The man smiles at Xanya, perhaps one of the more human looking at least, despite her size and blue skin.
"Wow so many questions. You remind me of my granddaughter. I.." He stops short as he seems to reminisce another painful memory. "Don't pay no mind to an old man's babbling. Tell me of your ritual. Desna right? Can't say I follow the gods much, they haven't ever really done much for me."
Replying to Quassine, "Well sonny, you are a man right? Hard to tell with all the tentacles and the whispering and gurgling. Yur gonna have to speak up, I'm a bit hard o' hearin. Anyhow. Well, its a lot of backbreaking work for not much gain. Sure in the stories the people walk into a hole in the ground and walk out with an armload of gold. If you want, you can spend the rest of your days like me, squatting in the ice cold river, squinting into a pan of grit looking for tiny flecks. Living on johnnycakes and jerky. I'd venture you'll make a far better living as paid killers and the like. If you want to dig in the ground it takes even more know how, and a lot of backbreaking work. Hours of picking away at stone and wandering the lands understanding the earth and how she is formed to figure out where her gifts are. The dwarves, they got that down. Not much left for the rest of us. You gotta go way out there, far out where it costs too much for them to set up shop and haul it all back. Way out, and deep. Gets dangerous though. Like I said, " nodding to Xanya again "Cave crawlies. Something dark and fell and slimy and eeeeeeeevil at the bottom of the pit I found. Maybe why no one ever staked that claim. I got out with a few nuggets but I aim to go back. No reason not to, got no one else now anyhow except me and my mule. Even my dog died last year."
Kiki shakes her head" a live bleow the earth isn't for me, I need to feel the nature around me, space to move."
she tilts her head to the side "eve if mining would be easier for me then for most others"
Goliath looks down at himself when the old man mentions ogre's.
"Sorry I forget what I am. I think of myself as a knight in service to Ragathiel. As the others spoke we are looking for out teacher, our father. It seems we are in a place to strike an accord. You have found more gold then you can spend in this life time and we could use some and we are quite good at dealing with monsters. After we report to the city we would be happy to escort you back to your mine and deal with your cave crawler for a small fee. The area is on verge of war though and we expect the invading army any day. This is our first task. We will help protect the city and it's people. What do you say old man. You willing to take the help from some "monsters"?"
"A small fee eh? How much of a fee are we talking here?" Once gold and bartering are mentioned the man snaps out of his melancholy and reminiscing and seems to get to business. "How do I know I can trust you folk? What if you slit my throat and take my claim? We would need to draw up a contract, right legal and all."
"However you prefer to do business is fine. You could pay us what you feel is fair. I have no way to make you trust us besides for my word."
Quassine gurgles some more, "Mister, if we were as dangerous as you are labeling us to be, we would have been already sucking on your eyeballs like candy, we would have remain hidden from view, nor invited you to our fire. In fact, we would have stalked you like a prey item to Cliffort and then waited until you departed again, and tracked you to your claim. In addition, there are certain brothers and sisters here that probably could track your scent and tracks all the way back to your claim without even having to follow you. However, our father taught us to work for our glory and that is what we plan to do while at the same time we look for him. This is why I asked if you had seen him when I described him to you. Also, didn't you know my kind can suck the brains out of humanoid and gain knowledge from it. So my old friend, relax and let us conduct business like civilized people first starting with your name. I am Quassine and this is ..." Quassine introduces him to all the brothers and sisters including Harpo.
"Well you don't have to be all creepy about it. You are looking for this fellow, but I haven't seen him. I don't run into many people out in the wilds, not until I get closer to the fort like this. Sounds like a decent fellow though if he was all about teaching you folk to do the right thing."
Quassine head bows from the neck, "My apologies, it just irks me to be labeled as such since I started off in life as human like you Mister."
"I would say the fee largly depends on what exactly is inhabiting your mine shaft, if it's just some normal oozes or mutaed goblins or something it would probably be rather cheap, if its some kind of horror sealed in ages past then it will be much more expensive"
"father saved us all, one way or another"
"He is a great man indeed. Forgive me old timer. I mean not to be rude, but I have a ritual to finish. I must attend to my meditation now. Feel free to enjoy the fire if you wish and stay the night. My brothers and sisters are sure to keep you entertained or answer any questions you may have."
Goliath stands and offers a nod before returning to his meditation.
Quassine nods and stands up, "I must get some sleep, I have a lot of work to do tonight. Like Brother Goliath stated, our Brother and sisters will keep you entertained and conduct business with you. Sister Xanya is really good at conducting business." He then bows to his brothers and sisters, "I am going to go take my 2 hours of sleep and then I will get to crafting."
"Well it seems we may be able to strike a bargain of some sort. The creature in the cave was long and slimy and had some large eyes and tentacles. Beggin' your pardon Quassine, not at all like you." the man clears his throat.
"Hmmm, let me think. I wonder if I've heard about such a creature. Godwin taught me a great many things, as did my tribe before that." Xanya says, casts guidance and thinks closely. "How close is the mine to here? As Goliath says, this war is first priority, but if it's really fast to deal with this..."
After (2) hours of sleep, Quassine wakes up and gets to work on finishing up his belt.
"My discovery is a good week or more to the west, in the hills of course. I guess a group of your caliber might have no problems with it, but I reckon most of your effort will come from traveling there."
Xanya, you wrack your brain to go through your vast mental library of creatures you have heard or read about, but you are distracted and keep watching the night sky, for it is time for the ritual. You pull out your tiny pouch of stardust and ready it as darkness rolls in. Your friends watch as you say a prayer to Desna and toss the handfull of dust into the fire, and the small motes quickly light up and create tiny glowing wisps as they rise from the heat, almost like little stars themselves.
You new miner friend tips his tin cup to you in salute and says "Bottoms up, and takes a healthy swig." The harpy woman watches intently the entire thing, seemingly puzzled but curious.
The group then goes their separate ways and either meditates, sleeps, or works on crafting as the night sets in. Not long now and you will be back to Cliffort to catch news of the war.
The evening passes into night, and after Quassine finishes his nap, rises to his nightly watch and diligent work of crafting and enchanting.
Quassine works away as his companions sleep. Longirus rests nearby in a torpor like state as he doesn't truly sleep, but he needs to mentally rest to recover his wizard spells. The prospector snores loudly nearby as his mule dozes tied to a tree. The harpy roosts in the tree above. The crackle of the fire snaps and pops, the crickets and night insects buzz through the air. The breeze rustles the treetops and shrubs.
Suddenly everything is quiet, unnaturally silent as if time stood still or someone turned the world off. Quassine looks up, setting his tools down soundlessly....
Longirus hums away in his semi-catatonic state, unaware of the happening around him as he gazes lovingly at his lantern.
While running to Goliath to get his attention in case he is in deep meditation, can Quassine hear his foot steps? If not he curses but continues to get Goliath's attention. Then moves on to Xanya, Kiki, Harpo (the Harpy), and finally Longirus. If he can not hear his footsteps, he gives the sign for Silence spell whether it is or not.
Goliath stands as Quassine comes and touches his shoulder. He had been deep in thought and had not seemed to notice things get quiet.
Assassins? The fey? This seems magical and not natural.
He clears his throat to make sure he can't hear anything before drawing his blade.
Xanya you do have a dream. While asleep you dream of a nightmarish landscape, destruction and a hellish plane. As you seem to float above it, you see a dark figured, obscured by shadow, as you approach, drawn towards it, you are overcome by dread, as you reach closer, something lashes out towards you. You see nine skulls rushing towards you, their bejeweled eyes ablaze. You want to scream, and you wake with a silent scream.
--
Quassine as you move to get Goliath's attention, you make no sound. You curse to notify him but the words do not make noise. Alerted to your motion, and the odd circumstances, Goliath snaps from his meditation and sees a silent Quassine trying to flag him down from ten feet away, approaching. Quassine signs to you about magic spells in play. Goliath stands and draws his blade as the two gaze around the area.
Looking about nearby, you both see Goliath's gear, tent/bedroll area moving and being disturbed.
As Quassine moves to wake Xanya, she sits bolt upright, her eyes wild and mouth frozen in a silent scream. She looks about panicked her arms flailing wildly as if guarding from attack or fending off a swarm of angry insects blankets and bedroll scatter as she frantically struggles to free herself. She may be under attack.
Kiki is asleep nearby so it isn't one of her tricks.
Longirus sits nearby also, but slowly becomes aware that something is amiss.
The old prospector snoozes nearby but his mule now seems agitated snorting and stamping silently sensing something.
The harpy is up in the tree, but you can see that she seems awake, her wings wrapped about her tightly, as she grips the tree limb of her roost with her foot talons.
Goliath scans the area and quickly moves to investigate the gear once he takes notice of all his companions.
Could they be looking for the scepter. Using tricks and deceit. I didn't think the giants smart enough for such tactics.
Goliath moves to his gear, which has been somewhat scattered now. As he closes to it the movement appears to stop, and he gets the sense of something moving near, subtle changes in air flow and vibrations on the ground. Where it is he cannot pinpoint without keener senses or magic, but something was obviously there going through his things. Cautiously, he had hidden the box of the scepter beneath much of his gear and whoever or whatever is was had not reached it yet.
Kiki continues to sleep, even if her sleep has become restless as the calming concert of nature has been silenced.
Quassine continues to wake up everyone.
If it is the scepter they have yet to find it. If this is a silence spell it has a range.
Goliath picks a direction and walks until he hears the sound of his footsteps.
Once sound returns he speaks a few divine words as a sphere of energy comes into form. Revealing all around him. Wishing to make haste and not let whatever it is escape he summons up heroic energy to enhance his speed.
Quassine moves to wake Kiki, nudging the tiny spiderling, before moving again. As he stands to move to the next person, he sees Goliath shoot swiftly from the low light of the campfire and off into the darkness. Within seconds, the ogre returns.
As Goliath returns to the camp, you both notice the prospector is lifted from his spot bedroll and all. Either as the result of the invisibility purge, or from the creature grabbing the man, you see a hulking shape perhaps thirty feet tall appear. Black as soot, the form of a massive giant stands at the edge of the camp. Holding in one hand the feebly struggling prospector and the other a wicked gleaming scythe large enough to cut a horse in half. The giant wears no armor whatsoever, instead she is covered with glowing tattoos, burning a dim fiery red, the runic tattoos glowing like ember of your campfire. She has a hunched form, but appears brutishly strong, as one would expect of a creature almost thirty feet tall. Her hair is tied in a single braid ringed with blackened metal coils.
Suddenly all sound in the area returns as she nods her head.
She rumbles in a voice so deep as to be somewhat difficult to understand. Her Common speech thickly accented, and hard to pick up as your continue to master the tongue yourself.
"Give me scepter and man does not die. You have my word on my honor." She shakes the man slightly and growls at him to stop struggling and the prospector looks about wide eyed, held in her single hand, bedroll and all, trapped in his man sized cocoon.
You know she can easily crush the life from the man within an instant.
Quassine slips a foot to the side, nudging Xanya awake furtively.
"If you do anything but give me scepter, man dies."
In Giant: "Let's not do anything hasty here. If you kill the man you have no leverage and we will kill you. This man has done nothing besides warm himself by our fire. You want the scepter. Duel me for it. You are a mighty giant. I am a lowly ogre. Surely you can crush me."
Goliath puts his hand up to hold as he slowly begins to move toward the gear.
"Here I will show you what you want." He moves to the box and picks it up.
"Easy now. This is the scepter you desire. The man means nothing to us but I will not allow an innocent to be harmed if I can prevent it. So duel me and win and the scepter is yours. Kill the man and you will die now."
"No, there is no duel. I will kill you easily, I do this to prevent more bloodshed. No argument with you, our war is with the dwarves and we have a righteous claim to the war. They have stolen our artifact, it is within our rights to win it back. We will take it with minimal bloodshed, unlike the dwarves who kill our kind with glad malice. Do not delay further, pass the scepter here. I have no tolerance for games or further talk."
Goliath, you sense she is very serious, and probably smarter than your average fire giant seems to have been so far. The fact that she is unarmored, thirty feet tall, and wields the most wicked looking scythe you have ever seen, digs deep within you. Your mind races to try and figure out just what threats she can pose aside from tearing down a castle with her bare hands.
She seems to have you between a rock and a hard place.
Quassine looks at the Giant with a slanted look of analyzing, and responds in Modern Common, "Either you are telling the truth about the Dwarves and you can kill us like you have stated. Or you lying and just an illusion because you were caught. If you are telling the truth, did you try diplomacy with Dwarves? Does this artifact threaten their existence while you gain from it?"
"I am speaking the truth. I have no need to lie to you, and it does not serve my purpose. My purpose is to recover the scepter, nothing else. You see, I can do both, kill you all, and then recover the scepter. The dwarves will not listen to us. Dwarf and Giant hatred spans back far. Once, dwarves and giants worked together, created the Fellhammer. Now there is a divide. The Giants had kept the Fellhammer, and the Dwarves stole it when it was not their time to keep it. We are within our rights to retrieve it. So far we have not destroyed their tiny fortress. You think we cannot? Do you see an army marching across the land to lay waste to the fields and their homes?"
"Your questions are well meaning and polite, but do not delay me further, you have your answer and know my purpose and our cause. So I will grant you the time taken. " She clamps her hand around the man further tightening her grip. The prospector gasps as the breath is forced from him.
Kiki you sense that the giantess is cold and calculating but probably being honest currently, as you can determine no other reason for her to offer the trade; unless somehow she truly cannot beat you all. You very much suspect her power at least in melee is very very deadly however.
Longirus shines his light across the camp as he to is roused.
"Ah, what is happening now? Does she mean to hurt the old man? That's no good..."
Slowly he gets up and hobbles towards the scene. He speaks up again, this time in modern common.
"Yes? Hello? My name is Longirus, disciple of Goodwin and sibling to my fellows here. Under normal circumstances I'd ask further introduction but for now I will speak frankly: should you continue to harm that man you will only further compromise your position. Relinquish your grip at least."
In Giant: "You put the man down. Let him join my brothers and sisters. I will bring you this." Goliath pulls the scepter from the box and holds it in his free hand.
Old Common:"Back away"
Giant:"You seem to be telling the truth. So put the man down."
Quassine yells to the Prospector, "Come over here and follow me Prospector so we can talk more about mining." Quassine looks over to his Brother and Sisters, "Please follow me so we can talk more about the mining business with the prospector while Goliath hands over the scepter." Quassine takes them about 40' away from the Giant and Goliath, he then stops them. "Ok prospector, tell me more about this menace in your claim? I missed it last night since I had to go to bed."
The giantess replies to Longirus and Goliath, "I won't release the man until I have the scepter. There is no reason for me to do it that way. I have the upper hand, this makes sure I get what I need without anyone getting hurt. I said before I will go without bloodshed. That is why I came unseen/unheard. Unfortunately I am not made for sneaking. Scepter first, then I release the many. No tricks. No time left." she doesn't release her grip on the man, although its only been a few seconds of real time talk so he isn't in any danger yet. He's a tough old geezer, for the time being.
Xanya snaps out of one dream, only to discover she is in a much worse reality. She bolts upright and jumps to her feet. Argh, caught in an ambush again, but this time I wasn't on guard duty, so no Cryxial. I wish I had a way to summon him here quickly.
"What where, who?" Her eyes are blazing and her hand is on her lance as she gets in stance and drinks down her mutagen.
"If you truly do want minimal bloodshed, you do best to negotiate with us. Only by talking together can things come to a peaceful conclusion. Do not doubt the dwarves have plenty of defenses and protections more powerful than what we had here in the camp to stop you and ultimately lead to battle. To get the artifact you desire, you ultimately have to let the man live and convince us to speak your case. Why are you in such a hurry? And why would getting the scepter, a powerful tool of destruction help to stave off bloodshed?"
Quassine looks at Xanya as she speaks, then looks at the giant inquisitively waiting for answer of some kind.
Kiki activities her hunter sense and tries to memorise the giantess scent.
While waiting for her to answer she gauges the distance between her and the giantess.
In Giant: "You have no upper hand here giant. Kill the man and I detonate this thing burning a bit of everything withing 400' or so. You chose a man that just happened to be warming by our fire. I care nothing for him besides for his innocence in this. You can not be trusted on your word evil filth. So it is you that needs to display you are willing to talk. You let the man go and I give my word I will not attack but we can talk first. You will have your chance to convince us what you say is true. Now decide."