But...he was out of line. What are lines for if we don't keep to them?
Besides, what are the humans going to do? Eat it? Tomorbataar pauses for a moment, looking at the giant.
Suddenly he smiles, drawing up to a great height and looking down his nose at the giant, clearly relishing it's fear. On the other hand, what is your name?
Tomorbataar now votes to stay where they are.
"The humans will probably make him plough the fields or put him to heavy labour. He looks big and muscular, afterall. That's just, so he can make up for all the bad things he did."
Bad things? Like...
Dru-head continues to vote to let the Ogre go.
Tomorbataar leans closer to the giant; his smile wide and toothy. Well, Giant the nameless, of nowhere, if you were to grovel on your knees, and swear not to do anything bad ever again, swear to me, of course... Tomorbataar trails off for a moment, his head shaking slightly in anticipation. I suppose we could find it in our hearts to deliver you to the humans, for penance.
Content that he had made his point, Blockhead watches the others for a moment, trying to make up his mind.
Hmmmm.. Blockhead starts thinking out loud If we returns him to the Umans, then we gets to see him again when we come for visits. If we let him go, I get lots of funz hunting him down... Hmmmm....
Eney, Meney, Miny Mo?
He then Adresses the Ogre OI! You want Miny or Mo?
Then he turns to his brothers (and sister) and talks to them as if the Ogre couldnt hear I cants remember which one was Mo. I thinks it was the one where we took him back to the Umans. Or was that Miny? But we probably gets bigger reward for its!
"Ummm... Mo!" The giant says, as he slowly gets on his knees in front of Tomorbataar. "And I swears never to do anything bad again and please don't eat me! I do whatever you want!"
Brilliant, well then, Giant, I already have a task for you. Tomrobataar looks down at his body, smiling as he withholds information from Giant. Then he looks back up, straightening his neck towards the slain figure on the ground. Cook.
"Tomorbataar, that's not very nice. You're making him cook his brother! I will have no part in this!"Ziphora gives Tomorbataar a neck thump to voice her discontent, "Ignore him. That wasn't a reasonable request," she advuses the ogre.
"Or he could be our porter? Sir Gryad Tolgrith often gives us stuff, and we have no hands to carry it. Humans have other humans called porters carrying their stuff all the time." Ziphora inspects the ogre. "He's big and strong and has hands. He'll do fine."
"WOW Tom! I never realized what a dark streak you have. Why don't you let it out MORE often?! We could have so much fun! But yet again I'm in agreeance with Zip, Not having him cook his brother is the better course of action." Hungry menacingly whispers to Tom, "We can cause far better and longer lasting mental trauma if he's traveling with us."
Turning to the Giant when we actually start moving, "Follow us or else."
Tomorbataar leans away from ZIphora slightly, trying to avoid being touching anyone he doesn't have to. Porter? But he can cook so much better than we can, it'd be a waste not to let him cook the fellow. Besides, I'm note sure they mind, Tomorbatar turns to Hungry, after all, he doesn't even have a name.
Maybe we should cook you instead. You grow back after all Tomorbataar. You wanted efficiency didn't you? I can respect self-suffikent behavior. Whats more suffikent than that?
With that quite thoroughly self-deflated threat, Dru-head votes to go back to humanville.
Mo wimpers slightly. "I really good at carrying stuff!" he eagerly agrees. He looks relieved when you start to head back towards the fort.
"Yes, good, I help carry! I follow!"
"Oh he can be our porter, and he can be our cook." Ziphora replies flippantly. "But mind you I'm NOT eating ANYTHING that is capable of having a conversation with us."
"Do you mind us calling you Mo?" Ziphora asks the Ogre. "What were you doing before this, and why did you and your brother want to kill us? We never did you any wrong!"
"Ummm... Mo is okay... we was having a rock-throwing contest! And when we saw you we thought you was one of those funny many-heads things, like the one we killed..." Mo trails off. "Lots of time ago. It was funny how it kept making heads when we smashed them with rocks, but it wasn't fast like you, so, umm..."
Rock throwing contest! I likes that idea :D
So you throw rocks at me and I bats them back at you? Is dat how its works?
And I agrees. Once, long time agos, we ates one of them weird many-heads things as well. It couldnt speak tho. And it WAS slow...
Blockhead trails off for a moment.
I likes you Mo. You is going to make great peon!
Well you don't have to eat it, Ziphora, but I've quite the appetite for some cooked meat, Tomorbataar says, glancing over at the corpse. I suppose we had better be on our way back though, perhaps he could at least carry the meat? Or porté it, if you will. Tomorbataar pronounces the é thoroughly.
Yes slow...and it didn't look like us either. In any case, Mo's one of my underlings now, and he had better make a great peon, or he'll make a great meal.
"You shouldn't be trying to kill things that have done nothing to you. Or threaten them either. Serving us is your punishment for your past misdeeds. "Ziphora berates him. "The world is a better place with love and peace and a friendly outlook to life. Don't worry, I won't let Tombataar eat you."
Mo nods eagerly. "I won't do it ever again!"
In spite of Tomorbataar's desires, you start trundling towards Fort Thorn. Mo obediently follows after you.
The journey is uneventful, and soon you can see the wooden walls of the fort. One of Sir Torlgrith's scouts waved at you as you approached, then hurried back to the fort, so you're sure you're expected.
Sure enough, Sir Torlgrith is already on the wall when you arrive.
"I take it you've killed the owlbears? And... brought a hill giant. Ah... might I ask exactly why you have a hill giant?"
He's our hill giant. Say hi Mo! This is Sir Toregrip.
"That, my good sir, is an interesting story. We ran into him and his now dead brother on our way back from the owlbear nest. After a brief conversation, Mo decided that it was in his best interest to follow us around as our porter."
More than that, he swore an oath of allegiance to me, to never do anything bad again and please don't eat me I do whatever you want, Tomorbataar says, reciting from memory.
Sir Torlgrith tried to not show any sign of distress.
"I see... so you'll be responsible for making sure he's fed without attacking any of my men, then?"
"Well he could help you with tasks, like the way we are, and earn his keep as well. He's also our porter, who will be helping us carry stuff." Ziphora replies.
"So on that note, can we get a giant sized backpack for him? Also, since Zip sorta indirectly brought it up, what is our payment for killing the owlbears, Sir Torlgrith?"
"I think it would be best if he remains with you," Sir Torlgrith says, doubtfully. "Perhaps we could make such a pack for him as payment for your next task. As for your payment now..."
He gestures, and the gates open. Two men bring out a roasted deer on a long pole, and two others bring out two brace of hares and a brace of pheasants.
"In addition to the food, we've also prepared a nest for you. One of my men will show you there when we're done. We're also prepared to take your measurements to begin working on some kind of armor for you. Lastly," he held up a scroll, "Our priest prepared this, which may be of more interest to Tomorbataar. It is a brief treatise on the laws of Erastil."
"Hey books? Can I read?"Ziphora inquisitively pokes her head over.
"Mo! Open that treatise so I can read it!" Ziphora demands imperiously.
Mo, who had been hanging back, hoping to remain unnoticed, reluctantly steps forward and accepts the scroll from Sir Torlgrith. As he does so, the men carrying meat carefully bring their gifts forward and lay them just inside of your reach, then quickly retreat.
Mo fiddles a little while with the scroll, but eventually figures out how to unroll it enough to show you part of it. It talks about someone called Erastil and how he teaches people how to live.
Ear-Still. He is very good at listening. Dru-head nods sagely.
"Hmm, some of it makes sense. We should love thy neighbour and all that but...what's all this about class structure and everyone having to play a specific role to serve the needs of the community? Everyone should have the freedom to do whatever they want! That is if they don't hurt anyone else." Ziphora bursts out.
Dru-head just shrugs. Head-shrug.
There's laws in the wild. Can't fight em when you're unorganized. Humans get eaten otherwise. The weak live because the strong let them. Or they give up freedom.
Thanks Sir Toegrath... ToeJim? ToeJam! Thanks Sir Toejam for the meats!
Blockhead seems to have a momentairy crisis of memory before sorting it out for himself (hes so proud!) and then digging into the meat.
Mid feast Blockhead raises his head with a funny look in his eye *_o
Hey. What happened to those last things dat Sir ToeJam gave us? You know, those... things. You know, the ones dat tasted funny.
MO! Did you eat those things that tasted funny?
Blockhead gets distracted by Zips melodious voice as she begins reading and he listens in, trying to comprehend its deeper meanings.
So he decides to get comfortable. Thump! Thump! Thump!
"That's not right, the strong should protect the weak, because its the right thing to do. The rich should give money to the poor so their livelihoods can be improved. Everyone should work together to make the world a better place."
"Stop it, Blockhead, the rest of us want to listen to me read and they can't hear me over your thumping!"
Class structure is the best, it's what keeps the classes alive! Imagine a world where I'm in the same class as him Tomorbataar nods at Blockhead, who is busy pounding his skull into the ground.
Anyway, Tomorbataar says, glancing over at the giant and at Torlgrith, I don't think it's really so much about loving neighbors as it is allowing for individuals to function as part of a complex system which can effect things larger than the individuals are capable of perceiving, much less doing, on their own.
"That's not right, the strong should protect the weak, because its the right thing to do. The rich should give money to the poor so their livelihoods can be improved. Everyone should work together to make the world a better place."
"Stop it, Blockhead, the rest of us want to listen to me read and they can't hear me over your thumping!"
You can decide that's how things are done. You can say we should protect the weak. If you're strong enough to do it. If you can't make people work together, they won't. Strength begets strength. If we prop each other up, that could be strength.
"You don't need strength. You just need to ask people nicely, no? A little friendliness goes a long way! I'd back you guys up, because you're my sibs. As long as it didn't involve doing bad things like threatening others, eating things we could have peaceful relationships with..."
Strength is not just bloodening people. There's a lot of ways to be strong. Also, Zip. We killed Mo's brother while he was running away, and you helped. Would he be here if we didn't assert power over him? But more importantly, I am cranky and hungry. The humans would be right to fear us. I shall now devour this deer. Who wants a magic good touch before sleep? Dru-head uses a less-than-ideal choice of words for a cure spell.
...I shall now devour this deer. Who wants a magic good touch before sleep? Dru-head uses a less-than-ideal choice of words for a cure spell.
Blockhead perks up after hearing Druhead Oh! I wants your touch Dru! Your touch always puts me to sleep.
Blockhead purrrs a bit at the thought.
"I did NOT help you kill Mo's brother. And you guys are barbarians. Does it not occur to you to cook things first?" She looks at the other heads and sighs.
"Mo, start a fire, I'll show you how to cook."
Sir Torlgrith listened to the arguing heads with interest and a little concern. It did, at least, give him some better insight into his maybe-allies' personalities... which was probably going to be very, very important in days to come.
Suddenly there was a shout from the other side of the fort, and he turned.
"What is it, men?" he shouted back.
"Lizardfolk, sir!" The reply was barely audible this far from the speaker. "Think he delivered a message!"
Uhh. Alrighty. Not understanding the innuendo, Dru-Heads casts Cure Moderate Wounds.
I don't have a good rememory, but I know only one of us could have shot lightning. We- He cuts off at the humans commotion. He goes back to the deer.
"I shot lightning at them because they were throwing rocks at us, not after they stopped attacking." Ziphora corrects Dru-head. "I fought, but to defend ourselves only."
That's right, to defend ourselves against idiots who stepped out of their class station, even if it was just a moment. Think about that. Tomorbataar straightens his neck up, trying to peer over to the buildings to look at the source of the shouting.
And Dru, I love a good magic touch, if you've any left.
"Defend ourselves is right, but not because they stwpped out of their class station. Ziphora corrects him. "That's just silly. Ae were trying to stop then from killing US."
*Munch* Dru-head swallows before continuing. Which we could decide to do because we were stronger. We forced him to do what we wanted. Right Mo? Back me up here. Whether or not Mo responds, Dru-head finishes eating.
Sorry Tommy. Out of touchs today. I'll reserve one tomorrow.
Mo nodded eagerly, not wanting to disagree with the powerful hydra.
Meanwhile, Sir Torlgrith had been shouting back and forth with his men.
"Well? You have the message now?"
"Yes, sir!"
After a few moments, another human runs over along the walkway behind the wall to hand a small piece of something to Sir Torlgrith. He looks it over for a moment.
"This is a message from Chief Kassmak of the Turessk Tribe. They say they live in the swamp south of here, and they want a 'conclave of the mighty'." He grins over at you. "Sounds like you should go see what they want. I'll send a couple of my men with you, of course, to represent Fort Thorn. Assuming you're able to keep them from interfering with our roadbuilding, we would of course reward you... speaking of which," he turns back towards the interior of the fort, "Our carpenter should be out shortly to take your measurements for that armor you wanted."