See, right naow, Grogan's experiencin' vat uncomfortable feelin' a monster gets when dey've reached vuh point where vere enemy is usually dead, but vuh enemy's still grinnin' all evil-like and swingin' 'is sparkly magic whatnot at yer.... Har har har! Poor blighter!
HAR! HAR!! Indeed! Semolina Pilchard climbin' up vuh Eiffel Tower, an' what's worth....
Nacht examines the being, a large being with copious amounts of meat. How delicious will its screams be? Taking its blades of torment and digging them into the calves and lower back of this Giant-being. Arms growing in every strike.
Nacht examines the being, a large being with copious amounts of meat. How delicious will its screams be? Taking its blades of torment and digging them into the calves and lower back of this Giant-being. Arms growing in every strike.
[dice=Multi Ant Flank Keenstar Slash]1d20+11;1d8+9
[dice=Multi Ant Flank Sawtooth Saber Slash]1d20+11;1d8+9
[dice=Multi Ant Flank Shortsword Stab]1d20+10;1d6+8
[dice=Multi Ant Flank Kukri Slash]1d20+10;1d4+8
In the blink of an eye, The Beetle Man's deft cuts with his multiple blades eviscerates the hill giant! It howls in dying anguish and crashes headlong to the ground with a heavy THUMP!!!
Having slain the hill giant Grogan, The Lusty Fools gain the shocked, but heart-felt thanks of the two French peasants they rescued from an awful fate....
They also gain what loot Hisao and Paddy pilfer from the dead giant's many pouches and pockets: a topaz, a tourmaline, an emerald, a fire opal, 66 platinum franc-royales (pp), 123 golden francs (gp), 216 silver marks (sp), and 44 copper pennies (cp)....
That night, The Lusty Fools are invited to enjoy the hospitality of the two French peasants they rescued from Grogan the hill giant--Clarabelle and Louis--at their farmhouse....
The several children of the French peasants are relieved and tearfully embrace their parents back at the farmhouse; evidently, they were witness to their parents' abduction by Grogan the hill giant, and had given up any hope of ever seeing their parents again....
The peasants serve their heroes a meal of hearty lamb stew, fresh-baked baguettes, goat's cheese, and cow's milk the evening of the 19th, and breaks their fast the following morning with goose eggs fried in lard, rashers of salty bacon, fresh-baked croissants, more goat cheese, and more cow's milk....
On June 20th, The Lusty Fools bid their grateful hosts farewell, and march on toward Reims.... Distant thunder rumbles in the east, and dark clouds gather overhead by noon, followed by five hours of drizzling rain.... The heroes splash along the muddy road, passing the occasional farmstead or vineyard....
All this bloody rain....reminds me of London. Spent many a night out in the rain...shivering and cold. Never again..I'm going to retire in a nice house with a beautiful wife and a bunch of little rugrats...assuming I live long enough to, of course.
Paddy sneaks a swig or two of bad whiskey from his flask, then offers the rest a pull.
Anyone else want some cold repellant?
I'll have some, Paddy; thank you for the offer.
Without any awareness of rudeness, Iommi-Tyr Magnusson drinks a bit more than is an appropriate share for a campfire-community-bowl. The admissible, acceptable swig quickly, innocently, becomes a guzzle lasting a trifle longer than is worthy.
Then, after removing the campfire-community-bowl of boos from his lips, Iommi-Tyr Magnusson smiles and nods in thanks to Paddy for his generous sharing and, before passing the spirits to Sir Alphonse, takes another none-to-brief guzzle, this one lasting somewhat longer than the first.
So, what's our plan to restore the Dauphin and remove the impostor?
You people drink and eat more milk than seems healthy Hisao remarks as he takes the flask and takes a drink before passing it around This much better
For the matter of the mixed up nobles Hisao just shrugs Kill fake one, dispose of body, let the real one come out, see who is unhappy, Kill them also.
"Killing the false Dauphin is likely trickier than it seems. Especially if whatever manner of creature has taken his place does not revert to its natural shape upon death. We will have just been seen to kill the ruler of France, and likely executed on the spot."
Alphonse passes the flask along with out taking a drink, seemingly not bothered by the cold.
June 20th is spent mostly in travel on the road east and south to Reims, past pastoral scenes of French countryside, listening to bird songs and the occasional low rumble of thunder, but thankfully, the rain clouds stay east of the party and they stay drier than on the day before....
As night falls, however, a torrential rainfall begins to soak the weary travelers....
After an hour of trudging through the darkness on the muddy road, the party sees the welcome sight of window lights glowing in the distance, a short ways off the main road....
Drawing nearer, the dark silhouette of a Norman castle can be made out through the rain and darkness, several tower Windows lit by flickering torchlight....
A peal of thunder accompanies a bright trident of jagged lightning that stabs the stormy heavens, briefly illuminating the damp, ivy-clung stone walls of this castle....
A chorus of howling wolves replies to the burst of thunder in the distance....
Can't listen to either at work but if none of them are Yakety Sax then I will be disappoint.
Well, mine is from a genius who, centuries later, was actually named for MY PC, Tony Iommi. And when he learned he was named after my PC from 15th century Scandinavia, he named that album in honor of me and The Lusty Fools.
Lol! Ray wins the inter webs! Lol!
I'll grant a story award to the party of 3,900 XP for rock star Tony Iommi, named after legendary 15th-century Scandinavian adventurer Iommi-Tyr, posthumously naming his Black Sabbath song after the adventurer's exploits!
All Lusty Fools advance to level 7!
Another 3,900 XP story award is granted for Hisao's semi-resolved game of assassin with Achiko and the other Yellow Reeds ninja, to be fair.
June 20th is spent mostly in travel on the road east and south to Reims, past pastoral scenes of French countryside, listening to bird songs and the occasional low rumble of thunder, but thankfully, the rain clouds stay east of the party and they stay drier than on the day before....
As night falls, however, a torrential rainfall begins to soak the weary travelers....
After an hour of trudging through the darkness on the muddy road, the party sees the welcome sight of window lights glowing in the distance, a short ways off the main road....
Drawing nearer, the dark silhouette of a Norman castle can be made out through the rain and darkness, several tower Windows lit by flickering torchlight....
A peal of thunder accompanies a bright trident of jagged lightning that stabs the stormy heavens, briefly illuminating the damp, ivy-clung stone walls of this castle....
"More werewolves, you think? Blast."
"I think we should investigate."
The sound of two blades scrapping against each other can be hear under the cloak and coat of Nacht, " Wolf-beings were fun .... they howled as they died. "
The yellow eyes of the creature staring at seemingly nothing.
The howling of wolves draws closer....
As the heroes draw up to the fork in the road that leads up to the precipice before a moat surrounding the castle, they hear the creaking chains and clanking gears of a drawbridge being lowered.... Perhaps to grant the weary travelers down on the road respite from storm and wolves? .... Or to unleash some fresh horror!?
From atop the ramparts of the gatehouse (out of which the drawbridge recently lowered), a pair of figures holding torches can be seen, waving to the Lusty Fools....
Welcome, travelers! Come in from rain and wolve, if you would rather dine on a princely feast and sleep in warm beds! calls down a deep, bass voice!
Is there any more silver? No. Kuso!
Oui, good travelers! Please come in and dine with my noble Baron Dubois and myself, his Lady Belle! comes a second, feminine soprano!
"I don't believe there's harm in simply coming in, is there? If they mean us harm, we're more than capable of defending ourselves."
The Lusty Fools begin to hear the crackling of sticks under wolves' feet, and see the reflection of the torchlight off many pairs of feral, glowing eyes....
I would like a warm bed.
AAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhhh!!!!!
Wolves.... Beasts.... As I once was.... They know only hunger, cunning, and savagery.... Come into my castle, my friends, where there is safety and warmth!
We dine on roast venison taken in this morning's hunt by my husband, The Baron, as well as trout from our moat, fried in butter, garlic, and other herbs, and fresh baked breads, moist cheeses, and even fruits fresh from our orchards! Our maid, Madam Potts, will serve hot tea from China, and we have all the good French wine you can drink!
Perhaps it is the delectable aroma of this feast wafting from the castle that excites and draws the wolves....
Or perhaps it is the urging of a powerful master....
WAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!
"We accept your offer of hospitality gratefully, Mr. and Mrs! Once we get inside perhaps we can discuss taking care of this werewolf infestation that plagues you in repayment for room and board?"
The Lusty Fools follow Alphonse across the drawbridge and into the castle through the gatehouse. As soon as they are across, the drawbridge is raised....
[Dice=Sense Motive]1d20+5
The Baron and Baroness seem genuine in their offer of hospitality....
....Preventing a large pack of big wolves from following! They howl their frustration at the cloud-shrouded moon as they pace along the road and at the moat's outer edge, sniffing the fresh scent of man-flesh....
AAAAAAAAAWWWOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!!!
You guys wanna step back outside for a few minutes to say "Hi" to the werewolves, then come in for some food?
I'm game.
Your host appears from a stairway inside the gatehouse, stepping down with his beautiful baroness on his arm. He wears a long azure cloak, hemmed with wolf-pelt, a fine linen shirt, and hunters breeks, with high, supple leather boots, and a Longsword at his hip, a dagger at the other side, worn on a broad leather belt with a golden bull-head buckle.
Welcome to Castle Dubois, Monsieurs! I am the Baron Dubois, your host! And this ravishing beauty on my arm is my wife, the Baroness Belle!
The Baron, who appears to be in his fifties, but still hardy and hale, beams proudly and lovingly at his wife, Belle, who is rather ravishingly beautiful, and seems to be in her thirties....
The Baroness smiles, blushing at her husband's compliment, and courtsies before The Lusty Fools.
Yes! Welcome to Castle Dubois, weary travelers! Thank you for the honor of your presence at our table!
Lady Belle gestures for the heroes to follow, and leads the way through the entry hall into the feast hall....
A manservant in colorful livery appears to take the heroes' rain-drenched cloaks and coats....
Bonjour! I am Monsieur Lumiere, at your service! says the man with a warm, bright smile....
A second manservant arrives with warmed blankets and towels for the soaked travelers....
And I am Monsieur Cogsworth, at your service! Please, be our guest! says the older, portlier man with a bow....
An old maid appears, courtsies, and introduces herself....
Bonjour, Monsieurs! I am Madame Potts! Please, put our service to the test! she beams sweetly....
Are our rooms in the West Wing of the castle, by chance?
.
.
.
.
Ooh, this guy has a really big library.
The LFs quarters are in the west wing, and yes, it is a magnificent library, Iommi-Tyr.... The Lady Belle is an avid reader....
The Lusty Fools are led to a grand bath chamber with four great copper bath tubs, which the servants fill with hot water from kettles in a nearby fireplace. After bathing, they are given clean clothes to try on from the guest wardrobe, while their dirty garments are laundered by scullery maids.
The feast is delicious and filling, and The Lusty Fools are entertained by the rather fanciful tale of how the young Belle, prior to becoming the Baroness, tamed the accursed Baron and finally lifted the curse that had been laid upon him and his castle by an old witch he'd rudely turned away long ago....
It is true, that in my younger days, I was selfish and cruel. I paid the price for my rudeness one night when an old crone came to my castle on a cold Autumn night, begging for shelter and hospitality, and I turned her away. She laid a curse upon me, and all who dwelt within my castle! You may find it hard to merit, but I became a terrible Beast.... Not unlike the werewolves that lurk outside in the forest.... My servants became animated household objects! Madame Potts became a talking tea kettle! Monsieur Lumiere became a candelabra, and Monsieur Cogsworth a wind-up clock! My hounds became footrests, my horse became a cart.... It was madness! The local peasants were astounded and terrified, and shunned my castle as haunted.... But this ravishing beauty, my Belle.... She alone was brave enough to weather my beastly temper long enough to know the kind soul that yearned for a second chance.... With her true love's kiss, she broke the curse, and I became like the man I was before, only better.... Kinder, and wiser.... My servants were restored to their human forms as well, and my hounds and horse, too! And we have lived happily ever since, always offering hospitality to any traveler in need....