The Cathedral is made of stone. The palisade around the Cathedral is made of wooden stakes and concrete.
"Well we can use that one. It may work."
"Well, let's just try to sneak through, it might be less suspicious than finding the guards missing. And if it fails..." Leira loads her giant bane heavy crossbow "We can always fight"
That said, she readies her disguise self by teaching the spell to his ring of spellknowledge.
She then casts the spell to resemble a Giant. And uses enlarge person to improve the result, both on Kaos and herself "Hide your weapons and fake-tie yourselves with a rope"
Once the dwarves and Kaos are ready, she makes a sign and starts to approach to the Giants in the doors "Aye. Presoak pizten ditugu. Pasa gaitezen."
"Aye. We bring prisoners to the pits. Let us pass."
Before this, anga casts shield on herself
The party approaches the palisade in the darkness and rain. The Stone Giants are attentive toward the commotion at the tents below and do not notice the party approaching. The palisade is approximately 800 feet in diameter and 50 feet high. Looking around the circumference, the party does discover a channel dug under the palisade to the southwest, which is leaking a brownish sludge into a nearby mountain stream. The channel is much too small for a giant to fit through, but not a problem for a Dwarf-sized humanoid. The sludge is dirty and foul-smelling. It is sewage. The mountain stream is fresh. This part of the palisade is secluded. The mule has a place to drink from the fresh mountain stream above the sludge and tufts of grass to chew, also above the sludge.
I dunno like it. But let's.
Haskell takes a few minutes to stuff the bug bag inside his haversack.
Alright, ready now.
When the party looks beyond the outer palisade they see a 100-foot-wide stretch of trampled field. The stink of sewage taints the air and the ground is muddy where the cathedral’s sewage trenches collect into a shallow cesspit covered by stone and sod. From the cesspit a clay and stone covered trench runs along the north side of the Cathedral.
Past the field stand the buildings of the temple complex, including the cathedral itself. The Dwarves in the party will note that time has destroyed some of the original structures, but it has been repaired and
re-purposed. In addition, the giants have erected two huge tents just south of the cathedral.
Morning is approaching and there is stirring around the two huge tents outside the Cathedral complex.
Leira rears back just a second before casting as the group attempts to find a way around the palisade.
" Perhaps we can find a way to go in in the back. A window or something " Leira looks if there is somewhere she can climb and set a rope for the others.
The girl will stealth to find an entry along the northern wall. Also checking for secret doors.
Leira will not notice any open windows. There are the large giant-sized doors (see map). There are also two trenches that lead from the cesspit to the Cathedral. The opening is large enough for medium-sized creatures to crawl through, though the smell is somewhat....say....strong, and....unpleasant.
Leira looks at the cesspit and gulps "Well you see it as well as me I guess..." she looks at Anga "That's even worser than the dung cart... so we stamp down the doors, guess so"
The girl nods Kaos "I can place the rope trick on the trenches, I doubt anyone will come visit us there. And they will have no space to ambush us anyway, to short for a giant"
Droja will look at Leira, "Maybe we can setup the Robe Trick outside the palisade next to the mule. Then wait until tomorrow night to enter the Cathedral." Droja has developed a certain fondness for the mule.
Leira looks at the others to see what to do, when Kaos says Droja's idea is cool the young girl smiles "Good, let's get to the palisade. I think I can well hide it there"
The girl is well exhausted for the day, but she recalls her last high level spell to recover her arcanist powers which she uses to prepare a rope trick and set it as well hidden as she can also using her extend rod for 16 hours of a relaxing space to rest.
Day Ninety-Four
With the mule below it, Leira sets up a Rope Trick. The party climbs up and rest.
There is a lot of activity around the Cathedral compound, but none on this part of the palisade.
Night returns.
Sneakin' around will be harder after our little swim. The smell will linger somewhat, and be noticeable.
First the dung cart, now a sewer. Some deity was having a good laugh at this. Resigning herself, Anga stands ready to go, war pick in hand.
Ulfgard trotts next to the others, not trusting the peace. "This will be hard I guess!"
The party has no problem following the trench to the building. Even the Giants don't like this side of the building.
This extension to the Cathedral complex has a packed earthen floor and a thatched roof. The stench is overwhelming. The trench into these rooms is wide enough for a Half-Orc or large Human to pass through. It is truly unsanitary in this room. There is not a giant currently in this privy.
Before going to sleep Leira approaches Anga, once more looking to learn more from her mastership with magic "I think I am prepared to learn more Anga" she opens her spellbook in front of her master and tries to scribble something that might do sense. If the dwarf is feeling about sharing, Leira helps her practice sharing the magical writings she has found during their adventures, and she also tries to learn some of her most powerful magics.
Level 0 (at will; 7 prepared)
acid splash
detect magic
message
mage hand
dancing lights
mending
open/close
Level 1 (5/day; 4 prepared+ring)
enlarge person (For DC 14, only humanoids)
vanish
liberating command (immediate)
feather fall (immediate)
ring: disguise self (10 min/level)
Level 2 (5/day; 2 prepared)
spider climb (10 min/level)
scorching ray (2x [2x spending for +1 CL] 4d6)
Level 3 (3/day; 1 prepared)
shifting sand (Ref 16)
"They told me saving Trunau would be tough, but no one suggest it would get THIS dirty" the girl advances through the trench closing her nostrils, but she can hold her repugnance.
Once in the room, she attempts to clean herself a bit "It sounds like a great commotion ahead. We should trace a plan and prepare" the girl casts then extended spider climb on herself using the rod, then uses message to create a communication channel with the group.
"I can open slightly the door from the distance then try to stealth and peek what is going on" while the others prepare their spells and weapons the girl approaches the door and takes from her backpack a strange tool, like a horn but larger in the extreme. It is an ear trumpet and she uses it to listen through the door trying to discern what is going on.
Anga moves forward, trying to breath through her mouth.
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In the meantime, Leira will hear the giants arguing about who was the greatest in the pits. They are throwing loaves of bread and emptied tankards at each other.
They do not pay attention to Leira stealthily opening the door and peering through. She sees rough wooden benches sit alongside huge feasting tables the size of river rafts, stained black with beer and blood. A top the tables lie greasy piles of chipped wooden bowls of congealed stew, piles of bruised apples and scorched root vegetables, dirty iron cutlery, and the cracked bones of half-eaten meat shanks. The floors are equally filthy and are littered with rotting straw, food scraps, and puddles of slop. In huge recesses along the outer walls, iron cauldrons suspended by thick chains simmer above blazing fires in massive hearths of soot-blackened stone. Three huge hogsheads stand against the western wall. The hall is uncomfortably hot and reeks of sweat, fetid stew, and stale beer. Rats skirt the room’s fringes, greedily darting from shadow to shadow.
There are six Giants in the room, two Ogres, two Hill Giants, and two larger blue skinned Giants.
Leira stealthily closes the door again and explains the others everything she has seen and heard. "Fighting all of them in such a huge eating room will be to their advantage and it will be easy for one of them to escape to give the alarm. I do not know if we can just lure them to the privy... does any of you know how to craft a laxative? I could just go invisible and pour it in their food and drinks. Or we can try to call the attention of one, or just wait here until they have their needs..." she transmits the idea whispering through message for the Giants not to hear the group.
Leira attempts to identify the blue skinned Giants given the stories the dwarves have explained about them.
In the Morning while praying for his spells, Haskyll politely asks Torag, if he might request some assistance from Trudd.
Seeing Leira's distress in the Privies, Haskyll brings forth some of Torag's protection to her.
Once through the Privies, Haskyll calls upon Torag to provide a cleansing bath of water for each person.
Ulfgard looks at the others and shrugs. "Just 6 giants. I call this breakfast!"
"Let's leave Sarah tied up here outside the palisades." Droja will comment about the mule before moving forward.
Droja gives it a sniff once inside the privy, "Reminds me of the Orcs," she whispers.
As Leira struggles to identify the blue-skinned Giants, Droja whispers, "Frost Giants. Very powerful."
Droja puts up a Shield of Faith.
I am thinking that we wait to see if they move away and only leave one or two. Or we see if we can lure one or two in here to deal with at a time.
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there is barely enough room for us in here let alone trying to lure a giant in here. The way I see it we only have three options.
One we charge out there and attack them all they're not ready.
Two we wait see if some of them leave risking being discovered.
Or three we try to sneak past them with an invisibility spell.
I thinking wait or sneak unless we put the whole place on apart.
"We probably end having to fight the giants at one point or another" Leira looks at Kaos serious "I think I do prefer to wait some minutes to see if we can fight less of them, rather than trying to sneak"
"We can also lure one to the entrance of the privy, so we can fall all over him and finish it before the real fight starts, so there will be one less of them" Leira taps her Giant slayer crossbow "That would be my preferred way to start the fight if we agree to fight, which I think is the best. After all we will have to face them at some point in our advance through the Cathedral"
So we wait a bit, then try to thin the numbers quickly, and hopefully quietly before they can raise the alarm.
Haskyll ponders for a minute.
I will need a bit to prepare, but could we use silence?
were they close together. Ah can hit them with a fireball, even twice possibly.
Anga looks thoughtful.
If you muscly types cover the entrances, then we pin them here. I can haste you to aid that.
Lets not bite off more than we can chew.
Yes, let us attack, but lets be smart about it. Lets let one or two of them leave, if they will, then we take the remaining.
"I think I can hamper the escape from one of the doors" Leira smiles getting excited about the plan "If Droja can summon a guardian for the other door the others you can decimate the giants trapped in the middle"
"Still waiting some minutes to see of one or two leave, or come to the privy, might be wise, yes"
After a few minutes, one of the Hill Giants heads to the other privy to relieve himself.
Hit them. Hill giants are stupid, and verry overconfident. And they are only Hill giants. We'll slaughter them. And if we do it fast, We likely won't be revealed.
She starts to move forward.
Come on warriors. There are giants to kill
Surprise Round
"Ok, I can enlarge one of you before we attack. I do not think more than that can fit in the privy" says Leira, then casts enlarge person on one of the dwarves or Kaos if they ask to.
As the group proceeds to attack, Leira holds the bane crossbow in one hand while she makes arcane gestures with the other casting shifting sand over two and three. The earth among the tiles start to shift and churn within a large area making it difficult for the giants there to move over the group.
Haskyll upon seeing the giant headed for the Privy, bings up Shield of Faith upon himself.
As Liera starts casting, Haskyll brings up Torags Protection upon everyone.
There be Giants to Kill, lets go now
And he puts action to words as he opens the door, and walks out.
Anga will cast haste on the party. She has mage armour and shield active on herself. She will lead with a fireball, targeted on the largest group of giants.
dc21 reflex for half
Ulfgard will also gladly take the enlarge spell.
He will quickly use his protection blessing and prepares for the battle with a smile on his face.