Despite partaking in the party around him, Theo still listens into the other's inquiries of the king, especially because as parties go, the hall is kind of lame.
"I don't hold a lot of hope we'll be able to convince Grendel to make peace, but I think it's right for us to try. But the kind of being who'll kill others to get what he wants doesn't seem the sort to make peace."
Nissa nods.
"I agree, totally. If peace-talk fails, I'm sure he'll be like get off my lawn and attack us just, like, because. Upside: if we fight in his lair, he'll have no place to run."
To the king, she adds, "Well, whatever works to keep your people safe, I promise you: I'll get behind this peace-talk. If it fails, I'll position myself to do some real damage, and we gotta make sure Theo is armed with a weapon that hurts Grendel."
She glances back and sees the Olympian isn't exactly partying hearty.
Well, maybe the guests are too curious about out chat with the king. We should get out there like Theo...
"If we are to broker an agreement, we need to have something offer. The creature thinks this place is his birthright. We need something that would seem to Grendel a fair exchange. Are there other things of your father's we could offer him as alternatives, that you would be willing to part with?"
Another thought springs into Uncanny Valerie's mind. "Or perhaps it is Grendel's mother we need to deal with. She is the one who has told Grendel he deserves to take this place. But, that may prove difficult, as I expect she is a full blooded troll." She says all of this smoothly and matter-of-factly. (Her vocal inflections seldom change much.) "But either way we need to find where he lairs."
..., the hall is kind of lame.
"If we are to broker an agreement, we need to have something offer. The creature thinks this place is his birthright. We need something that would seem to Grendel a fair exchange. Are there other things of your father's we could offer him as alternatives, that you would be willing to part with?"
"The beast has carried off more treasure than we could offer him, as well as our children. He sometimes tosses the treasure aside along the path, as it does not interest him as much as the meat of...," the King stops talking.
Another thought springs into Uncanny Valerie's mind. "Or perhaps it is Grendel's mother we need to deal with. She is the one who has told Grendel he deserves to take this place. But, that may prove difficult, as I expect she is a full blooded troll." She says all of this smoothly and matter-of-factly. (Her vocal inflections seldom change much.) "But either way we need to find where he lairs."
"I know little about Grendel's mother other than the creature claimed to have one. As for his lair, others have sought him. He seems to lair in the sea caves by the coast. Haward can show you."
Nissa shudders as she learns the children are not merely accidents of war.
Eaten. Grendel EATS children.
Fortunately for Nissa, a body her size can hold very little food compared to a human's. Because the crunch of bacon in her mouth makes her think...
She glances at some of the children, then turns to Verve and Valerie. The fire in Nissa's eyes has cooled to a reddish orange. Her tone is cold when she says, "I will remain silent during the peace talk. My guns will be in hand, but not pointed at the enemy. If Grendel cannot agree to whatever terms you deem reasonable, then he gets the only alternative.
"Death."
She slides her plate a few inches away.
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The minstrel finishes his song about Sigmund and the King leans back in his chair. Plates of steamed fish and fried pork arrive at the table. The Danes dig into the pork.
It does look good, but Nissa has already filled her tiny frame. She becomes a Stellar Mote and flutters over to the kiddie table.
"How would you kids like to hear about where I'm from?"
The kids are quite excited to hear Nissa's stories.
The corners of Charles's muzzle turn down at the King's words. He had *thought* there'd been something about Grendel taking more than just warriors, but children? There wasn't an excuse for that.
He eats heartily of what's brought to him, though he tries to be quiet about it. One thing his body definitely needed was a lot more calories than he had as a human.
"Don't get too crazy tonight. We'll head out in the morning to try and bring an end to all of this."
Nissa tells all sorts of stories that take place "in the faraway land of Massachusetts."
She tells of that ship that crashed into a rock six hundred years ago. "Five hundred ninety-nine, to be exact." The story ends when the pilgrims invent Thanksgiving.
The next story is of Johnny Appleseed. "I never did get why he wore a pan for a hat, but anyway..."
She teaches the kids Mary Had a Little Lamb. After the song, she says, "True story." But the song lyrics tell all of it. There's nothing to add.
So Nissa tells of the works of famous Massachusetts authors. One wrote about a cat who wore a hat. "He just barges in the house and starts running around, making a mess, which like totally freaks out the fish." The story ends with the lesson, "which is either clean up after you play, or don't let strange animals in your house."
She attempts to tell the tales of Drizzt, but realizes she never actually tried to pronounce that name aloud. Why start now?
So instead Nissa talks about her work with other heroes. "I never thought I could be like one of those super-ladies," she admits.
Uncanny Valerie eats her food with great interest. "In my travels, meals are so much more interesting than the nutrition paste we consumed where I come from. Sometimes I fear I fill find something I cannot digest, but so far so good."
She chats with the Danes, asking them about their lives and lifestyles and who their neighbors are.
As the day progresses, the hall fills. Two of Hrothgar's thanes arrive, both of them Wendel chiefs, one named Wulfgar and another named Ulfgar, with them comes their entourages. They had obviously heard about the heroes and come to see them.
Yesterday only three of the tables were full, today six are. Many more guests could easily fit into the hall. The sun hasn't set and people are beginning to drink.
If you want a loud noisy party, these vikings can provide one, but it sounds like the opposite of what you want. You can certainly put the fear of Grendel into them and keep them quiet too.
The Olympian was introduced to chiefs and their entourages. Theo played up being a 'big hero', but when the Wendels asked more about the young warrior, many made sour faces, mumbling about 'the treacherous greeks'; one warrior made the sign preventing The Evil Eye, lest 'Ol One-Eye' curses him.
During the day, Theo made inquiries about getting some type of blunt weapon, like a mace or war hammer, for his eventually rematch with Grendel.
Nissa is happy to hang out with the children, and answer any questions they have.
If there are any shieldmaidens around Nissa's age, she'll ask why the young ladies take up arms, and what they know about valkyries.
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The Olympian was introduced to chiefs and their entourages. Theo played up being a 'big hero', but when the Wendels asked more about the young warrior, many made sour faces, mumbling about 'the treacherous greeks'; one warrior made the sign preventing The Evil Eye, lest 'Ol One-Eye' curses him.
During the day, Theo made inquiries about getting some type of blunt weapon, like a mace or war hammer, for his eventually rematch with Grendel.
The Olympian is direct to a nearby forge, where a blacksmith keeps various weapons hanging on his wall. The godling is directed to pick one for the next confrontation with Grendel. Theo smirks a bit, when he sees a rough-hewn but well-made hammer. "It even has a short handle", Theo says to himself. "What the hell." The Olympian concedes, taking the hammer as his weapon.
Verve will spend her time avoiding the Danes. She was still fairly conflicted about the entire situation and hopeful that things could be resolved peacefully.
Charles does his best to avoid notice. He knew that was pretty much impossible, but thought it best not to draw attention to himself in the present circumstances.
He works his way over to Verve as more thanes start arriving. "I think we should get this over with quickly, he whispers to her, "However it's going to end. I don't think we should wait for night. What about you?"
"Agreed, although I don't know how we're going to get the others to leave sooner. They seem to be really enamored of this place."
Verve shrugged and quietly continued with "Personally, I prefer a time where rampant rape wasn't a concern, and where Pennicilin exists."
Nissa makes it a point to introduce herself to Ulfgar and Wulfgar. She flutters over to them, transforming to her armored self before their eyes.
She introduces herself as "Nissa van Donk," and expresses her interest in learning about shieldmaidens, "though I have no shield myself."
The Olympian is direct to a nearby forge, where a blacksmith keeps various weapons hanging on his wall. The godling is directed to pick one for the next confrontation with Grendel. Theo smirks a bit, when he sees a rough-hewn but well-made hammer. "It even has a short handle", Theo says to himself. "What the hell." The Olympian concedes, taking the hammer as his weapon.
That will be more effective against Grendel. This is of course gifted to you.
"Agreed, although I don't know how we're going to get the others to leave sooner. They seem to be really enamored of this place."
Verve shrugged and quietly continued with "Personally, I prefer a time where rampant rape wasn't a concern, and where Pennicilin exists."
No penicillin, but all the Vikings in the hall seem to be regular bathers.
Charles does his best to avoid notice. He knew that was pretty much impossible, but thought it best not to draw attention to himself in the present circumstances.
He works his way over to Verve as more thanes start arriving. "I think we should get this over with quickly, he whispers to her, "However it's going to end. I don't think we should wait for night. What about you?"
Charles is certainly noticed, but most people give him some distance.
Uncanny Valerie eats her food with great interest. "In my travels, meals are so much more interesting than the nutrition paste we consumed where I come from. Sometimes I fear I fill find something I cannot digest, but so far so good."
She chats with the Danes, asking them about their lives and lifestyles and who their neighbors are.
The Danes you talk to are proud to share info about their lifestyles. They assume Valerie wants to know about great and epic events, but they are just as willing to talk about how they clean their teeth. They have lots of little poems and sayings about ways to care for yourself, such as grooming tips (reminders to comb beards) or moral behaviour (showing respect to a King). They laugh when someone shares one of these with Valerie, but then they all start sharing these little sayings.
As the day progresses, Nissa gets to spend time with a couple of shieldmaidens, although both of them seem shy about calling themselves such. They're young and have not fought much.
The Danes treat all of you with respect. At times, it borders on reverence.
Before the sun has set, Ulfgar and Wulfgar begin to talk about returning to their homesteads. It's obvious they're still nervous about sleeping in this hall with Grendel living. Hrothgar encourages them to go. He declares that they should spread word to their neighbours--he lists specific neighbours--to gather tomorrow at the Ring-Hall.
"If tomorrow these Fardwellers return with either a promise of a truce from the monster ..." although he doesn't say this in a sarcastic tone, all laugh.
"....or the monster's head..." (all cheer)
"There will be a giving of gifts like none have seen. I'll crack open the chests of my grandfather's bounty and pour gold upon their heads!!" (all cheer)
With that, all retire for an early night. Grendel does not intrude upon your sleep.
She smiles sweetly at the pair, and adds, "I get what you're saying, though. I can't really call myself things like Heroine or Valkyrie either. Not yet. I'm still new. But I hope next time we see each other, I'll be one step closer to deserving the wings."
She transforms into a stellar mote, and this is how she will sleep since it's the only way she can strip off all that valkyrian armor.
Come morning, Nissa reverts to her armored halfling self, and says to the others,
"So... we know Grendel eats humans, right? Human children. And he expects what? To rule the very people who survived his murdering sprees? Verve, you had a theory Grendel was somehow wronged, but the wrongdoer—Hrothgar's dad—was killed by Grendel a wicked long time ago. Even if there's something you can say to persuade peace, Grendel doesn't deserve to live. And I don't take saying that lightly."
Nissa pats one of her holsters.
"I carry nonlethal guns because I believe in taking criminals alive, giving second chances. But... Grendel isn't a klepto bank robber or a desperate housewife. He's a tyrant, serial killer and, being half human, he's technically a cannibal.
"So, while I'm like, true to my word—about not getting in the way of a parley—are we even going to waste our breath? We'll have the upper hand if we attack first, and mercilessly."
It's really hard to be barely over two feet tall and pissed off without looking like a petulant child. Even with the fire in her eyes being a bit redder than usual, Nissa relies on her training to look like...
...a tiny adult in shining armor who is genuinely outraged and prepared to kill.
Nissa pats one of her holsters.
"I carry nonlethal guns because I believe in taking criminals alive, giving second chances. But... Grendel isn't a klepto bank robber or a desperate housewife. He's a tyrant, serial killer and, being half human, he's technically a cannibal.
"So, while I'm like, true to my word—about not getting in the way of a parley—are we even going to waste our breath? We'll have the upper hand if we attack first, and mercilessly."
"Yeah. What Fun-Size said." The Olympian agrees with the tiny dynamo, flipping the short-handled hammer in his hand, over and over.
"Anyway, the way I see it, Grendel's just a less-horny minotaur. If this ends peacefully, fine. If not, no big loss."
Charles crosses all four of his arms. "I think it'll still end in death, but let's at least talk, first. It's silly, but I'll feel better knowing we eliminated the possibility of a different resolution first."
"I agree with Charles, I think it is worth giving Grendel a hearing first. The Danes are not a gentle people, and we only have their word for his crimes. Nonetheless, we should be prepared for the negotiations to go poorly, and respond to hostility in kind."
She looks around. "But who is going to lead in talking?"
"I will, since I'm clearly the main person here arguing for it."
In the daytime, you survey the scene of the fight last night. Grendel didn't leave much in the way of blood behind, but he left a dent in the tree where he crashed into it. He left the stink of troll piss on the larger stone marker erected by King Hrothgar to honor his mother and father. He left tracks three times the size of a human's straight down towards the ocean and then on a winding trail along the shore. The trail gets a bit hard to follow after Grendel cuts back inland from the shore into a cold, marshy bay.
Charles shifts back into his chimera form as the group follows Grendel's trail, fox nose sniffing at the ground while the other two keep watch around.
The troll's scent is strong enough at places to make him wrinkle his muzzle.
"He definitely came this way," Charles growls as he leads the way along the shore.
With Charles picking up the scent, it's not hard to find Grendel's lair. It's in a marsh that gets some water at high tide. The entrance would be hard to get to at high tide, but not completely blocked. At low tide, it's just a trudge through some mud.
"Hello? Mr...err...Grendel?" Verve called out from the mouth of the cave. "I'd like to talk to you please."
The Olympian walks to stand behind Verve, ready to throw her back and away if Grendel decides to charge.
No response comes from the dark wet hole.
Charles stands a few paces back from Verve, tense and ready to spring at the first sign of violence.
Nissa steps up behind Verve, guns in hand but not pointed at the enemy. Her armor glows, lighting the area around her like a torch.
"Guess we have to go in." said Verve before moving into the cave entrance.
Valerie follows Verve, keeping an eye out for the unexpected.
The smell assaults your senses as you enter.
Bones crunch underfoot as they get pressed against the rock and mud of the floor. The entrance tunnel climbs a little and then opens up into a wider room about 30 feet in diameter. The torches throw light on more bones, golden chains, shields, swords, some shattered DNA stasis vials, a bejeweled cup, and bits of garbage.
You have not entered this room. You do not see Grendel. You don't see any other exits.
A patch of glowing green slime grows on the wall.
"Hello?" Verve called out again, this time a bit more hesitantly.
Uncanny Valerie hears movement within the cavern, but sees nothing.
Uncanny Valerie casts telepathic message, targeting Verve and the two people closest to her ().
Something's here. Don't be alarmed, I am using brief telepathy.
Val also frowns at both the slime and the DNA vials, certain that both are odd and the latter does not belong in the Terran Dark ages. She pulls out her Chemalyzer and points it at the green slime.
Uncanny Valerie casts telepathic message, targeting Verve and the two people closest to her ().
Something's here. Don't be alarmed, I am using brief telepathy.
Val also frowns at both the slime and the DNA vials, certain that both are odd and the latter does not belong in the Terran Dark ages. She pulls out her Chemalyzer and points it at the green slime.