...
It is another long day, but at its end, you find a good sign. About an hour before dusk, tiny lead you into a downward passage. This splits into two trails, with much sign of traffic has passed here.
...
Fenla's smile quickly turned into a scowl. "Not too plump! I'm a bit stocky sure, but in the best shape of my life! It's fine, I didn't want to ride that little thing anyway. Not when we have Tiny around; the view up there is much better!"
With that Fenla disappeared again appearing on top of Tiny, staring off into the woods ahead.
"Hey, hey Fenla, be little gentle with Tiny, she's not used to you popping about OK"
For once Wilrin is at a loss for words as he watches Fenla disappear and reappear atop the mammoth, But...
He is distracted from his confusion by Rommin’s remarks and responds abashed, ”umm makes sense.”
He pats his spider consolingly, ”Don’t worry Legs I’m sure she didn’t mean it.
...
It is another long day, but at its end, you find a good sign. About an hour before dusk, tiny lead you into a downward passage. This splits into two trails, with much sign of traffic has passed here.
...
"Well now that we have all the introductions complete and small folks have decided who is not dating who anymore. Shouldn't we get back to planning the demise of the giants?"
Ungor changes his gaze from watching the gnomes great one another to Vakmu, who is obviously the military leader of this group.
"So are camping for the night soon? Did you want a hidden campsite. I've got one prepared but want to make sure it goes in the right place. Oh and how much more do you plan on asking Tiny to stay with us? I don't know for sure if she will be willing to fight with us and you mentioned something about leaving her behind for anti-stealth reasons?"
Vakmu replies : " The plan for the rest of the day is simple - sneak into the valley where this building is located, find a spot high up on the edges of the valley's bowl where we can see, and set up a hidden campsite...Tomorrow we start scouting the opposition. So lets move, that way[b]" Pointing the way.
[b]"Fenla, Rommin, if you can have your familiars scout ahead so we don't run into any surprises"
Once we are underway "As for how long Tiny stays with us, that depends on her"[b], scratching Tiny behind the ears. [b]"She's a good girl, but I can't see her joining the assault on the steading, cavalry is much more of an open field technique. Whereas I suspect our best approach for taking the steading will be stealth, rather than open assault."
"But what gives her more value is what she said in our first chat with her - "the cold master and I travelled far, many days. The deep mountains of ice, near the great plains" - if the frost giants are getting involved, and Fergus's foe suggests that they are, I can see us needing to find them next, and again, Tiny may just know the way forward again...
The question is, if we lead her say a valley over, and ask her to stay in the valley and fend for herself for say 3 or 4 days, while we scout and raid the hill giants, will she?
Ungor@ it is late afternoon, maybe half an hour before sunset. It is nine to ten hours since you started this morning
Fenla@ your scout did find a convenient cave near the valley. It seems hidden and unoccupied. It is before the guard, and about 20 minutes away.
Vakmu@ there really isn't any other valley near here that you know of except the valley ahead. But the cave Fenla has found is in a side gully with some vegetation, so she could stay there. water too.
general note. From the scout reports the giants are involved in a giant (ahem) party. They are likely very distracted. If you wait, they will be more alert and more dangerous. The building has clear lines of sight, so you would likely be seen at some distance in the daylight.
As the shadows grow, you start to hear drums beating, and distant yells and cheers, and the smell of roasting meat. The mountains echo with the sounds.
"Ok, Fenla, can you have Twilight lead us to this gully where we can leave Tiny to wait?"
"Ungor, once we get there, can you ask her to wait in the gully for us for say 3 days? Assuming of course, that there is enough food for her."
"Brother Hawthorne, we need more information about this creature than what Twilight has provided. Can you sneak forward along the path and take a peek while we drop off Tiny? The rest of the party will catch up with you; intercept us before we risk being spotted if it is a sentry. Don't get over-enthusiastic and take it out if it's a guard... a dead guard tells them that there are hostiles about."
"It is by Charmalaine's grace that I am very pleased to conduct such surveillance. I don't suppose anyone has a way of making me invisible? I am quite stealthy, but every bit helps!"
"It is by Charmalaine's grace that I am very pleased to conduct such surveillance. I don't suppose anyone has a way of making me invisible? I am quite stealthy, but every bit helps!"
"Not I, not today. Still, blessings of the spirits go with you "
Brother Hawthorne sets off
It is cold as he moves towards the distant noise. On either side, the walls of the mountains rise, and a cold, cutting breeze zips through.
However, after about 20/25 minutes of this, the path expands and descends into a highland valley. and a bit of warmth hit the good brothers face. Finding a temporary hide, he observes a bit. In the distance, he can see a large structure, with glints of light coming from it and lots of noise. The smell of food cooking fills the air, as well as the sounds of drums, off-key singing, shouts and laughter. A sudden shaft pf light erupts from an opening door, that hangs there for a minute, then closes.
Of more note, not 50 feet from his position, Brother Hawthorne can see two squat towers, both about 40 feet tall and roughly 15-foot square. A rough, wooden fence barricades the valley entrance, and a gate lies between the towers. The towers just seem to be solid piles of rock, with enough wood to act as a defence against missile fire on the top. In front of the fence is a ditch with sharpened spikes in it. A wooden bridge covers the ditch facing the gate. The path slopes down to the barricade.
The watch here seems lax at the moment. There is room for up to 2 dozen defenders, but none seem present. The wooden bridge is designed to be pulled up to allow the ditch to be a complete obstacle, but it is down. The gate is actually ajar. No guards are visible.
Brother Hawthorne can hear a thunderous double snore coming from one of the towers.
A stealth roll if you want to approach.
At least once on the journey Ungor will have to shift back to 2 legs. Make a big stretch to work out the kinks. And immediately after shifts back into a huge dire bear and casts back up hrs/lvl spells (LongStrider).
Just before Brother H is gone on the scouting mission, Ungor comes over to the Cavalier. "Wilrin, just so we aren't confused...you weren't calling me a smelly beast...you were calling Tiny a smelly best?" "Just so you know. The feeling is mutual between Tiny and your mount. She doesn't like the vermin and advised it to stay away from her. Given she is a new friend and potentially one step away from a deadly misinterpretation, you might stay clear of her and especially keep Legs at a distance."
Moving back to Vakmu, because we don't want to have a shouting bear make a stealth roll. "Vakmu, I agree with leaving Tiny out of the battle. But I fear that she would be hard pressed to stay in 1 location so far away from her preferable cold climate. If her guide-task is complete, perhaps we should say our good-byes and leave her to Gozreh? Oh and she definitely doesn't like the newcomer's spider. It is only a matter of time before she challenges it, I fear."
Listening to all of the animal scouts being translated, Ungor draws what could be a map in the dirt in the middle of the party.
"It looks like there is a chokepoint up ahead before the buildings the scouts have reported. Once Brother Hawthorne returns he can help confirm or modify this crude map. My worries are going to be how close the mountains come together at the choke point. We may not be able to sneak by but I also don't want to go off foolishly into a death trap. We may need some time to consider our options before committing."
Brother Hawthorne will move closer, of course. I mean, he's here to gather data right?
Let me know what I see and hear, and I'll likely go back to the party and relay everything to them.
Moving back to Vakmu, because we don't want to have a shouting bear make a stealth roll. "Vakmu, I agree with leaving Tiny out of the battle. But I fear that she would be hard pressed to stay in 1 location so far away from her preferable cold climate. If her guide-task is complete, perhaps we should say our good-byes and leave her to Gozreh? Oh and she definitely doesn't like the newcomer's spider. It is only a matter of time before she challenges it, I fear."
"Well, Beory will take Tiny in hand of course, but I dislike loosing a lead on our foes - loosing any information in war can be deadly" Vakmu thinks visibly for a minute, and then continues "I have it. We will let Tiny go, but clip some hair from her, so that if we need, we can scry her and find her again..."
Suiting word to deed, Vakmu will use his dagger to clip some bits of mammoth fur that he stows away.
Listening to all of the animal scouts being translated, Ungor draws what could be a map in the dirt in the middle of the party.[dice=survival check to draw a map in the dirt]1d20+14
"It looks like there is a chokepoint up ahead before the buildings the scouts have reported. Once Brother Hawthorne returns he can help confirm or modify this crude map. My worries are going to be how close the mountains come together at the choke point. We may not be able to sneak by but I also don't want to go off foolishly into a death trap. We may need some time to consider our options before committing.
"Drawing a map is clever, Ungor. it helps us visualize the problem. That fortification is heavier than what I expected from what Fenla said - it could indeed be a chokepoint and a deathtrap. I would be surprised if the valley has other exits... but I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover they are also fortified. Still, let's get Tiny on her way and then wait for Brother Hawthorne's report rather than speculating. .
Vakmu clear off Tiny's tack and such so she can make her way without hindrance. Once we have let Tiny head off (I presume Ungor will talk to her), we will march off after Brother Hawthorne - that should be about a 15 minute head start for his scouting mission.
Moving back to Vakmu, because we don't want to have a shouting bear make a stealth roll. "Vakmu, I agree with leaving Tiny out of the battle. But I fear that she would be hard pressed to stay in 1 location so far away from her preferable cold climate. If her guide-task is complete, perhaps we should say our good-byes and leave her to Gozreh? Oh and she definitely doesn't like the newcomer's spider. It is only a matter of time before she challenges it, I fear."
Moving back to Vakmu, because we don't want to have a shouting bear make a stealth roll. "Vakmu, I agree with leaving Tiny out of the battle. But I fear that she would be hard pressed to stay in 1 location so far away from her preferable cold climate. If her guide-task is complete, perhaps we should say our good-byes and leave her to Gozreh? Oh and she definitely doesn't like the newcomer's spider. It is only a matter of time before she challenges it, I fear."
”Thank you Tiny for your assistance. We should be able to take it from here. Maybe you will head back to your home? If our paths cross again, I hope we maintain our friendship. Til we meet again. “
"Good luck brother Hawethorn! I could make you smaller if you like, it will make you more nimble, however it might take you a lot longer to cover ground."
Fenla looked disappointingly at Tiny "No more Tiny?? But she's a magnificent beast! I've already grown so fond of her. She will be missed."
Gathering her things Fenla added "Alright, time to go? I can have twilight take us to the cave she noticed."
Ungor comes over to the Cavalier. "Wilrin, just so we aren't confused...you weren't calling me a smelly beast...you were calling Tiny a smelly best?" "Just so you know. The feeling is mutual between Tiny and your mount. She doesn't like the vermin and advised it to stay away from her. Given she is a new friend and potentially one step away from a deadly misinterpretation, you might stay clear of her and especially keep Legs at a distance."
The he gnome crinkles his nose and sniffs, Of course, that barb was directed at tiny. I wasn’t even close enough to correctly ascertain how much you did or didn’t reek.” He sniffs several more times, ”Now that I am, I can confirm while not pleasant it is neither noxious or putrid. So my remarks couldn’t have been directed at you.
”As for tiny... don’t worry I’ll be making sure Legs doesn’t hurt her.” he adds as he pets the spider.
Now we’ll see if Fenla be warming up to me spider now that the competition is out of the picture,” Wilrin thought. Aloud he remarked to the mammoth with a huge grin, ”See ya big girl.”
Tiny pauses and pats Ungar on the head. Then heads off. Her steps echo for a while then fade.
"An ettin, huh, as a guard?," thinks Hawthorne. He decides to accomplish one last thing before he heads back.
Hawthorne will move up to the horn as quietly as he can...
... stuff some cloth and other garbage inside the horn, so as to ensure it will be completely unplayable in the event of the alarm being sounded...
... and decides to head back to the party to relay all that he has discovered.
Priest... No more wisdom than a baby duck...
While waiting for Hawthrone to return Fenla found herself staring at Wilrin and his interesting companion. She got close enough to whisper "Well Wilrin, we are going to be spending a lot of time together and I think we got off on the wrong foot. You should know that by now most women, even gnomish ones are sensitive about their weight. Keep those comments in your head and we will be just fine." Her gaze shifted over to his spider companion. "So... I've never seen any of our kind riding something with so many legs. Where ever did you find him and how did you domesticate it?"
Wilrin tries not to look dejected while listens to Fenla’ gentle rebuke. He almost protests but keeps silent, but it was a compliment.
He brightens up as she asked about Legs, ”Well I’ve always had an aptitude for entomology, not etymology which is the study of languages, but rather the study of insects, which most people think are disgusting creepy crawly little critters, some are poisonous, prone to swarming, good thinks to know. Very tasty too especially when covered with chocolate or caramel, the ratfolk have an interesting dish, served as an appetizer with a strong mead. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it, maybe I’ll make it for you sometime.” He pauses and takes a breath, ”Anyway, Legs and I met when I was trapped in a web in the Crystalmist Mountains, I won’t bother you with the details but we’ve been fast friends ever since.”
While we are waiting for the scout to return, Ungor returns to his new past time — gnome watching. Upon see the small ones appear to make up from the earlier introductions, Ungor takes an interest in their conversations. At first it appears that the female is whispering to the male, so Ungor saunters forth to get a better listen. Just in time to catch the explanation of Legs saving Wilrin.
A huge bear about with a grin pushes between the gnomes as is to butt in with a big toothy grin and wink at Wilrin. ”Sooo you seem to be ‘not bad’ if the vermin of the land think you worthy enough to save and then allowed to ride. Although it does seem your folk have an affinity and sort of a fascination with riding.” . He recalls to Wilrin the story of Fenla’s day journey on the top of Tiny and all of her giddy questions she asked through the day of a talking bear that even talks with mammoths.
”What combat skills do you bring to the giant smashing? Me?, I like to pin them to the ground and bite their heads off. You?”
”What combat skills do you bring to the giant smashing? Me?, I like to pin them to the ground and bite their heads off. You?”
The gnome strokes his beard while he replies, ”Hmmm ... well usually I like to charge right in and then legs and I chop them down to size. I hit em high and legs hits em low.”
Brother Hawthorne returns, with fresh news
Hawthorne relays all that he saw and did. With appropriately reverential references to Charmalaine in the middle there for keeping him safe.
"He's drunk of his ass and asleep at his post before sundown! The brothers must be laughing - or maybe crying... Either way, we can walk past the gate and get a view of the steading itself and see what we are up against... So let's go. Rommin, remember to cover our tracks on the trail as best you can, we don't want a bunch of giants following our trail to sneak up behind us. "
Starting to walk up the trail to the ettin, Vakmu continues :
"Once we have actually gotten a look at this place, then I will ask the bird spirits how many giants we are dealing with."
"Then we can decide if we want more scouting or if we want to crash their party...Once we have made that decision, either we knife the ettin, or Brother Hawthorne gets to sneak back and unjam his horn, while the rest of us set up our observation post..."
Fenla felt her lip curling as Wilrin described chocolate being wasted covering an insect. "I'm more of a meat and potatoes kinda girl... I don't doubt their usefulness as allies; my companion would be considered disgusting by some. But eating them? I will leave that you you and the Ratfolk." Fenla studied Legs further "He is kinda cute, I guess."
Fenla sighed with relief as Hawthrone returned unscathed. "What luck! A sleeping guard is the best kind! Well... unless he's guarding you of course."
Fenla felt the adrenaline begin to course through her veins, calming her nerves with the anticipation of inevitable combat.
Fenla felt the adrenaline begin to course through her veins, calming her nerves with the anticipation of inevitable combat.
”So, should I take that guard out first, and then we can move on in?”
”So, should I take that guard out first, and then we can move on in?”
"No, we are going to walk right by his sleeping drunken butt and take a look at the steading. Then we are going to decide if we are a) going to hide and do more recon or b) hit them tonight."
"Roger that, the orc is in charge. Got it."
"Roger that, the orc is in charge. Got it."
With a laugh and grin "Ya said it yourself, and don't you forget it... , continuing in a more serious tone, "Are ye one of those fellow who's in such a hurry to dip his lance that he doesn't check for a whore's gate ( link to the modern version, Trigger Warning ) before ya stick it in? Right now we are still in a position to pull our pants back up... "
"I have no idea what you're on about."