It is probably workable. Being large, your backpack is also large, and you might be able to stuff the large baby into it (He is 3' tall after all , but his legs fold easily).
The main problem is he does not like it, at all. As soon as you put him in there, he seems ok with it initially, but then starts fussing and fidgeting. It seems doable, but he pushes the flap open and tries to pull his way out a little bit at least to see what is going on. Nathan sighs. At least he is in the backpack.
"Let us continue on toward the camp. Be aware of scouting parties. I'll stay about 60' behind you so the little one isn't heard."
With that Nathan trudges on, singing a lullaby to sooth the little one. He switches to hymns from the temple if the lullaby doesn't seem to work.
"I will scout ahead about 60 feet from the rest of you. If I make this sound: Mraow be cautious, as danger is near. If you hear me make this sound: Rrrraowr come quick, as I am in danger."
After making sure everyone is familiar with his cat calls, Greebins pads on ahead.
Greebins slips into the brush, slipping from rock to tree to shadow. Sometimes crawling low in the underbrush.
As he is significantly far away from the enemy he risks little in the way of being spotted. Growing closer he crests a small ridge his eyes lifted just above the lip.
Behind him at a distance, his companions move cautiously as he scouts.
He looks out at the creatures and through the smoke. They have a large fire and seem to be cooking several boars on spits over the fire.
A huge giant, likely a fire giant is clearly visible, towering over the encampment and tending the fire. He occasionally sticks his hands into the fire to adjust various logs or to stir the coals with his bare hands.
Nearby, a large lion like creature with wings sits sphinx like, watching the meal preparation with keen interest. Several gaunt looking dog like beings keep their distance from it, but pace about in a small pack of half a dozen or so sniffing the air from time to time, mostly in response to the food, but they do seem to be maintaining some sort of watch.
A trio of brutish looking humanoids sit in a ring around the fire. They have a wide array of weaponry, bows, spears, hammers. They are rather tall and lean, larger than orcs, but not as large as an ogre. Perhaps some sort of mixed cross or mix of several species, Greebins cannot tell at this distance.
Still about one hundred and fifty feet away, Greebins assesses the giants' scout group. Assured that he has not been discovered yet, he keeps watch as the monsters prepare their meal.
Lotham patiently awaits the return of Greebins with a scouting report.
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Greebins slips back to let everyone know what he saw. "They have strong combatants down there. We need to be careful how we approach this."
Lotham frowns at the news. "As many of them as there are of us, and two of them are much larger--possibly even magical. You're right, we must be very cautious... perhaps we could lay an ambush. Is there a place we could try to trap them in a rock slide?"
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Greebins you are sure the lion like creature is a manticore. The dog like things you aren't sure, perhaps something planar in nature. You are also not sure about the humanoid creatures having never encountered or read about them. They may be something that has come about since your time, or perhaps the works of a mad experiment.
You return to the group and report in. Lotham suggests an ambush. Lotham and most of you know that a fire giant is quite a threat both in terms of melee prowess and its ability to hurl fiery boulders. Together and well prepared the group might be able to down it before it did enough damage. Although it also has allies. The pack of creatures and the manticore being which appears to have wings will create additional problems. Then there is the unknown question of the other humanoids and their capabilities.
It is conceivable an ambush may work, but you do not know where they are heading, you would need to be clever about it. A rock slide seems very challenging to set up and execute. It would require a very specific set of circumstances, be hard to conceal and might take a significant amount of time to set up once a spot was found.
"Perhaps we can lure some away into a trap, rather than attempting to take them on all at once. Perhaps wait for them to go foraging or hunting, but who knows when they will need to do that. The manticore would be tricky, since it flies. Nathan would have to deal with that. Also, do any of you know any cold based magic? It would be helpful when fighting the giant. He could likely kill any one of us at close range."
"I think this group is best left alone. We MIGHT be able to take the fire giant down if it were alone. That's a big might. With the others here we would do nothing but throw our lives away. Someone might be able to sneak in the camp and look for any plans they may have and then sneak out. That may be the best we do. I am not even sure that seeing where they are going is a good idea, though that may be what we settle for."
Nathan says as he plays with the baby.
"Perhaps we should simply follow them from a distance."
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"I hate to admit it but I think we have to leave them to a more qualified group. We should circle around and find their trail to give us an idea of where they came from and where they might be going, then move on." Eleanor advises.
The group considers their quarry, and determining the enemy too strong, opts for some other options, watching, spying, scouting and seeing if they can learn anything through surveillance.
"The dog-like beings appear capable of detecting scent like their more natural versions. I don't think attempting to sneak into the camp would be wise, unless we can think of a way around that. I am inclined to agree with Eleanor. Even tracking them from a distance could be dangerous."
"What are we doing here if we are not going to face these creatures?"
Eleanor thinks back to the meeting with the marshal and Thain.
"The Thain said a fire giant was their leader, this may or may not be him but this one is clearly too well guarded for just the few of us. If we're to attempt anything I would suggest attacking their supplies and hope to slow them down before we return with our report. If this is their leader it's the kind of thing they'd want to know about immediately." Eleanor answers.
"Very well. How should we go after their supplies?"
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"They supply themselves as they move. It's too bad we have no way of communicating with the fortress, to let them know where this group is. I am afraid that is all we can accomplish unless we get the chance for someone to sneak in and rifle through their belongings, especially the fire giant's"
Will the group stay clear of the creatures? You theorize if you stayed ahead of them you could arrive back at the fortress before the band arrived with whatever their purpose was. It would give the fort some forewarning, and possibly allow you to leverage some assistance.
"Maybe we could try and get ahead of them and see if they send out any smaller groups to scout wider areas and then we could ambush the smaller groups. Whittle them down, bit by bit."
"that is likely our best option"
Lotham nods slowly.
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Day 11 - Late Afternoon/Evening
The group decides on their course of action. Keeping a wide berth and circling around their camp you find their tracks (not difficult considering the numbers and size) and determine that if they continued in the same direction, they would be heading in a northwesterly route. According to your maps that would take them towards the river and possibly the lake to the northeast of the forest.
While they continue their camp, your group moves to get ahead of them hoping that their plan goes as you anticipate. You keep a mile or more off to the side, cognizant of your own tracks which they may stumble across. You note that the hound like creatures do sniff around a lot and sometimes do disappear in pairs or triplets for a bit scouting, then returning within an hour. They seem to travel quite swiftly.
You spend the rest of the day traveling west again reaching the river which gave you a bit of a challenge the day before. You send your own scout to keep track of their group's advancement and indeed they move in a northwesterly direction. You reach the river first but south of their movement. You have to decide if you risk moving north of their advancement, risking them finding your trail or camp, as the evening approaches, or stay south of them, but behind them if they travel north up the river. Soon, you suspect they will have to make camp as well for the night.
"I think maybe we should stay behind them, at least for now. The river may present an opportunity for an ambush. They could be vulnerable while attempting to cross it."
"I think you are right, Greebins. We can get ahead of them again on the other side."
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"Ok, let's stay here below them and watch them as the cross. If we get the chance we can ambush them if it's favorable to us."
As the group stands there discussing their plans to watch and observe the giant and his allies, there is a soft 'whump' nearby and you all move to attack whatever has snuck up on you. You peer ahead and see an illithid creature. You know of several who were among Goodwin's adopted, and the memory sparks recognition. You see before you Prar, who is also a devout follower of Sarenrae. Still slightly suspicious you none the less give pause to at least see what happens next.
"Who is Goodwin?" Lotham asks the stranger
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"A father lost to time, and a massive pain in my tentacles to find." Prar gurgles over what would be a smile, if he had lips...
He glances around. "The forest, oh the love hate relationship I have with forests. On one hand, keeps the sun from eyes and skin, on the other, bugs, twigs and sap." he mutters.
"Praise the Dawnflower, brother Prar has come to aid us! How did you find yourself here?"
"Welcome, brother..." Lotham glances at Greebins "... Prar."
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Nathan turns around startled and makes sure the baby is not upset. (Nathan has a baby ogre strapped to his back.)
"You certainly have a way of making an entrance, of course that could get you killed as well. How did you find us and make it here and can we send a message back?"
You notice Nathan releasing some of the tension on his bow.
"I came here by way of the shadow realm. To my understanding I was able to find you in the reflection of this world and pass through. I doubt we could send a message back. Though, I have need to study this crystal shard." he shows his siblings the crystal the lady gave him.
"Each of my party took one of these...I suspect it to be involved in some sort of blood magic ritual. I digress. Further research is required."
"How did you acquire this crystal? What happened to your companions?"
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The group questions Prar and refamiliarizes with him as they also plan their camping strategy for the night.
"It was given to me, and one to each of my companions, by the lady trapped in the tower in the realm of shadows. As for where they are. We used the thinning of the planar boundaries to all travel to different groups of our sibling so that we may check on the progress of all."
Eleanor suppresses her jealousy of Prar's adventure to the shadow realm. "We've found a baby..." She says trying to recall any other events he should be made aware of.
"Yes." Prar states with disdainful aloofness. He taps a blue finger on the top of the child's head as it rides on the back of Nathan.
"Fascinating."
He sighs. "Well, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful father Nathan, blessings of the dawnflower on you and your adopted progeny."
Day 11 - Night
The group settles in for the evening, a significant distance down the river. Your enemies set up camp and their hounds circle around keeping watch. Your camp is downwind so hopefully they will not sense you, however you have to decide about a campfire. They may not smell it, but might see it if the light is not obscured somehow.
"We may have to make do without a fire tonight," Greebins says, clearly agitated by something.
"I can do without a fire." He pauses. "What is wrong, Greebins?"
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"Unfortunately, we will have to do without a fire tonight. That has given me a thought though, if we can get ahead of them again. I wonder if I were to set up a camp, with a fire and then move off, if we could get the dog creatures to try and follow me into an ambush. Leave them and obvious trail of an ogre to follow. They might want to recruit me and follow and we can take them out. But that's for another day. For tonight we need to bed down and see what they do tomorrow. I'll take last watch if that is ok with everyone."
Nathan then settles down with the baby and tries to sleep.
"I am agitated because I feel incapable, Brother Lotham. Perhaps a better opportunity will present itself tomorrow. I want to start thinning their numbers." Greebins then finds a nice study branch to droop himself over and sleep.
Day 12 - Morning
The group awakens after their various night watch shifts, and cold fireless night. They greet the dawn and prepare to see what the enemy will do today. Nathan put forth a plan to perhaps lure away the hounds. As he deals with the baby ogre, he reminds the group and asks for input. Greebins sneaks forth for recon, staying downwind of the hounds.
He returns to report that the enemies are moving out and rather then moving west over the river as anticipated, they are moving downstream towards the lake, according to your map.
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Prar sighed an annoyed sigh as he sat on the hard earth in the morning and prepared spells. He preferred a desk for this sort of work, in fact, he preferred a desk in general. Making the last dot for his list of components, he made extra sure that no dirt or leaves were in his pages, magic was not an exact science, but better no contaminants, to be as safe as possible.
Wordlessly he prayed focusing on the beauty of the Dawnflower and how she gave his strength even though she was the archetypical antithesis to his people. Still she favored him, in spite of this, and for that he was ever grateful. He looked at his familiar. He doubted this breed of scorpion even existed now, it like him, was out of time. he communed with the link, drawing magical powers through the veil.
Done with this he partook of some breakfast. "Nathan, I am hesitant to break up the group. It is an obvious danger. I will defer to democracy if my opinion is overruled, but I would suggest following them still and then attacking them as they slept."
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"I would consider your plan, Nathan."
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