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."