GM Zero/GL's Giantslayer! (Inactive)

Game Master GM_Grandlounge

Bloodtusk gently places a hand on Lidia's shoulder, "It did but I'm no good with a bow. She tried to teach me, but I'm all elbows and toes when it comes to archery. She was much like you. She was scared and hurt, but came out the other side loving and protective of her friends. If you don't want to keep it, take it for now. When you are done with it come back, and do what my mother could not. Help a brutish half-orc learn to be a bit more graceful. Teach me for a few weeks so I can honor my mother's talents and then we can part ways."

Lidia begins to protest at 'scared and hurt', but bites her tongue and listens for a change.

She hesitates, looking back and forth between the bowstring and Bloodtusk's earnest face, then finally nods and reverentially takes the bowstring. "I'll do my best to honor your mother's memory." she says in a tone that sounds almost like an oath.

Ulretha very calmly suggests that Thyste perform an act that is physically impossible yet would be in keeping with her sexual orientation. He grows less calm as he suggests she shove ever larger and less practical items into her various orifices, until he is foaming at the mouth and shouting as he brandishes an oar from the longboat at her and insists she place it in a portion of her anatomy which is normally considered exit only. The tirade is a little hard to follow as it keeps switching between common and gnoll.

"Stupid sword!" he finally shouts, snatching the weapon from its sheath. He stalks toward the railing of the boat making as though to fling it over board. He's almost jerked over himself as he keeps his grip and the motion yanks him forward.

He stares at it for a time and seems to be muttering to himself.

"Stupid sword," he repeats and resheaths the weapon.

Lidia watches Ulretha with obvious concern, especially his inability to throw it away.

"Maybe it *is* a curse." says Lidia. "Look, Ulretha, I think you and that sword are stuck with each other for now. Maybe that's not such a bad thing considering where we're going. But once we finish that mission, if we survive, I think we need to find you a cleric or a lore master or something. Someone who can give us some answers about that thing."

"Actually though, I think it makes you look tough. That brand." she says admiringly. "Too bad you can't go bare-chested into battle and show it off. I bet bloodshed might make it light up or something."

Thyste grins and giggles as Ulretha yells at her.

Ben is going to take the form of a tiny Rhamphorhynchus Pterosaur and wing it over to the fort in an advanced scouting mission. He's not going to try to get too close, but rather is simply going to observe from on high or from a perch here and there and observe the comings and goings.

When and if he gets back, he will gather the group into a private area.

"So, as I mentioned, I can turn into a troll. So please don't freak out if I change into this."

Hoping to forestall any weird reactions on the field of battle, Ben transforms into a Troll druid (troll fury).

Ben circle high in the sky. His form, common enough in these lands that no even if he were spotted no reasonable orc would think spy or scout.

Big info dump incoming so I will try to keep it organized. You may want to save this post.

TWISTED HEART PATROl:
Creatures: Several patrols of giants, ogres, and orcs scour the countryside around Redlake Fort for intruders. Ben sees a mixed patrol of four Twisted Nail orcs led by a savage Heart Eater (tribe) hill giant. A similar patrol to the one that captured Umlo Nargrymkin a few weeks ago and brought him back to the fort. Ben spots a dwarf being held in the bear pen (see area K2).

RED LAKE FORT AERIAL FEATURES:

The fort is built of red stone and sits above a rocky outcrop, 20 feet above a wide, dry trench. The bottom of the moat is encircled by a 15-foot wooden palisade of 2 foot thick logs lashed together. The outer wall of the fort itself is 15 feet high. Several arrow slits are in the walls

K1 is the main gate and bridges that pass over the now empty mote. Multiple guard houses, high traffic and - heavily fortified.
K8 is a dam, presumably used to drain the moat
K6 appears to be a sewer tunnel draining from inside the camp
K11 is a guard tower
K2: Some kind of animal pen/fighting arena, number of wild animals, and a dwarf are penned in here.
K3: Rough bridge, guarded.
K4: Dry moat, patrolled by Orcs, several tents, acting as a makeshift barracks for the Orc troops.
K5: Largest of the tents, in this area has a tribal symbol on top.
K7: Well guarded individual orc tent connected to the main structure.
K13: The outer bailey heavily trafficked open courtyard is now
overgrown with brown weeds and prickly thistles.
K14: Some kind of heavily enforced kennel.
K20: inner ward - many ogres reside here.

The information gained from the crew and Captain.
REDLAKE FORT
Originally part of Harchist’s Blockade, the second line of strongholds defending Lastwall’s retreating northern border with Belkzen, Redlake Fort (named for a variety of crimson algae that grew within its moat) was abandoned in 4482 ar when the Blockade fell and a new border, the Hordeline, was established farther south. The fall of Redlake Fort was more than just a military defeat, however, in the face of an orc siege, the human garrison resorted to cannibalism under the influence of their desperate castellan. The acts committed in the fort’s final days echo to the present and provide fuel for rumors of several haunts within its walls.

This is one of the most open infiltration mission Paizo has written. You can solve this in any number of ways. I encourage you to get creative. Because we are using milestone leveling you will not enter a fight under-leveled and you will eventually be able to get loot here so, don't let exp or go constrain your planing. Go wild.

We should totally blow the dam and drown that whole moat full of orcs. And while they are distracted with that, we climb the wall on the north or west side. That's my first thought anyway.

Agreed that blowing the dam is a good idea for an assault, but it is a little "To Whom It May Concern"-- we'll need to sneak Dwarf Bro out first.

Thankfully, we have an extremely stealthy foxling on our side.

Ben returns with a head full of facts. Unfortunately it is damn near impossible to draw squat with a beak and claws.

"So, I got a lot to tell you all. The fort is full of Orcs and Ogres and giants too, plus a few kennels that hold some nasty surprises. And they patrol the surrounding area too, so we will have to be careful if we want to sneak in. Or we could just start taking out patrols. And it looks like we have a bonus for Hildy. They have a dwarf prisoner. One can only assume..."

Ben finds some paper and pencils and begins drawing an absolutely horrendous map. As he draws he points out the features he noticed.

"Now I could try to infiltrate as an ogre and get an inside view, but I'm thinking that would be too dangerous."

Hildy's eyes light up before she suppresses any sign of hope. She stair blankly deep into the dirt. "Good." is all she manages to say.

Thyste's response, especially the fact that it is in gnoll brings Ulretha to an abrupt halt. He pauses a moment then barks out a laugh.

"The Mighty Gorum knows that armor is the the most important part of a warrior's equipment for how can you slay your enemies if you are slain first and a powerful metal bulwark is the surest way to defy Pharasma," Ulretha intones in response to Lidia's suggestion.

Then he blinks and scowls. "Why did I say that?"

"You can touch it if you want," he tells Lidia and attempts a leer but is plainly forced.

"No matter what you look like, no one is going to believe that you're an ogre. You're not enough of a jackhole," Ulretha tells Ben.

He looks at the map more closely. "What kind of lunatic builds their homes below water level? If we destroy this dam, that'll get rid of a lot of the soldiers, especially if we do it while they're sleeping. And we can use the chaos to get in and get what we need and get out."

"You can touch it if you want," he tells Lidia and attempts a leer but is plainly forced.

Lidia's head jerks back a little, and her lip hikes up in distaste.

"No thanks." she says very dismissively.

If we destroy this dam, that'll get rid of a lot of the soldiers, especially if we do it while they're sleeping. And we can use the chaos to get in and get what we need and get out."

"Which means we need to scout that dam more closely to find out how strong it is. If it's solid stone and mortar, we're going to need heavy duty explosives, preferably ones that work underwater. Or a really big adamantium weapon. If it's just a pile of rocks and clay, we might have more leeway."

"And if Hildy's brother is down in the animal pen, we need to figure a way to get him safely out of there before he drowns. Ben, those gates around the animal pen, how secure did they look? Like, if we were to bust the dam, would they hold back the water for any time at all?"

”What if one or two of us sneak over to Hildy’s brother and get him out while the other team works on the dam? Warn him that it’s going to happen so he can brace himself, then pull him out when the water level gets high enough. ...Or just toss him a rope, I suppose, if it’s going to mostly just be me.”

In typical Ben fashion, his first concern is for the prisoner. With a worried frown he suggests,

"I think we should make the rescue our first order of business. That much water would plow through all the doors I saw and probably kill him. I'd not want to take a chance with trying to time it."

He turns and nods at Thyste.

"I think we could pull off a rescue mission by stealth with the added benefit that they would send out scouting parties to try to recover him, which I'm thinking we should try to eliminate piecemeal. We would have to leave Ulretha behind, and the pack, and, uh, anyone else challenged with moving quietly."

He quickly adds, not wanting to leave the others out or cause offense,

"Though they should be situated near by in case we have to beat a quick retreat or call for help, of course."

"Can't you just turn into a big flying dinosaur and fly him out of there in your talons?" Lidia asks Ben.

"Can't you just turn into a big flying dinosaur and fly him out of there in your talons?" Lidia asks Ben.

”Arrows,” Thyste reminds.

"Can't you just turn into a big flying dinosaur and fly him out of there in your talons?" Lidia asks Ben.

Ben grimaces.

"Well, giants throw rocks. Really big rocks. Some of them, the orcs that is, have bows. And a really big flying dinosaur is a really big, slow target. I wouldn't make it very far. Unless I was invisible and there were no guards to fight. Now if we could be invisible that would make things more doable. I could fly Thyste in and maybe, fly them out if we could turn the dwarf invisible"

Ben screws up his mouth and his head wrinkles in thought.

"Say, what was his name anyway, the dwarf. Seems kind of sad that I keep calling him 'the dwarf'. Did Hildi mention a name? Maybe we should invite her to this meeting."

"The moat won't catch the water? I thought that's what a moat was for. We're really just flooding it to deal with any orcs lingering in there," Ulretha says.

"Although flooding the moat before we get the dwarf out reduces the number of ways we can get the dwarf out."

"And all this assumes that someone can actually destroy the dam. I'm assuming the witch has some magic that will suit that purpose," he continues, looking expectantly at Kioshi.

"If we blow the dam, I suspect there will be a rush of water that will overflow the moat, at least at first. Afterwards it should subside into the moat. But even so, they have the prisoners in the moat area, right here."

Deluge points at area K2.

"Which includes the dwarf."

"...Now if we could be invisible that would make things more doable. I could fly Thyste in and maybe, fly them out if we could turn the dwarf invisible"

"I think Kioshi said he could do an invisibility spell." says Lidia. "If that's the plan, it might make more sense to fly Kioshi in. He can cut whatever bonds are on the dwarf easily enough, and he'll also be able to communicate with the dwarf, who will probably be freaked out when invisible creatures start messing with him. Then Kioshi can use his spell and you can all fly out."

"Then once we get him clear, we blow the dam, if possible."

It seems like a plan is formulating. Once you have settled on it we will save some lives and do some damage.

Kioshi listens and is quite intrigued.

“Ulretha, I am sorry to disappoint you but I do not believe that I have a spell that could seriously damage a dam! And I am a w i z a r d ... “ he says by spelling wizard. :-D

He turns to Lidia. “Yes, invisibility would be an optimal choice to get Hilda’s brother out of this torturous situation!“

Kioshi scratches his head.

“I really think that this is a great plan! I just would like us to be able to gain more information if possible! What to do the orcs and other giant folk actually plan? It might be better to know more about the bigger picture before we do something devastating that makes it impossible to learn more afterwards!“

He sighs.

“Ben, I do not want you to put yourself in danger but if your bird form is so small that you could eavesdrop on the orcs then we might find out more if we just let you stay there for a couple of hours to just listen. I mean who is in charge and what is going on in there!?
I could of course make myself invisible and fly down there to listen for a while and try to hide and then flee if I am really discovered but I think that you are more able to find out what is going on by being in your animal form and staying in the fort much longer! What do you think?“

Thyste makes a face.

”Wait, so if managing feats that are nearly impossible for mortal hands isn’t what wizards do, what is?”

Kioshi blushes slightly.

”Ehh .. I ... I am a wizard but I have not reached the level that is needed to do such things! I mean look at this thing! It is a dam!“ he says defensively and points at Ben’s sketch of the fort.

”I have a lightning bolt spell but I don’t believe that this will affect the structure at all! I think that I would need a special which somehow allows to turn stone to mud but that is beyond my capability!“ he says sighing.

Suddenly, his facial expression changes.

”What about several create pit spells cast directly on the dam so that the water can flow down for a minute or so?!?”

GM: Could that work?! :-) Also one question: the Kx numbers on the map are different to your description in your post above. Or am I missing something?

kn engineering to come up with other ideas to break the dam : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

”I suppose it would depend on how deep the pits are and how deep they dug the dam,” ponders Thyste, ”but that might be just the thing this plan needs to come together!”

“Ben, I do not want you to put yourself in danger but if your bird form is so small that you could eavesdrop on the orcs then we might find out more if we just let you stay there for a couple of hours to just listen. I mean who is in charge and what is going on in there!?

"We already know who's in charge." says Lidia. "When we faced Skreed back in Uskroth's tomb, we found a letter on him from the leader of the orcs, a giant named Grenseldek. She had tasked Skreed with finding Uskroth's tomb and getting the things that were buried there with him, like the magic hammer and the geode map."

"Besides, when we accepted this mission back in Trunau, the goal was clear -- attack and clear out the Twisted Nail orcs before they could launch another attack on Trunau. That's what we're going to do. Listening to orc gossip and tittle-tattle is not going to change that."

"This conglomeration of orcs and giants will probably fall apart once we take out Grenseldek. She seems to be the animating spirit behind all this. And most likely she has the other half of the geode."

Ben listens patiently to the others. When there is a pause in the discussion he offers, "But I think a more thorough scouting mission makes sense before we try anything. So, that invisibility spell. Thyste, if you and I were to enter the fort invisibly, then I were to drop you off and then fly you back out again, do you think you could make use of that time? How long does one of these invisibility spells of yours last, wizard? I also like the idea of me taking a small form and flitting about inside, though I'm not sure how out of place that would be... Besides, before we rescue the dwarf - we really need to find out his name - it would be nice to warn him first so he can be ready. Maybe he could stage something to make it look like an escape instead of a rescue - that way they would not know we are here."

Kioshi smiles.

”At least you called me wizard. The invisibility lasts only 6 to 8 minutes!“

"I could definitely do some ground scouting," says Thyste. "I'm stealthy enough to begin with-- if I'm invisible, I could do it at a sprint."

"Well, maybe not a sprint sprint, but you get the idea."

She ahems a bit.

"I do have a few tricks up my sleeve."

First you can take a few days to recon just check in on the dwarf in case something bad happens to him, though Hildy is getting antsy. Second create it at the top of the dam would not work because the pit creates the walls as well as the space. Under the damn will flood the Mote if left open long enough.

"The pits don't have to go all the way through the dam. Depending on how long they last, they just need to go deep enough to get a bunch of water flowing. If they disappear and the dam reforms when they're gone, so much the better. It's a controlled flood and less chance that it floods the whole place."

Ulretha squints thoughtfully. "If we're not in a hurry, we could also start picking off patrols. It might take a while to make a serious dent in their numbers that way, but we could potentially lower the number of opponents we have to deal with."

"At least until we've killed enough of them to make the others scared enough to hide inside the fort."

"I agree. let's scout and warn the dwarf and pick off a patrol or two if opportune."

First task is to get in while invisible and warn the dwarf? No need to get everything figured out up front. KISS.

"Hey, Kioshi, you have something in that magic book of yours for helping me carry things?"

i.e. Ant Haul would allow Ben to carry 3x as much. If you do not have it, you should get it as it is a cheap spell to add.

”Of course!! Let me change a spell to aunt hall so that you can carry a lot!!“

He looks into his spell book and casts the spell on Ben.

Spending an arcane reservoir point. Changing ‘enlarge person’ to ‘aunt hall’ with quick study exploit.

Step one is Ben turns into a flyer, Kioshi casts ant haul, and invisibility (on Thyste). The recon team gets as close as possible and Thyste sneaks in. She has a chat with the Dwarf and then sneaks out? If this is correct.

"If it is my brother, his name is Umlo." Hildy says nearly catatonic.

If I have the plan right I will take stealth and perception rolls from the infiltrating team.

Might be wise for Thyste to slip him a grappling hook and rope so he can get out when the time comes.

Step one is Ben turns into a flyer, Kioshi casts ant haul, and invisibility (on Thyste). The recon team gets as close as possible and Thyste sneaks in. She has a chat with the Dwarf and then sneaks out? If this is correct.

I think that's basically part of step one once we get to the fort. I think we're also considering hitting some of the patrols before we get there and doing advance recon of the dam before sneaking the dwarf out. I still think it makes more sense to fly Kioshi in. Then he can free the dwarf, make him invisible, and they all fly out with no need for sneaking.

Does Captain Bloodtusk have any explosives in his armory? I know its a long shot, but then again he did have a big white ape in there, so I suppose anything is possible.

Taking OOC discussion to Discussion thread...

The team creeps close enough to the camp that they can be in and out while their invisibility holds. With the casting of the spells wild shaping and a joke about Kioshi and Thyste 'riding' Ben the group is off.

The dry moat wraps around the barbican, creating a U-shaped path that has been partitioned off to create a pen and run area for several large animals. Sun-bleached bones and excrement litter the run amid large swatches of coarse fur. Umlo's cage seems little more than rope and branches, seeming more to keep the bears out than him in.

Three grizzly bears share the northern pen with a much larger dire bear; Umlo Nargrymkin sits in the southwestern corner of the run, kept as far from the bear pen as possible. The orcs have taken away all of Umlo’s gear except for a mithral skillet, and they crudely hacked off his beard to humiliate the dwarf. His clothes are little more than torn and bloody rags after repeated bouts with the bears.

Thyste drops off of Ben and slips forth at a reduced size:

Stealth: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (11) + 21 = 32

The way she moves, she may as well have been invisible herself; she only makes herself visible to the dwarf.

"Umlo Nargrymkin?" she asks. "Your sister sent us. We're going to bust you out soon. How are you holding up? What can we get you?"

"Yes? Hildy, she is alive that is wonderful news. They have me fighting bears, so no so well. You cannot stay long, the bears can smell what they can't see. They will find you. I have to fight again in a few hours. I will try to be alive for when you return."

Lidia will try to sneak close enough to the dam to look it over more carefully. Let me know what sort of skill checks you want. I imagine Stealth & Swim might be in order.

Ulretha waits impatiently, hoping for an errant patrol to happen across their path. He holds his sword out and ready.

"O Mighty Gorum, Lord in Iron, grant unto me opponents which I may vanquish in thy name to increase both thine glory and mine own," he mutters quietly.

"$#!& why did I say that!?"

He snarls out a litany of curses following that litany of iron.

"Ben, do you have anything that can help him heal?" she asks. "We can't do anything that's going to make you a big target, but we can at least increase your odds of survival."

[b]"squawk!"{/b]

Ben's wand is not available at the moment and the head shake that accompanies the bird-reptile sound confirms that there is not much Ben can do in his current form.

Lidia will try to sneak close enough to the dam to look it over more carefully. Let me know what sort of skill checks you want. I imagine Stealth & Swim might be in order.

Just two stealth checks will do. One in and one out.

Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

You move about with ease.

A rickety dam turns away the rushing river water from the dried-up moat. Although the dam appears to have been hastily constructed from makeshift materials, it has weathered the years remarkably well.

Knowledge (engineering) if you are trained.

You also spot a Giant Gar swimming in the water on one side of the dam.

Lidia returns to the rendezvous point after scouting the dam.

"I got a pretty good look a the dam. It isn't pretty but it seems pretty sturdy to me. Without some pretty powerful explosives I don't think we can destroy it quickly. But I have to admit, knowing about dam construction and demolition aren't really my strengths. And more bad news, there's a gigantic gar fish hunting in the river near the dam. Maybe 25 or 30 feet long. Big enough to swallow any of us whole. Of course if we figure out a way to blow the dam, the gar might wash in with the river water and eat a few orcs."

Thyste grumbles. Did she remember to bring a potion?

Pretty sure we've got some C*W potions in our loot stash. Would we have had the foresight to bring any?

You can have a couple on you.