Tessa and Teela go back to the barracks room, and while its been ransacked, there are no signs of evident live occupants. However, there are 14 beds in this room and 5 have corpses lying in pools of blood askew on them. All the dead look like they were killed while sleeping.
Teela looks around the room quickly, moving from body to body to check for vitals and to simmer down.
When Fenric's question echoes from the hallway, she calls back, "Five dead. Looks like most of the others escaped, or were never here. It looks like they were caught in their sleep. No chance to fight back." She kneels down near one of the bodies, her fingers lightly brushing against the blood-stained sheets, getting her hand messy. [b]"It doesn't look like anyone's left alive here."
She waits for Teela to finish checking the bodies before sighing and turning back to update Fenric. "Nothing. They're all gone."
Quintessa continues as she stands up, trying to clean of the blood off her hands unsuccessfully. Frowning, she gives Teela a look of shared resolve. "No time to waste. Let’s regroup."
Selina checks the bodies of the dead guards, looking for keys, valuables, or other useful items.
Selina checks the door to the west looking for traps and locks.
The nine empty beds in the dormitory room were all well made up, and appear not to have been slept in this night. None of the bodies in the room are alive -- they are all quite dead.
While the others discuss tactics and search other rooms, Selina leans down to the fallen guardsmen in the hallway. Each guard wears chainmail and carries a longsword, a dagger, and a light crossbow. There are 48 bolts left among them. Each of the fallen guards also carries a small glass vial labeled "healing potion". One of them has been consumed but 5 unused vials remain.
Teela stands up from the bodies with a heavy sigh. Seeing Quintessa struggling to clean up, she approaches to pat Quintessa's hands and the blood just... disappears. She nods quietly as if to not disturb the dead and gestures towards the doorway.
She walks to the main hall, sees Fenric in the mirror, and starts to provide further details of the room. Her face gives off a placid vibe after she had time to collect her thoughts. "5 dead, 14 beds, 9 beds made but not-" and she stops talking as she enters the hallway and sees Selina hunched over the dead, picking up scraps. Stopping dead in her tracks, Teela lowers her head with a heavy sigh, pinches the bridge of her nose, and rubs her eyes with her thumb and index finger.
"Gods, help me weather this storm." she murmurs to herself, then lifts up her head to call out "Can we move on?"
Staring in wonder, Alvis see Selina violate everything just said, before he can say anything Teela comes out and sees her and seems to despairingly let it pass for now. Alvis sighs himself relieved that another delay is not created but knows there will be trouble soon. She seemed to not pay attention to what was said, did she not hear it or does not care? A sword scion's word should be good but I didn't hear an assent from her, so what happened? He swiftly agrees with Teela, "Yes, let get going.", he says eagerly.
Selina stands up with the vials in hand. "Found some potions labeled healing on the guards." With a wry smile,"I don't think the guards would lie to themselves or to us." She keeps one vial for herself and distributes one vial to everyone else, excluding the cleric, reasoning that he can heal himself, right?
Selina stands up with the vials in hand. "Found some potions labeled healing on the guards." With a wry smile,"I don't think the guards would lie to themselves or to us." She keeps one vial for herself and distributes one vial to everyone else, excluding the cleric, reasoning that he can heal himself, right?
Graham cracks a wide grin, but has enough sense to not comment aloud, merely catching Selina's eye and giving a nod. That's what I'm talking about. But, wait, though, "those don't belong to us." Nonsense. No one is stealing from someone who's no longer breathing!
The door to the west is not locked or trapped. As Selina pushes it open, you see an oddly-shaped scullery, which contains two sturdy tables for preparing food, a large tin wash basin for cleaning dishes and laundering clothes, a hefty wooden bucket for hauling water, and many shelves containing goblets, plates, dishes, and eating utensils. Though the fragile-looking dishes and glassware remain miraculously undamaged, many bloody corpses lay piled in the middle of the room.
There is a single door to the south, and an open doorway to the north, but the single most impressive feature is a blue-skinned 10' tall (at least) humanoid leaning against the far set of double doors. He seems to be filled with crossbow bolts and has a dreadful looking wound on his left arm which hangs inertly. A giant-sized shattered spear lies at his side.
As the door opens, the very tall creature rises painfully to his feet, his ice-blue eyes slipping in and out of focus. The giant creature emits a loud gurgle of rage and snarls at your presence but does not immediately move to attack.
Quintessa takes in the scene, her eyes widening slightly as she takes note that a pile of corpses in the room is not the most horrifying thing she sees. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she nods in response to Fenric’s question.
"I do speak Jotun." she says quietly. "Please don't let him kill me, Fenric. I am going to ask him to let us pass and see if we can avoid another giant smashing us."
She steps forward cautiously, hands raised in a non-threatening manner. She switches to the guttural tones of the giant language and engages him.
Where the heck so many giants come from?! I've never seen any in Restov before. A Shield spell covers Selina, as she non-threateningly moves 10' away from the giant.
Fenric recognizes this creature as a frost giant, but even at 10' tall, its a very small one. You know these creatures are very hardy, and they have enhanced willpower, but while very large, they are not particularly agile or adept at dodging.
Quintessa's request is met with a raised eyebrow, perhaps showing interest if not acceptance. The giant's good right hand balls into a fist, but he says, in heavily accented Common As Selina also creeps into the room, the giant says in a booming voice, His head motion, which comes with a gritted teeth expression, is clearly towards the others in the hall still.
Both Quintessa and Selina are keenly aware they are already in arms' reach of the frost giant so his shout is more than a little nerve-racking.
From behind the others, Linzi whispers "You're not really going to talk to that brute are you? Look how many it has killed already. If it's hurt, finish it."
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"Linzi," Fenric says while looking at Quintessa. "That is a good point the giant it makes you should step back. We have other paths to take." His voice becomes hoarse a few times as he speaks and breaks the odd sentence into fragments. He hopes he gets his point across and that the giant's grasp of Taldane is not sufficient.
Quintessa doesn’t flinch as the giant raises his voice, keeping her composure, though just barely. She again holds her hands up when the voice booms to not come any closer. She hopes her team will not do something foolish to endanger her.
Teela walks over to see the commotion. As she lays her eyes upon the creature in the room, she raises an eyebrow realising why Linzi's commentary makes sense.
"Now?! Really? This is the moment you realise you want to play nice? Pretty sure that's not a damn sous-chef. Step back!"
A stunning scene of carnage smites Alvis as he surveys the room. As he takes it in a conflict views on how to handle it, he adds his support, "Mi,lady, justice lies with one course, prudence and larger goals another, as the authority here do as you see fit." He stands ready for either course of action but does not raise he weapons in threat.
Graham focuses on the massacre before the giant.
In the pile of bodies there seems to be at least 11 victims. Most are either battered or skewered with a large bore weapon. There seem to be a half-dozen or so of Lady Jamandi's house guard, and the others seem to be fellow charter-seekers awakened from their beds, dressed still in night clothes without armor or heavy weapons. There don't seem to be any Black Tears dead in the pile. The dead adventurers are: a halfling, half-orc, a dwarf and 2 humans but you don't recognize any in particular -- not people you had interactions with.
The giant seems to consider Quintessa's words for a moment, then lets out a frosty sigh, and motions her forward with a very large hand. "I vill take vhat you ovver, vithout killinG you, but you cannot pass this door unless you provide more healinG, ja?" His speech is softer now. He takes and downs the healing potion, if proffered, which looks tiny in his massive hand. His left arm still hangs limp and useless throughout this encounter.
Quintessa feels the tension around her thickening, especially with Fenric’s words of warning. A tremendous amount of pressure rests on what she does next, so she takes several deep, measured breaths.
Without breaking her composure, she addresses Fenric, her voice calm but firm: "The situation is precarious, Fenric. If we fight now, what's to stop him from smashing you like the dozen on the floor before us. Use what lesson you just tried to teach Teela, stop and think. More of us could die. If the opportunity to deescalate and avoid further injury exists, should we not pursue it?"
Her eyes flick briefly to her other allies who seem intent on stirring the pot, hoping they will understand the delicate balance she’s trying to maintain.
She listens to the giant's words, and tries to extract his intentions on whether he will keep their bargain or is he only intent on smashing them once healed.
Quintessa's request is met with a raised eyebrow, perhaps showing interest if not acceptance. The giant's good right hand balls into a fist, but he says, in heavily accented Common As Selina also creeps into the room...
Selina decides to trust that Quintessa knows what she is doing.
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”He’s half dead and with a lame arm, so more now than after you strengthen him,” Fenric hisses back answer to Quontessa’s first—likely rhetorical—question. ”And he needs to be gone. Or he’ll just kill more in the manor later. So see if you can convince him to leave.” His voice rises so anyone could hear at the last.
Linzi offers, still speaking softly "Maybe there just another way around? I mean my teammates have to be around here somewhere.'
Quintessa takes a deep breath, steadying her nerves. Not only was she standing before the deadliest creature she's ever encountered in her life, her allies were not backing her play and questioning her tactics causing her more trepidation than ideal at this moment.
She holds the potion in her hand, her eyes locked with the giant’s, her posture unwavering. "Choose wisely. Leave now, healed and with your life, or face us, and die."
She speaks the last bit in Common, so her allies know to be ready.
"Hmmmm..."The giant rumbles deeply in his throat and then slowly nods his assent. "Agreet. Heal me in full, and I vill take my leaf of dis place."
You can see he visible relaxes, his fist uncurling. He still appears quite wary, but now expect you to pass over the potion or start a spell or soemthing.
As she looks at the happenings, Teela starts preparing for the inevitable. She feints a bored sigh, lifts her harp and plucks at the strings to release an uplifting melody.
At the Giant's demand to be fully healed Albis suspicions increase. That's a high and dangerous demand, Lady Quintesssa seems well-educated I could gamble on that she understands me.
As she picks at the strings, Teela looks at Fenric handing out another potion. Without moving closer, she addresses the giant with a raised voice.
"I'm afraid that's all we have, giant. You best get going now, before you succumb to your wounds."
Not how I would have used my healing potion, but to each his own.. Selina stands ready to strike if the giant intends Tessa harm.
Quintessa nods in response to Alvis's statement, acknowleding that she understood what he has said, but she does not allow her focus to falter and chooses to not verbally respond to him.
Shes takes offered the potion from Fenric and passes it to the giant and then steps aside. "Drink and go."
She looks to her allies and says "Uphold our end of the deal. Let him pass."
The frost giant consumes both the healing potions, and you watch as the wounds he has suffered magically stitch themselves back together. A few crossbow bolts clatter to the ground, and the mangled left arm regains some movement, still looking pretty bad however.
the giant barks out, clearly not healed in full. He is firm, but not aggressive as he flexes and unflexes his left hand.
Teela sighs. She puts one hand to her cheek to direct her voice as she shouts "There's no more to give, dude! You need to be content with what you got."
She plucks ar her harp again. And Linzi a gentle nudge, whispering "Get ready for anything."
Quintessa swallows a lump in her throat, trying not to panic.
"That's all we have, there is no more. Now, honor our deal as agreed." Quintessa says, standing firm behind Teela's words.
You're going to die.
Alvis, having nothing more to say, stays wary, ready move forward and defend.
"Hmmm..." the giant rumbles in his throat once again, evaluating the situation. It gives its wounded arm a little shake, and looks past Quintessa to where a host of others wait in the hallway, considering. It's fingers ball into a large size fist, big enough to splatter Quintessa's head. Then they relax again.
"Very vell, step asite." He begins to shoulder his way through the doorway and roughly past the rest of the party, stomping down the hall towards the interior garden, and who knows where. (though you may recall there are iron portcullis blocking that way eventually).
Suddenly, the scullery seems a lot safer....There is the pile of corpses, a doorway to the north, a single door to the south, and a set of double doors to the west.
Quintessa holds her composure until the frost giant disappears from sight, but the moment his footsteps fade down the hall, her body betrays her. She exhales sharply, her knees begin to tremble and she tumbles backwards into the wall, one hand gripping her chest as if she’s trying to slow her racing heart.
Watching the giant move away, Teela attempts not to show emotions, but she glances at the towering thing with a bated breath. Once it is gone, she exhales, looks at Quintessa, and does a little golf clap. "Well... done?"
"I honestly expected it would get violent. Question is - where will it go." she ponders, then raises her finger in the air. "And we never got to know his name. Could have been useful... maybe. DOwn the line."
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Fenric moves into the scullery once the giant is past. "The outcome was fortuitous," he begins slowly, working moister back into his mouth. "However, that was not well done. That was a gambit taken with all our lives on the balance." He looks around at the kitchen. And the pile of corpses. "Sometimes one might, but you did not need to make that decision on your own in that moment. You did not see me or Selina rush past you and stab the brute because we thought our way was best." With a glance at Teela, he adds, "Or faster. If we do not start working in concert, we likely will not make it through this night of nightmares."
Graham remains quiest, but glances at Fenric incredulously. Is...is he scolding Tessa for convincing that brute [u]not[/u] to come to blows? That is...most certainly a choice.
As he moves past her into the room with the huntsman to search the pile of bodies, he catches Tessa's eye and silently mouths, Nicely done.
Graham starts to sort through the pile of bodies and finds the six fallen guards are outfitted as they have been throughout the manor: chainmail, longsword, dagger, crossbow with a handful of bolts. There are 4 unused potions among the dead guards, again clearly marked.
Additionally, the fallen adventurers have a suit of half-plate, more chainmail, daggers and longswords, a battle axe, a glaive, minor jewelry pieces (rings, necklaces, brooch) worth a total of 30gp, and a dusty brown cloak that looks like it's made of mangy brown-and-grey coyote fur.
Quintessa presses her back into the wall, still trying to control her racing pulse as she watches Fenric step into the room, his words hitting harder than the giant’s presence. She listens, biting the inside of her cheek as he critiques her decision, her chest tightening as his disapproval sinks in.
She tries to bite back a defensive retort, but his final words sting the most. Her composure snaps as Fenric’s words sink deeper than she can bear. Her eyes narrow, and she steps forward, her voice low but laced with fury.
"You think I gambled with our lives?" she says, her tone sharp. She points a trembling finger at the bodies strewn across the floor. The dead warriors who had no chance against the brute. "LOOK AT THEM FENRIC. Trained, armed, AND THEY ARE ALL DEAD. And you’re telling me my choice was not well done?"
Her voice rises, her anger bubbling to the surface. "I made a decision that kept us alive—all of us. Not one of us got hurt. Not one of us added to that pile! And you stand here, questioning me for trying to avoid bloodshed?"
She takes a step back, her chest heaving as she struggles to contain her frustration. "I can’t believe you’re not supporting a method that may have saved all our lives. You wanted me to risk us all in a fight we could’ve avoided? Do you think I wanted to negotiate with a monster like that? No! But I saw a chance to keep us safe, and I took it."
Her hands clench into fists as she glares at him. So no, I won’t apologize for doing what I thought was right. You can judge me all you want, but we’re all standing here breathing, and that was my priority. From now on I'll stand at the back of the group and let you handle things your way."
She doesn't intend to let him have any response and marches off past him, through the corridor into the garden where she takes a seat by the statue to try and calm down.
Teela chuckles at the exchange. She moves closer to Selina and stands near the nearest unopened door, waiting.
She leans over to Selina with a smirk on her face. "When aristocrats can't keep their cool, no wonder the continent is riddled with war,"
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"Ye--No--Tha--," Fenric flushes as he tries to answer Quintessa's angry and rapid string of questions but to no avail. As her diatribe continues, he face sets into an expression as one resigned to death. "I said retreat!" he yells after the noblewoman as she storms back into the gardens.
He turns back to address those who remained in the scullery, whether they are paying attention or not. "Do not get me wrong," he says with a quaver in his voice that fades as he presses on with his speech. "I thank Cayden Cailean that gambit worked, but it was a gambit. There was time, and Quintessa could have discussed her plan with us. I don't know if there was another way past the giant. Maybe that was the only and best way out of this hall, and maybe we all would have agreed." He loses his train of thought and restarts. "However, she didn't ask us if we thought making the frost giant stronger and hoping he didn't then kill us was a good idea. She just decided it on her own."
Fenric looks toward the garden doorway and mutters, "And I did support you in the moment despite that." He takes a deep breath and sighs. "We have to each stop acting impulsively or we will not make it out of this manor alive. Sometimes there isn't time for debate, but that was not one of those times. It is clear that there are more dangerous beasts loose than we imagined, so if I want us to take a moment before flinging open doors, that is prudence, not sloth nor cowardice." He looks at Teela. "If I suggest looking for things we can use to bend the odds of survival in our favor among the dead who have no need of them now, that is pragmatism, not avarice. If I say there is a better way something could have been handled--after the fact--it is not pettiness but revision."
He points to one of the bodies on the ground. "It is very noble that we want to help the lady of the manor, but I learned years ago that the world doesn't care about noble intentions. We can't help her--or anyone trapped in here--if we're dead because we can't keep our heads on our shoulders. Clearly defeating the ogre was a fluke." He then sheathes his blades with a grunt and begins to sort the dead.
Nobles.
Graham shakes his head at the outbursts as he sorts through what the fallen have on them. He sets the potions aside, claims the baubles while taking care to keep them separate from his own coins, and makes a mental note to ask Teela – or Tessa, should she return in a calmer state – about the cloak.
Graham notes that the chainmail suits are in good shape, though he has never enjoyed the feel of bulky armor and he carefully sets each aside. The weapons appear to be functional, if unremarkable, and he groups them as he lays them out as well.
Lastly, he assesses the half-plate, and looks up at Alvis. I think this will work for you, my friend. What say you?
The relief that Alvis feels at the successful conclusion with the giants departure flees at the fiery dispute between the nobles. What do I do now? I've not rank or privilege to intervene yet this division will get us killed. Graham breaks his indecision by offering him the half-plate. "Thank you for the offer Graham but I have not quite completed my training and that armor would be clumsy on me. But this raises a larger point."
Alvis gathers his moral courage and states loudly,
Alvis grasps his Key and prays, Oh mighty Abadar, Lord of Law and Great Arbiter, bless those fallen to the wicked actions of the lawless. Grant relief to their dependants, may they find prosperity in spite of this tragedy. May the Lady of this house find honor in her retainers and grant her just generosity. We ask this of thee in the name of justice that was stolen this day by those of ill-intent. Amen"