The fomorian roars as Kia's seemingly insignificant arrow pushes it backwards and forces it to drop Tutavak in a bloody heap on the scree. The young Kargzant feels the warlord's words wash over him as he regains consciousness in time for the giant to hit him once more with an enormous fist. A maddened eye turns on anyone within reach as the fomorian starts to come to the end of its resources.
Chary waits for Arianwyn's awesomeness, before healing Tutavak and herself, and throwing her dagger again at the general area the creature occupies.
Arianwyn continues to stalk down the shoreline and sends a bolt of force streaming from his sword.
Arianwyn fells the fomorian with a wild blast of eldritch power as Chary pulls Tutavak back from the brink of death with a flourish.
Baldrech shoulders his bow and nods. "Good work. Now let's get out of here."
Arianwyn departs with a growl and blast of power at the corpse of a fomorian.
Kia follows Baldrech to his hideout.
Baldrech leads the way swiftly through the trees, turning often and pausing to cover the trail. At length, he stops in front of an outcropping and disappears into the rock. Following him, you find that once you have ducked low beneath the bushes covering the entrance, a small cave opens before you. The shifter has made himself at home here, judging from the evidence of a well built fireplace, food storage area and a curtained off sleeping place.
He reaches for a skin bottle and passes it around. "Drink this and tell me what you're doing back here."
Chary unceremoniously slouches to the floor and waits for the ones who know Baldrech to answer his query.
Baldrech waits.
"In brief, we seek to reunite the stones."
"Good plan. How? The mad-eyes are everywhere and they've messed up the landscape. Great rifts and tunnels everywhere and they've dug a bloody lake in the middle of the old burial ground. I hate them."
Baldrech spits.
Chary appreciates Baldrech's distaste for those large...things!
"Matters have moved on since you left."
Pirot pushes his glasses up his nose and stabs a finger at the piled papers.
"Some years have passed and these are artifacts of unknown power being sought by a variety of beings for a variety of reasons. How the fomorians found them is not really the issue. The case appears to be that they have been found and are now separated. Probably by the fomorians themselves. Each tribe will want all of them and be holding their own stone hostage, so to speak. Most likely in devious ways."
"We could just let them kill each other and pick the stones up later," offers Whiteclaw.
"Not a stupid suggestion. Even an intriguing one. Your first task, of course will be getting close enough to find the things. They'll still be on the island, but they'll be hidden. There are records of mining works and you said you met duergar there on your first visit. Good fomorian country. Try underground to start with."
Arianwyn asks bluntly, "Where are the scum based?"
"Two lots in the old mines. One bunch claim to have found some secret fungus. The other lot hate their guts, but hate themselves even more. Third bunch have built some kind of mini citadel where the stones used to be. Large clan in the forests - you met two of them. I can't get near the new lake, but I'd guess there will be some there too. Getting around isn't what it used to be."
Savouring her beverage, Kia asks the question she imagines is in the minds of everyone (except Baldrech).
"So do we have to defeat each clan or just wait until the go off fighting and sneak in and steal the stones (if they've got them)?. And assuming we find the stones, how do we transport them to a safe place while we find the rest?"
"And what do you mean by a 'large' clan?"
"Actually, Baldrech, do you know what happened to the stones?"
Arianwyn opines, "We must reconnoitre first to ascertain the lay of the land. We must also gather what intelligence we may, and see if we cannot exploit their predilection for infighting; I propose we try to set these disgusting things against one another."
The shifter snarls disgustedly. "A fine guardian I turned out to be."
"The mad-eyes came out of nowhere. You've seen them. I knew as soon as I saw them my best chance to lie low and to pick them off when I could. They've had some losses. Not enough for my liking, but enough to keep them patrolling."
He grins bleakly and gestures to the back of the cave indicating a pile of skulls. "Used to keep trophies, but I lost interest."
"The first thing they did was uproot the stones. That's when the fighting broke out. They all wanted all the stones. One lot stayed on top of the hill and they're guarding one now. The rest scattered taking the stones with them."
"The stones didn't go quietly. You can hear them wailing in the night, hunting for each other. Bloody strange, but then they always were. They want to be together again."
Chary listens intently to the conversation around her, and slowly recalls the previous stories told around fireside chats with the group. Things finally click into place when the Baldrech calls himself a guardian.
"So you were left to guard to stones...well, I guess you cannot be faulted too much for their re-location. We all saw how formidible those giant bastar---I mean, things---are. They are forces to be reckoned with. I only marvel at your ingenuity to stay hidden and still wreak the havoc you have."
"So, reconnaissance is the mission. I might be able to help with that...is any one group less strong than another. I would ask about weaknesses, but I think that is the not a real hope for us."
"Giant bastards is right."
Baldrech nods approvingly at Chary. "If you can clear the forest clan at least you'd be able to move around. That's where I'd start and that's the group I know most about."
"Tell us of them."
"There are about five usually of them camping out around the stone. From what I've seen, they come in batches, look at the thing, go crazier than usual, and run into the forest to wreck havoc. Some of the forest predators go there too. The stone draws them."
"I suggest a subterfuge, to whit - Ms. Rubarka and I feign capture. You three shall be our captors."
"Oh, and Whiteclaw? This time, don't just charge into a frenzy at the first sight of the enemy. It sort of ruins the idea of the plan."
Whiteclaw shrugs. "If they attack me, I'll attack them. I'm a gnoll. We're not complex."
Arianwyn sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Indeed."
"Simple works. We don't live as long as you."
The gnoll starts to clean her fur.
"Made all the shorter by your race's propensity for rape and violence. Which returns us to our point."
"Charging in aside, what is the plan once we are there? At best this gives us the element of surprise. Or are you intending, somehow to use this to annoy the other clans?"
"Our first foray then shall be in the manner of an information gathering mission. We need to play a strong bluff, Mistress Charitan." he adds, turning to the drow.
"We can learn what we can of the other clans from the forest-dwellers, and either subvert them or slay them. I will endeavour to provide magical support."
Baldrech looks up from the fire and snorts.
"Just let the eladrin say they have information about the Hill Clan and let the bloodbath happen."
"Or, we can ask the forest itself." he says with a smile.
"And what would that be?" he asks Baldrech.
"The information? From what I've seen of them, saying that the Hill Clan are preparing to come and take their stone would be enough to send them into a rage."
"I don't think it really matters," Tutavak chimes in. "Just the claim."
Chary smiles at the idea of waltzing into the Fomorian Camp as captor.
"I believe I can sell the subterfuge for long enough to get us in the camp...perhaps a few slaps or prods with my rapier, and they will be ready to believe!" She seems like she might enjoy this a little too much for Arianwyn's and Kia's comfort!
"Where did they find you? You fit right in." Baldrech looks at Chary with approval.
"Tutavak's right. Where mad-eyes are concerned, another mad-eye is always the biggest threat."
Arianwyn glares and mutters, "Don't touch the cape." to Chary.
Chary nods appreciatively to Baldrech before answering.
"I was in the Black Prince's retinue, before I decided to go slumming with these fine folk. First the sewers of the Courts, now the ruins of this dungeon...I must admit, this has been an adventure! If I survive it, that is miracle enough. If I enjoy it...what does that say about me?!"
"If you live, we'll drink a lot and tell some tall stories I expect. If we drink enough, the truth may get a look in."