Kraygan and Wren. "Like I said, the lesser of two evils. Let's hear what you've got to offer us."
Rogzul is almost as stunned as his spirits. For a moment he considers bending down and reaching for his weapon, but a few of his more diplomatic guides whisper for him to stop.
Sighing, he listens as the lizard speaks and offers it's assistance, such that it is.
"Yes, what do you want us to do? We are strong, and can endure much, but even we can not be expected to defeat an army of red dragons with what we have. If we take this camp, will we not have all of the other dragons coming to get it back?"
Torgan chuckles at the dragon's sequestered rage, but understands that the group wishes to negotiate with the evil creature. "Just a rhetorical question, Nax." he says, holding his hands up in apology.
"I have a plan, actually." Torgan offers. "Why not let Mr. Red here burn and pillage to his delight while we continue on with our plan of assaulting the main building?"
"Surely, a strong dragon like yourself would have no issue dealing with the weak giants that patrol and form the core of the troops while we, the lowly dwarves, take on the tougher task of killing the leader."
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"Besides tactical advice, what do ye bring to the table? Will ye help us fight?"
If the giants in the village were to spot me, the situation in the village would become much worse and any victory accomplished by my direct intervention would likely prove short lived. Even worse, the Storm Tyrant would learn that there is still a free willed red dragon actively plotting against him. Large trails of smoke roil from Naximarra's nose. What I bring to the table is if I can somehow get close enough to it I should be able to destroy the orb.
"Yes, what do you want us to do? We are strong, and can endure much, but even we can not be expected to defeat an army of red dragons with what we have. If we take this camp, will we not have all of the other dragons coming to get it back?"
You may, but if Skirkatla is defeated and the camp sabotaged and demoralized it will take months to even gather the giants back together again.
Naximarra goes on to explain a bit more about the camp and how to go about sabotaging certain areas, or at least what she thinks may work.
Taking out the watchtowers (A) before they have time to signal for help will definitely demoralize them a bit. Though it may only work for a shrt time as they will surely catch on.
The Giant encampments (B) will be a bit more difficult. You will have to get creative. Though if any giants down there catch sight or smell of you it may backfire and bring the whole camp down on you.
The Winter Wolf Warrens (C) hold a fearsome beast named Ranfearg. If you were to slay the guardian the winter wolves may eave the fight entirely.
The Tannery (D) may prove a useful place for you to hide and camp out if you are able to slay the giants within without raising the alarm. Most of the giants seem to outright avoid the building.
If you were to somehow be able to poison the food in the mess hall (E). It may not only sicken the giants in the village but they may begin to turn on one another.
Clandestine destruction of the Silo's (F) stores and sabotaging the Mammoth Stockades (G) will tear down their food storage and could cause some chaos. A stampeding herd of mammoths will keep the giant patrols busy for hours as they try to herd them all again.
Disabling the Mill (H) will put it out of commission and take some time to repair and get it up again. The giants need ore from the mine (I) to forge their weapons and armor within the village. If you were to collapse the mine that may be beneficial.
The smithy area (J) is a bit more obvious. Slay those within without sounding the alarm. If done carefully the destruction of the brewery (K) will certainly demoralize the village as they will lose their beer. Naximarra's eyes glance over at Kraygan.
The longhouse's (L and M) hold some of the more superior giants and clearing them out would be a mighty blow to morale. The slaves in the slave pens (N) may not be of use in a fight as they have been worked and starved to near death. The giants depend on them for labor and as a secondary food source. Releasing them and getting them out of the village without sounding an alarm will help our cause.
The Temple (P) holds a power of great evil. I have not seen what is within but have heard word that those within report directly to Skirkatla herself.
Mind yourself of any aerial assaults. The caves on the ledge (Q) are full of frost drakes and will quickly tear you down to the ground. Skirkatla's entrance (T) lies to the west. I know little of the Frost Giant Earl besides that she may possibly be an immortal frost giant of legendary power and resilience, who is certainly capable of reforming this training camp elsewhere if she isn't stopped permanently. I would not confront the giant queen until the threat of the village is no longer at your backs.
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Wren grunts as the dragon offers ideas and things he had never considered. He shrugs, he hems, he ponders.
Wren makes some mental notes of what the dragon says.
Wren waits to hear what the others think, but resting for the night and then hitting something after that seems like the beginnings of a plan.
Torgan takes in most of what the dragon is saying, but internalizes most of his complaints with the evil reptile.
The bloody thing can't even be asked to fight? How useless...
The dwarf listens closely though and responds to Wren's poor attempt at Dwarven.
The fiery-haired dwarf ponders a bit more as he keeps glancing at the fire drake.
Turning to the dragon, Torgan adds in Common. "Then, I assume you will find us when we need your aid in destroying the artifact?"
As the dragon debriefs them on the giant camp and the many possible ways to sabotage it, Kraygan fills his horn and drinks. The massive awful monster before them has his beard nearly standing on end and he partakes of perhaps a little too much ale as tactics are discussed.
Listening to Wren, he nods, but when Torgan makes some suggestions he scratches his head and frowns.
To the dragon, he slurs.
"So..." Kraygan is interrupted by a hiccup. Then a belch. "If'n yer worried 'bout the giants sheein ye, what'f we lured shome erway 'n ye helped ush ambush 'em? Slam, bam, whoosh! No survivers, no problem."
Not knowing Dwarvish, Rogzul looks over the red dragon, trying to see if the lizard is also left out, or if it understand their crude.
He shuffles awkwardly, scratching behind his ear, or looking at things in the distance, unsure what to say while the rest of the group keeps him out of the discussion.
"Should we take the tannery first? Could we hide the yaks in their until we need them?" He asks finally, in common.
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"Should we take the tannery first? Could we hide the yaks in their until we need them?" He asks finally, in common.
Wren nods at Rogzul, the only other one to realize the lack of stealth in the hugenormous yakkenhorde.
"We should do what Squats suggests," Wren agrees. "Keeping the yaks under wraps will help us stay hidden when we storm the towers."
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The dragon grunts. You understand your own strengths. The tannery will not be easy to take but it is bold. The building stands very close to one of the giant encampments and is watched by a pair of watchtowers on either side.
"If'n yer worried 'bout the giants sheein ye, what'f we lured shome erway 'n ye helped ush ambush 'em? Slam, bam, whoosh! No survivers, no problem."
You would risk another dragon being overtaking and joining the Storm Tyrants forces over the death of a couple of giants? Naximarra's eyes squint into a questioning gaze. Think of the bigger picture here young dwarf.
Kraygan's beard bristles at the dragon, but he's not quite drunk enough to call it a coward.
Turning his inebriated intellect to Rogzul's suggestion instead. "Th' tann'ry? Where's 'at?" He asks in common, trying to remember details of the village. Once it is pointed out, he gives a dissatisfied snort. "Tha's on th' other side o' th' camp from th' brewery. An' guarded by two watchtowers? We'll be lucky ta take down one without raisin a fuss. Nah, le's go fer th' beer... er, I mean brewery."
Since the conversation has turned to Common, Torgan continues in the Taldane language. He looks at Wren and Rogzul with a raised eyebrow. "You must be more willing to die at the hands of these giants than I previously thought, Prophet." he says as he grabs a nearby stick and draws a crude map in the snow.
With the stab of the small branch, he illustrates the problem with the tannery. "Taking the tannery either involves scaling this side of the mountain, which is impossible for the yaks." he says before drawing a big circle nearby. "And this is the second giant encampment!"
Turning to Kraygan, Torgan begins to sketch the eastern side of camp. "Aye. The brewery is closer to the outer edge, but it is near a giant longhouse and has a watchtower next to it. Additionally..." he starts as he scribbles in some more. "It is overlooked by the eastern watchtower here." he says as he points to the highest watchtower on the hill to the east.
"The smithy is centrally located and is only overlooked by the aforementioned highest tower." he states. "The tower behind it is too low to see an invasion from the east as it sits at the bottom of that ridge and the smithy has walls on that side."
"We should take down the eastern tower and then launch an attack at night on the smithy."
Kraygan blinks at the rough map.
"No no no. The Smith's got three watchtowers near it, 'n the big longhouse too. And it's at the center! Gonna have lots o' traffic 'n patrols crossin through."
He points a stubby finger at the eastern watchtower. "I say we take that down with yer nature magic, like ye said, makin it seem accident'l like, then try fer the guard in the tower near th' brewery. We manage that and we could move freely t' th' brewery and longhouse. And if that don't work, we kin retreat without runnin through half the village."
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"It is overlooked by the eastern watchtower here." he says as he points to the highest watchtower on the hill to the east.
"The smithy is centrally located and is only overlooked by the aforementioned highest tower." he states. "The tower behind it is too low to see an invasion from the east as it sits at the bottom of that ridge and the smithy has walls on that side."
"We should take down the eastern tower and then launch an attack at night on the smithy."
Wren facepalms as the Flaming Beard reveals his plans.
"Great, Torgan. What about the yaks? They are too big to be stealthy. You tell me what we are going to do with them."
Kraygan is still very much opposed to Torgan's plan. Using sticks and stones, he lays out his own idea on the rough map.
Rogzul snorts derisively when the dwarves lay out their plans, but since they seem to be unified against his he doesn't offer objection. His spirits mutter a few insults so he doesn't have to and he starts evaluating the alternative plans.
"We could take the smithy, but we must do it without raising any alarm. It's too close to both longhouses. We could be swarmed by giants in just a few minutes if we are not careful."
He does like Kraygan's idea of sending Jorgan to sabotage the eastern tower without raising much concern though, and suggest they use the idea regardless of the final plan.
Torgan begins to point out why he believes that his plan is superior. "Since there still isn't a consensus, the problem with the brewery is that it is adjacent to two structures and is nearly as close to the main house as the smithy." he starts.
"The two other towers that you speak of, Kraygan, are on the lower ridges. The southern one cannot see up over the ridge and the western one can only possibly see, but the smithy has wall that will block our approach. Additionally, aid from the western watchtower would take longer as it would need to loop around the ridge to get to the smithy." he finishes.
"Anyone care to vote in favor of one or the other?" he asks, looking at Rogzul and Jorgan. "The Prophet seems to favor my plan with objections."
Grunting angrily, Rog looks at Torgan and rolls his eyes.
"I agreed with your plan dwarf. I just said we should be cautious, do you know the word?"
Jorgan has been thinking to himself, not at all sure he likes the idea of leaving Spirit and the yaks behind but willing to go along with it if that's what the plan requires. "I think all this Prophet business has muddled my brother's head." he remarks. "Kraygan's got a mind for tactics, it seems to me, even if his brain is 50% alcohol."
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The group leaves the dragon with enough time to strike at the watchtower. Taking your time to avoid more patrols and wildlife you are able to skirt around the camp in a matter of hours as the pace is slow and treacherous.
Several feet away you wait in the woods as you overlook a solitary watchtower. Enormous by human standards it consists of a wooden, hexagonal platform supported by six poles, each the size of a large tree. A large hut sits on top of the platform. Underneath is a sloping ramp and staircase that climb up to the center of the tower. The watchtowers platform stands 20 feet off the ground while the hut stands another 20 feet above that. Atop stands a solitary frost giant that keeps vigilant watch throughout the camp.
Torgan also surveys the tower and the surroundings. "If there is only a single giant on watch, then a simple assassination for future towers might not be out of the question, however I believe that Kray's plan for this one is sufficient." he says, not letting his eyes off the tower.
"Lend my brother your arcane arts, Prophet. Make him invisible and he can weaken the support with his own natural magicks." Torgan reasons as he tries to ascertain if any patrols come out this far.
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"Do you have any magicks to help with this plan?" Torgan asks, not quite understanding how an elf runs out of such weird elf things. "How about you send a mighty gust of wind to knock the tower over?" he states, remembering that magic from his grandfather's tales of the dwarf and elf wars.
"Or perhaps you can turn the ground into sand and cause the entire tower to topple? Maybe send the giant to another plane of existence? Perhaps the fire one. I bet that is an ice giant's worst nightmare." Torgan proposes.
"You could petrify him like a basilisk or perhaps you can summon a basilisk to petrify him."
"Maybe you can turn him into a newt?"
"Drain his entire body of life force, rendering him a burnt out husk?"
"Any of these work for you?" he asks with eager eyes, expecting greatness from the Prophet.
Sober now, Kraygan looks from Torgan to Wren and back to Torgan.
"Gorum's iron hammer.*" He mutters with an elven facepalm. "Do we have any magic that could help here or am I gonna have to go all kobold commando?**"
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Wren rubs his old chin, finding no hair there as he listens to Jorgan. He *wishes* he could do all those things, but he's an amateur trickster, nothing more.
"I've heard that some yaks......conceal some powerful explosives in their backsides, might be you can use that to blow up the tower."
"Balls..." Kraygan begins working on the straps and latches that hold his armor together.
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Wren smiles.
"I can come with you. I don't make too much noise when I float around," Wren says as Kraygan starts to evidence his recent oath (balls).
Wren looks again to see if he can determine what the alarm system might be on the alarm tower.
"I can also cover the tower in fog, it will last a while and might be suspicious, but it can be done. This is your plan, after all." Wren looks at Torgan, not sure what he can do to help.
Kraygan pauses in his preparations to streak the giant village.
"So now yer ok with the fart cloud trick? Bah! Make up yer mind..."
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As the group continues to discuss tactics Torgan squints is eyes and peers into the distance to try and tell what the signals may be. As far as he can tell there may be a signal horn propped against the wall, or it may just be a beam. It is difficult to tell from this angle. One thing is for sure though is that attached to the outside of the structure is a skyrocket that is ready to be lit.
Torgan sees Kraygan armoring up and rolls his eyes. "At this point, we might as well rush the tower."
"It seems there might be a signal horn inside, though I can't be sure. I can be sure of the firework on the outside though." he adds.
"F#+@ it." he says, as he contemplates the options with the fog cloud. "I can't see any use of that cloud not being suspicious even if they are stupid giants."
"Prophet, grab your bow. We are gonna barrage down this bastard before he can react." he says as he pulls out his dwarven maulaxes. "Kray, Rogzul. Get your butts in the tower asap to stop the giant before he can light the firework or sound a horn. Jorgan, you work on the supports."
Thinking that that might sound like suicide for the tower-divers, Torgan grins wide. "The orc will be fine. He can fly."
"And Kraygan has been launched from a catapult before. He'll probably fair better than anyone else."
"On my mark..."
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Wren looks at the skyrocket and nods.
"I'll grab that first," Wren says more confidently than he feels, wishing he possessed even the most basic understand of illusion and trickery, but he does not.
"Let me see how close I can get to the giant, to the tower before coming on in. If we need to get they skyrocket first...that'll be the goal." Wren looks at Rogzul, hoping the half-orc can help.
Wren looks again at the tower.
Rogzul takes a moment to cast his fly hex on himself as Torgan begins counting down. "If you're making your cloud, Elf, do it quickly."
Rogzul, despite himself, is grinning widely, his war spirits were whispering in his ears and his spear was in his hand where it belonged.
"Kraygan, come here." Once his hex is cast, Rog casts fly on Kragan as well, so they can move straight for the giant without needing to climb the tower.
"Fart clouds and fly spells." Kraygan nods. Pointing to Rogzul and Wren, he confirms. "Wren goes for the rocket. Rog, you get any horn or bell. I'll flank the giant."
Drawing his dwarven waraxe, he takes it in both hands, his grip adjusted to suit a tactic meant to bring the giant down.