GM Zero/GL's Giantslayer! (Inactive)

Game Master GM_Grandlounge

Motioning to the hapless magician, he adds, "Unless he is a REALLY good actor, there is no bloody way he would knowingly be part of something like this and not somehow accidentally blurt it out. Heavens save us if our lives were ever in his hands - or mouth."

Kioshi nods eager to prove his worth.

"Oh thank you! I .. ehh .. I will do what you say! Really!" Kioshi says as if he is definitely does not want to be pushed away again.

Lidia hadn't noticed Kioshi coming up behind the group as they conferred about the prisoner, so she reacts with visceral annoyance when he is suddenly speaking again. She snorts a mirthless laugh and shakes her head. Then she answers Ulretha.

"So, we'll keep a watch of our own on her cabin during the night watches. And I would suggest that when they come to bring her food or drink, we act as middle men -- I don't want her and that cook talking. I don't think we need to get rough with the crew -- most all of them are totally innocent and probably have a pretty good opinion of us right now, no reason to spoil that."

The captain says to you all, "Let's get started clearing the room to we can use it as a brig. Lidia, I'm sure the crew holds you in high esteem so I would prefer you not lead with more aggressive questioning tactics. Please look over the room again so we can be confident it is secure."

Bloodtusk walks over the locked footlocker from earlier, pulls out a key and opens it. He pulls out a belt. It secures at the back with a large 10-inch emblem on the front.

"Before serving in Lastwall I was a slave. I fought in pit fights and won. These are brutal, to the death, fights, for the entertainment of Orcs and Giants. I was so ruthless that I was elevated from slave to solider. This belt was my reward. A a free man, I took the first opportunity to abandon the Orcs and join up in Lastwall, where I served for a time until I retired to be a riverboat captain. I used this the money I made and this belt as collateral to buy the boat you are on. After hearing this woman's tale, I feel I should cut ties with the past. So take it as a sign of my gratitude."

Bloodtusk hands Ben the belt.

Thyste, who had totally not been planning on stealing it as soon as they arrived at their destination, nods appreciatively when it is given willingly.

Ben holds it limply in surprise.

"Well, I, uh, I'm honored!"

Dang, I'm starting to sound like Kioshi.

In a more firm voice, he says, "What is it?"

I read the post so I know what it is but Ben does not.

When the captain presents Ben with his special belt, Lidia looks at it with obvious envy, then shifts her glance to the captain for a moment before looking down and away. She scuffs her boot into the deck.

"How much longer until we reach the swamp?" she asks the captain, quietly, not looking at him.

"It's a belt. You use it to hold up your pants," Ulretha answers Ben's question.

It doesn't take a Sense Motive roll to tell that he's being snarky out of jealousy.

”It can also be used as a weapon,” offers Thyste.

"It's a magic belt. It lets you fight like a barbarian and makes you good at the trickier parts of combat like tripping, grappling. Sorry, Lidia. Based on what I have seen the belt is better-suited to Ben or Ulretha, but it is a gift to the group and you did more than your fair share, so you can claim it if you like. That's your decision as a group. If it makes you feel better I handed it to Ben because his chest is full of holes and I thought it would be a nice gesture. Maybe you each take it for a day, I don't know."

He looks at Thyste, "Not where I thought your mind would go. I can think of some more fun uses for a belt."

Then he addresses you all again. "We will be at your first stop tomorrow. I know nothing of the area. We avoid that area generally.Get some rest between guard shifts."

Thyste grins. ”A belt has almost as many uses as a good knife,” she says.

”Though if it has the power you say it does, maybe we can cross ‘restraint’ off that list.”

"Like a Barbarian, huh? The man is right, Lidia, I doubt you would want to fly into a rage and charge into the middle of a pack of enemies. Not sure I want to either, but I think it suits me."

Ben puts it on and feels a little different. Not much, but a little.

"Does it have a command word?"

Lidia relaxes a little and shrugs.

"No, you're right. Ben should have it." she says nonchalantly to the captain.

After a pause, she actually smiles a little.

"I fly into rages enough as it is." she adds.

Ben raises his eyebrows as if that were an understatement.

"Well, I don't think we have completed our search yet so I'll get to it."

for reference, here are the areas to explore:
A1. Main Deck: A2. Stable:.A3. Forecastle: A4. Galley: A5. Crew Cabin: A6. Chart Room: A7. Bloodtusk’s Cabin: A8. Pilot Deck: A9. Cargo Hold: A10. Coxswain’s Gangway: A11. Rowing Banks: A12. Armory

Not sure which have been searched yet, but Ben will pick the one furthest stern that has not.

Ulretha shrugs. "Your rages are always aimed in the right direction, so it seems like just enough, to me," he chimes in on the conversation between Ben and Lidia.

"I'll take first watch on Milena," he offers. Mostly because he's bored with searching and investigating.

"Unless you two need the room for a while," he says to Thyste and Bloodtusk. "Although if you use the belt while you do...Ben may not want it back..."

Thyste makes a face.

”Unless the Captain here is a member of the fairer sex and I simply am very bad at judging gender identity presentations amongst orcish sailor culture, that is very unlikely,” she says.

Ulretha shrugs. "Your rages are always aimed in the right direction, so it seems like just enough, to me," he chimes in on the conversation between Ben and Lidia.

Lidia shakes her head and looks down at her feet. She shrugs again. "I sometimes feel like I'm angry all the time. I hate it."

Thyste makes a face.

”Unless the Captain here is a member of the fairer sex and I simply am very bad at judging gender identity presentations amongst orcish sailor culture, that is very unlikely,” she says.

Lidia looks up and pauses, like she's not sure she heard this right.

"Wait... are you saying you're attracted to --" Lidia struggles for a moment to complete this question as delicately as possible, but then gives up. "--girls?" She seems genuinely surprised and puzzled.

Thyste blinks at Lidia in surprise for a moment.

”I keep forgetting you don’t pick up on subtlety,” she says, looking... not offended, but more of a ‘how did she not notice this before now?’ expression—wide eyes, tilted head, ears off-kilter, eyebrows cocked.

”Wait, you guys know that too, right?” she asks, turning to Ben and Ulretha. ”I’m just going to assume Kioshi hasn’t picked up on that, but mostly because I think he’s just... not very observant. At best.

”........but yes, I’m attracted to girls. Exclusively. It’s possible to be attracted to both boys and girls, or neither, or more. Oh, look at that, it’s Pride Month already!”

Kioshi is clearly overwhelmed by this news from Thyste.

”Ehhh, I unfortunately don’t know ... ehh ... how to react to such situations! I am a little overwhelmed to be honest! Not that I am in anyway opposed .. ehh ... to ... you know ... but ... well ... oh sorry!“ and he just stays quite and tries to not look at Thyste but concentrates on Lidia.

”........but yes, I’m attracted to girls. Exclusively. It’s possible to be attracted to both boys and girls, or neither, or more. ”

If someone had opened up the back of Lidia's head, tossed a grenade inside, then quickly slammed it shut again, her face might look about the same as it does right now.

She starts to speak three different times, but stops before a single word actually emerges each time. Finally she forms a reaction that she can verbalize.

"Oh." she says succinctly.

Then she expands on this thought.

"OK." she relates.

Then she blinks, looks around at the rest of the group, and retreats.

"Captain... I'm gonna take a shift in the crow's nest." Then she climbs away from the deck and vanishes.

Ulretha's mouth opens and his tongue lolls out in amusement. His torso actually shakes with silent laughter at the reactions Thyste is getting.

"I knew the first part, but not the second," he answers the foxling's question.

"I just assumed you were interested in both. That's how most of the women of my tribe were. 'Males are for mating, females for fun' as my sister often said."

His amusement disappears as he thinks about her. "I wonder if she would have liked you."

Thyste, ignorant of the context, grins. ”We’ll have to meet some time. Are gnolls like hyenas in.. y’know. That way?”

"I figured you were Bi, I have to admit. Even in the animal kingdom you will see a male try to rut with anything, including a persons leg. If it feels good, most creatures will do it. I find it all a bit boring though. You see enough goats rut and it all fails to lose it's romanticism. Anyway, I'll leave you all to your discussions."

With that Ben exits and heads off to investigate the next area on his agenda.

"Yes. They are," Ulretha answers Thyste, though not in his usual jovial, suggestive way.

"I hope it is a long time before you get a chance to meet her," he says, quietly.

Thyste gives a ee hee hee as she considers the possibilities.

”Don’t worry. I’ll be sure not to ruin her entirely,” she says, not exactly reading the room.

”OK, so how do we proceed now! I mean that I can be of assistance but I want you to be absolutely sure about what I am doing! So who of you should I accompany now? I will be your shadow! I promise!“ he says with some insecurity.

With a keen eye as the group clears out the captain's quarters and a bit more time in the chart room you finish a full search of the ship. Nothing seems odd. The markings on the map that Kioshi found are explained to be areas they often encounter problems but often is once or twice a year at most of the spots.

The captain's banter, "Thyste you have to learn these folks up a little. They can't tell banter from flirting."

The rest of the day and night go uneventfully. If there are any conversations that need to be had before heading out the next day have them now. Otherwise, I will start the departure Monday or when everyone says they are ready whichever comes first.

"Tell me when you are ready to depart and we will ferry you across," says Coxwain.

Kioshi raises his hand.

”Well, I am ready!“

Otherwise, I will start the departure Monday or when everyone says they are ready whichever comes first.

"Tell me when you are ready to depart and we will ferry you across," says Coxwain.

Wait, what? Depart? Ferry across? I thought we were floating down the river for a few more days on the way to the secret swamp with the will'o wisps and the Legion of Doom HQ? What are we being ferried across to?

Somebody mentioned our first stop being “tomorrow,” so assuming we don’t get into a bunch of trouble in the meantime...

Tomorrow you will make it to the closest point to the swamp for you to enter.

Ben will end the previous day (using his pearl of power) and begin the new the day by casting goodberry, and will bring along 4d4 ⇒ (4, 1, 1, 3) = 9 berries and adjusts his spells for swamp travel.

Speaking of which, how long is the swamp slug? I need to figure out if a longstrider spell is worth it.

Ben, best guess would be 2-3 miles of hard traveling.

So about 5 hours?

That is a good ballpark. It could be a little higher or lower based on the slowest member.

OK, in that case he will not cast Longstrider right off, he will wait three hours into the trip before he casts it.

Thyste considers the long walk.

She moves in front of Lidia, looking straight at her face, arms outstretched.

”Uppies!”

Thyste considers the long walk.

She moves in front of Lidia, looking straight at her face, arms outstretched.

”Uppies!”

Is this Thyste waking up Lidia in the morning?

Thyste Fox-Tailed wrote:

Thyste considers the long walk.

She moves in front of Lidia, looking straight at her face, arms outstretched.

”Uppies!”

Is this Thyste waking up Lidia in the morning?

This is Thyste asking to be carried like a toddler who’s tired of walking :P

Thyste considers the long walk.

She moves in front of Lidia, looking straight at her face, arms outstretched.

”Uppies!”

"What?... No. I can't. I've already got this heavy pack I'm carrying." Lidia answers, mildly confused.

Kioshi is already prepared in the morning!

"Guys! This will be great! Let us find out what is to be found in the swamp!!" he says with a weary smile.

Team Little is also ready to go.

Thyste pouts, mumbling something about how much she hates long walks as she finds her place in the marching order.

"I'm sure you'll get along quite nicely if you ever meet," Ulretha tells Thyste about his sister.

When they're getting sorted out in the morning, Ulretha clicks his tongue to get Thyste's attention and hooks his thumb toward Fazingar.

"You're just going to have to hold on since we don't have a saddle and he'll dump you off as soon as there's trouble, but at least you won't have to walk the whole way," he says.

The middle hyena watches in expectant confusion and shies away even snapping at her when she tries to climb on his back, but some sharp words from Ulretha cow him.

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 4 = 24

Thyste shrugs. ”Better than walking,” she figures.

With Ulretha’s help, she gets onto Fazingar’s back, giving him some scritches behind the shoulders and around the neck.

The previous day

Up in the crow's nest, Lidia's eyes scan back and forth along the river banks as the boat glides with the current, but her mind is elsewhere. Not intentionally of course -- she tries to focus, tries to make herself look for threats, for whitewater, for bad weather, but in her mind's eye she keeps coming back to Thyste, replaying all the strange interactions with the little woman through this odd new filter, reinterpreting all the incomprehensible things she's been saying for days.

She suddenly rubs her arm as if she were cold and frowns. She feels the urge to pace but is held in place within the narrow perimeter of the crow's nest bucket.

"How would you even...?" she murmurs.

Watch the horizon. Watch for movement. Watch for other boats.

But a fox tail flips across her thoughts. "Maybe she can't help it... maybe all of her kind are like that? Maybe the fox thing messes them up?" She ponders quietly. Were there boy fox-halflings? Did they like other boy fox-halflings? But then where did they come from, if the girls and boys didn't like each other?

Her mind starts inventing all manner of strange conjectures, and after an indeterminate period of time, she finds herself staring down at Thyste with her mouth hanging open a bit. She quickly shakes her head like a person shaking off sleep and redirects her gaze at the river.

She tries not to think about it. Again. But she could feel herself getting angry and ashamed.

"She should have just come out and said it." she says definitively to the air. But the others didn't seem surprised. Even Kioshi. It was just her. She pushes a long annoyed breath out of her nose. She leans back against the top of the mast and crosses her arms in front of herself.

"Sex is stupid." she grumbles. The honk of a goose in the distance seems to confirm her view.

Late in the night, when most of the folks on the boat are asleep, a large, hulking form approaches Bloodtusk's chamber. His hand comes to rest on the door handle but the creaking of the boat draws his attention. He looks around in the darkness, eyes scanning for anyone else.

For almost a minute, he stands still like that. Then, with a frustrated growl, he slams his fist against the closed door and stalks back below deck and to the crew quarters, settling back in amongst his hyenas.

... stalks back below deck and to the crew quarters, settling back in amongst his hyenas.

Ever a light sleeper, Lidia stirs in her bunk and opens her eyes when Ulretha skulks back into the crew quarters. She rubs an eye.

"What time is it? Is it my watch?" she whispers, stifling a yawn.

Kioshi also opens his eyes and hears Ulretha coming in and Lidia waking up.

He looks at him trying to read him but its so hard to get Ulretha.

"Ehh .. can I help you Ulretha?" he asks hesistantly in a low voice.

"Nothing. It's fine. Go back to sleep," Ulretha snarls, making no attempt to be quiet or avoid waking anyone up.

He tosses and turns for a while and continues to grumble softly before going back to sleep.

In the morning you pack your gear and eat your fill as you hear the crew preparing the boat. As you venture out on deck you see dark glade like forest with roots the settle deep into the murky water. Some of you take up mounts.

You quickly find a North of the stone marker on the riverbank, Ghostlight Marsh that stands ahead is comprised of slow-moving streams, pools of stagnant water, and scattered hummocks of mud and waterlogged reeds. On average, the water is 4 feet deep (requiring 4 squares of movement to enter a square and providing cover to creatures in the bog).

What else do you do to ready yourselves and how do you proceed?