In response to Xanya's question about an amentum, Hawke shrugged, "Something like that might be around. Not a lot of people are into the javelin throwing tactic. I would check in the shops in town."
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Hawke responds to Xanya's query about a reward. "We have not set up any system for that. I can see if the Thain will authorize more funds to supply you, but we cannot spare a great deal. You must also realize this is not a major city with merchants who can supply your every need. With the impending defense of the city, supplies are being conserved or have been pressed into use. The largest sack of gold may well do you no good. A few brave and enterprising merchants have made a last minute attempt to get their wares and supplies into the town, and some of the miners and loggers were able to bring in some of their ore and timber. So I can tell you frankly, we are set on wood, stone and iron ore, but as you well know it takes time to turn those raw materials into workable goods. " "I do encourage you to speak with the various smiths and craftspeople in town. I frankly haven't had time to assess their acceptance yet of your people. I know that some of your groups have been purchasing supplies in town, and the larger contingent led by Tolhemia has been working hard to win over the support of the people with some success. You may find that your coin and gems may be able to obtain what you need, or at least put in an order for it. Every hour counts between now and their assault, and a quality weapon takes days if not weeks for a craftsperson." "I know the town has an enchantress, in fact the girl Jopple, a halfing waif who used to run the logs on the lake until she was injured has been working as a liason between the groups and the merchants of town, has recently been accepted as her apprentice. If you can find her, she may be able to assist you. I hope I am not cutting you short. I consider your mission very important, but I cannot spend much more time tonight, it is quite late. I will authorize someone from the fort to assist you with your needs, and if you have any questions about your mission, I will have a marshal who is able to answer." Hawke, runs his hand through his hair, and he looks like he has aged somewhat recently. There are dark circles around his eyes and a shortness to his tone. Hopefully when this is all over he can get some sleep. To Quassine, "No, you are free to go, as are you all. I need to attend another meeting and work through the night on pressing matters. I will have some people meet you in the morning first thing."
Head Marshal Hawke replies to Goliath, "We can provision you with food, and we can provide some limited raw materials. What would you need? If you defeat another party bring the information and any items of note back here again, unless you see a larger war party or suspect danger to the fort is imminent." He turns to Quassine, "I believe there are few places in town that can supply reagents for alchemy. There was a girl about here, that helped some of your companion groups, a small halfling girl named Jopple with an injured leg. She may be of assistance in finding what you need. I will have one of the other marshals seeks her out for you."
The marshal replies, "Little has changed, although now we know the advance raiding parties of the giants are very close, and we can now speculate why. If this scepter is some sort of magical weapon, it makes sense for them to try and get it into place. We will have to wait and see if the other raiding groups also carried such devices." "The group that returned from the west," he consults his notes, "with Champawat, Qahnaarin, Goivan, Prar and Gunther had uncovered an old ruin and returned with an item we believe can assist us. The other group," he reads from another list, "With Grobly, Tayanella, Lump, Asheranthi and Karkoran, has also gone to the west, but only more recently. Thus, you can see we are somewhat soft on that side, with only one recent group out there. I know they were delayed in their mission start because they were crafting and had engaged in some research regarding your people's quest to discover your lost mentor." "You would be acting independantly from the other group, although if you ran across each other, you could work together, though it seems unlikely, as we will send you further west." he points to a map, "We would have you go west, and cross the river here and head this way." "You may not even reach the river before the giant raiding group is close to here. In fact we may have you work with our scouts to pinpoint any groups from the west to ensure none make it here. I see your companion Simon is capable of flight. This will aid greatly in your scouting."
Loremaster Cronin smiles at Xanya warmly. "It is indeed helpful to maintain good spirits in times such as these, trying as they are on ones soul. I must confess I have never been one for the battlefield, I am a lover of books and scrolls and dusty tomes." Head Marshal Hawke nods at Xanya gravely, their previous conflict seemingly in the past. "You are welcome to try and sell the gems in town, although with the impending battle, equipment is hard to find. Much of it has been bought up, although some enterprising and daring merchants have been able to bring in their wares lately from within the kingdom to the south and east. I fear these shipments will stop soon enough as the giants come closer. Most of it has been food and some raw materials to help us survive, and the Thain has purchased most of it. More may come, but we are stretched for anything but the basics." "The scepter is another story. Clearly valuable, but no one in this town has the wealth to purchase something like that aside from the Thain, who may also decide to keep it as a weapon of war. I cannot vouch for him of course, though hopefully you would be compensated for your efforts. This all depends on what it actually does, and if it can be nullified. I would doubt that something like that will never sell on the open market here, as it could fall into the wrong hands if it is indeed a powerful weapon. Discussion regarding its fate will be ongoing." "How are you provisioned currently for another sortie? We would have you move west this time. Another of your groups left yesterday morning that way, and yet another return last night, but had not slain any raiding party. We have a different mission for them now but that means we only have one group on our western front, and though they are already proven giant killers, it may be a different story for fire giants."
Day 12 - Morning The group settles in for the evening after a mostly uneventful day. Goivan was able to see the town and get a sense of the tension in the air. The town is busy fortifying and preparing for a fight. The chimneys of the forges spill black smoke nonstop and the noise of saws, and hammers is continuous. Luckily you are quartered in the fort and the thick walls of stone block out the noise of industry. In some ways it feels like a tomb. Some serving staff bring some food and water eventually and check in if you need anything. The night passes and morning comes. Fairly early, there is a knock on the door and several dwarven guards ask to bring you to audience with Head Marshal Hawke. Loremaster Cronin is there with him. Once you are all seated, Hawke speaks. "Loremaster Cronin has spent the night examining the painting, studying ancient texts and history treatises. He believes he has unraveled some of its mystery. I will let him continue."
You converse with the marshal, practicing your Common skills. It is difficult, but each conversation you learn a bit more and fumble a bit less. You ask for pointers on grammar and sentence structure. In time you will have mastered it, or at least not sound like a caveperson. In time you see a boat heading from the lake and comes through the twin towers. The boat contains Head Marshal Hawke, Loremaster Cronin and a contingent of heavily armed and armored dwarven troopers. You also see a dwarven priest, although not the grouchy High Priest of Clanggedin that you met in the Thain's meeting. The boat pulls up and everyone disembarks. Head Marshal Hawke nods at the group and he asks the marshal to report. She and Hawke step to the side briefly and discuss the situation. He nods and eventually steps forward. "Well done. The recovery of this item will be useful in determining the plans of the giants." He motions to the guards and they carry an extremely heavy looking box forward. It is long almost 6' long and about 2' wide. They set it on the group and open it. You see the reason for the weight, and realize it is lined with lead, and likely magicked as well. Loremaster Cronin asks to see the scepter He examines it briefly and concentrates after casting a detect magic. He turns it over and around looking at the gems and orb and the metal. After placing the scepter in the box, Head Marshal Hawke produces a thick bag, that thumps to the ground though it appears empty. They begin to slide the box into the bag, which appears to be smaller than the box until you understand it is an extradimensional bag. "That should keep that thing safe from hurting anyone, but safe from divination and scrying until the Loremaster can examine it with proper wards and protections in place. He has a full plate lately and rarely sleeps any more." The old Loremaster chuckles, "Aye, never a dull moment around here. Go to the wilderness they said, it will be a quiet back woods semi-retirement." He presses his hand to his forehead and smiles. With everyone packed safely, you all usher back aboard the boat and make the trek across the lake again, going through the elaborate security each time without fail. The guards seem particularly vigilant and everyone is on edge given the impending war. As before, the town is a hive of activity, bolstering defenses, fortifying, preparing. The chimneys billow black smoke as the forges run nonstop. When back in the fort, Loremaster Cronin returns to his chambers and several guards accompany him and the bag with the scepter. Head Marshal Hawke takes you to a small meeting chamber and get a full debriefing from the group, taking copious notes. He refers to a large map and asks you pointed questions about the location of the battle and he is also curious about the ruins. He notes that the hills are full of those sort of things, remnants of bygone eras. After about an hour and a half, he stops and nods to himself, then stands, "You probably want to eat and get some rest, however there is not much time left. The success of the other groups will determine if we need to worry about this scepter and if there are others like it. Not far behind that will be the main force. Are you willing to go back out there after a day?"
As the group notes the items they need, the marshals record and jot down what you will require. Head Marshal Hawke asks "Do you have any final questions? We will get you your gear by tomorrow morning and you will head out on a mission."
"Report to the docks outside of the wall and you will be ported over. Clearly if the fort is under siege that will not be a good idea, but you can skirt to the south wall or downriver and come up near the dam. The enemy may be powerful, but I doubt they have the numbers to encircle the walled lake entirely. Their assault will be direct."
"Each of the giants' units seem to be lead by a fire giant commander with a bunch of other lesser creatures like ogres, trolls, ettins and a smattering of humanoids. They may have hell hound or worg scouts or manticore or wyvern aerial support. The mix of monsters pulled together in this alliance indicates someone of strong will, dedicated and organized to pull this off. " "I can get the group one week's worth of food, cold weather clothing, and we can probably adapt a griffon saddle for you Snow for your bird. Please submit detailed lists of anything else you require, such as bags, packs, climbing gear, camping supplies etc to the marshals here."
The group hefts their packs up and raps on the door to notify the sentries. They summon a guard unit to come and escort you away. Instead of leading you to the large exit gate, you are led further underground to a deeper chamber that opens into an underground dock. There a boat waits with several marshals and Head Marshal Hawke himself to see you off on your mission. The head marshal nods at you "Your journey will be arduous and dangerous, but your training hopefully will see you through. I wish there was more time to prepare, to run through drills and scenarios, to provide support and so many other things, but as is the nature of war, we must do what we can. Return here as needed, whether you succeed or fail, or to replenish on supplies, or if you discover information that you deem more important than your mission of attacking the enemies. Any final questions?" The marshals begin loading your gear in the boat and the pilot waits as you board.
"We can obtain a few potions. You may want food and survival gear as well as cold weather gear if you are venturing into the mountains. Or...would your group rather stay behind and defend closer to the fort? We have roles for all."
In the room you see the Head Marshal, a few other marshals a lot of maps and papers and quite a few of your brothers and sisters from the other separated groups. The various groups file in and chit chat and greet each other. Marshal Hawke seems like a lean no nonsense sort of person. He has the sort of dark eyes that see much and can take stock of a person in a glance. He starts out in your Common Tongue, probably aided by a Tongues spell. "OK, not everyone is here yet, but that is to be expected. Let's get this rolling and I can dole out duties if we get any other recruits from your people. Here is what is happening. A fire giant named Rambanchus, self stylized as a king of some sort, has been mighy successful in raising an army of monsters to come and sack this fort. This fort, as you know is a bastion of power in this wilderness and is fairly impregnable against your run of the mill ragtag band of orcs or what have you. A lot of trade and resources come down the river, past the dam and on to the towns and cities of the kingdom. The economy of this is at stake. Clearly if a major army appeared, it would be met with an equal army sent by the king. However we are not at war with anyone, and you don't often see that level of organization among the tribes of the various humanoid races." "This is something a little different, not an army, but not just a raiding force bent on stealing a few cows. Due to the unique nature and powers of the creatures the enemies have assembled, we need to unique response. The Thain has already determined to not ask for aid from the King, feeling as though it is not needed, wishing to deal with it himself. Dwarven pride and all that." "Anyhow, we know that Rambanchus has divided his forces into smaller groups, able to move faster. They are also not crossing that great of an area. They don't need supply trains and a giants can carry a lot of food for the few weeks it would take to come here and wreak havoc. We know that there are plenty of orcs, goblinoids, ogres, trolls, ettins and cyclops among the forces. Apparently Rambanchus has been quite successful in emptying the hills and mountains of these creatures and forming them into some sort of band with the promise of war, food, and riches. They are stemming from the mountains to the north. These rugged areas are harsh and many of the ranges are covered in the black ice, but beneath the ice lie hundreds of miles of tunnels and open areas. The ranges are volcanic in origin and large portions of the ice have melted leaving, huge caverns that could hold entire towns. A griffon rider cannot see any of this from the sky. We don't even have maps of what lies under the ice. Some of these bands have come to the surface and we are seeing them moving." "Your role is to pick a group of these creatures and strike at them. Whether through full assault or through sowing fear, doubt, dissent, or creating chaos to cause these groups to break apart or fail, I don't care. We need people willing to take these risks. My riders are already spread thing, and this is not the kind of things they do. The dwarves are slow moving and would just as soon meet these forces head on in battle to the last one standing. That won't always work. If you can manage it great, otherwise get in, and get out. While we have these individual groups weakened, slowed or eliminated, we can focus on the leadership, which will be much much more difficult. We know little so far, but with some magical scrying and divination we have discovered he is no slouch. To prove this, our scrying was blocked shortly after our first attempts. Rambanchus has skilled arcane and or divine magic aiding him as well. " "None the less, with some luck most of them won't even make it here, and will give up without a cohesive force or leader." "I have identified on these maps where these sub-groups are moving from. As mentioned most are some combination of humanoids, giant types and the like. They have recently added aerial support, manticores, wyverns, and they have hell hound scouts as well as other minions. Expect to encounter other creatures in their service a well, many that we have not seen yet. Our plan is simple. For those of you going, pick a spot on the map to travel to, strike at the group and do as much damage as you can for as long as you can. If you have to fall back or return here, do so. We would rather have the information learned from a failed assault than have you throw your lives away." "We can provide equipment for this from our stores, but we don't have gear for large sizes, like ogres or minotaurs, or other exotic weapons or special materials premade. Some of this can be fashioned, but clearly you can't make a suit of ogre sized armor over night. Keep your requests logical. The Thain has authorized roughly 100 gold per person in supplies. This includes healing potions. He has authorized that you may keep any spoils, but you must report it because we need to know the level of wealth, weaponry, armor, and magic that these enemies have. If they are raiding ancient ruins, lairs and tombs, we wish to see the items to record from what era and culture they come from." "You probably have a lot of questions. I can take a few. Keep them brief, but clearly I wish to answer them if they are important."
The group is assigned a location on the map, and given a copy of the map. "Safeguard this with your lives, destroy it if needed. We will also provision you with food for a week, any more and you will need to supplement with hunting. Given that your destination is almost a week away, this is almost a certainty. We cannot supply more immediately, until shipments of food reserves arrive from the south, we need to prepare for a siege. Of course if you all succeed it will be that much less likely, or easier to survive." Unless there are further questions or requests, the meeting wraps up and the group is escorted back to their quarters. Hawke seems to nod confidently at the group as you part ways. Back in your quarters for the evening the group settles in and discusses their quest. You partake of an evening meal and doze off to sleep. In the morning the sentries wake you as some supply and inventory dwarves along with a marshal roll some small carts in with crates of gear and supplies. They unload all the items, looking askance at the groups strange make up, and then present a clipboard with a document to sign for the items. Your share languages has worn off though so you may need to refresh a comprehend languages.
Day 6 - Morning The group moves out, packing their supplies and then notifying the sentries outside, they arrange for you to be escorted from the fort. Shortly the typical armed escort arrives and they take you back through the tunnels and passages of the fort. Eventually you are taken to a small chamber that must connect to the lake. A boat is here and a dock. They must have water access from this room. Head Marshal Hawke is here with some of the other marshals you have met. Hawke invokes a wand, and speaks to the group. "Another group ready to tackle our enemies. This mission is very important but also very dangerous. I trust that your training will carry you through. You can return here at any point, success or failure, or if you need to report something new, or restock on supplies." The other marshals nod and acknowledge you. You are loaded into the boat and one of the marshals poles the boat into motion. You proceed through a gauntlet of robust security as expected, gates and portcullises raised and lowered as the small boat makes it way out onto the lake. It is met on the other side by a patrol boat escort that actually tows you to the two tower gap at the river lake inlet. The patrol boats must be partly powered by magic or innovation as they pull you against the current without tacking. The day seems a bit overcast, perhaps rain is in your future, but pleasant enough. Small swarms of midges flit across the lake pursued by dragonflies. The group checks their supplies and the map Hawke entrusted you with. On the other side of the towers, you are deposited on the docks. The stream of refugees has trickled to very few now. A few hunters or trappers coming and going, no more large camps of people with mule teams or the like. As the boat pulls away from the shore, you watch it with mixed emotions, but look ahead to the north. Somewhere out there, in the rugged mountain valleys, canyons and highlands is the enemy you seek.
Hawke, scratches his head, "Why does everyone want these chakram things? I must be missing something about these magical circles of death. Maybe I should check them out. Sorry catman, we don't have any of those around these parts. The rest is easily gotten from the supplies." "Does your group want to select a specific spot on the map?" He points to a variety of valleys and canyons on the map that each of the giant sub-units are taking according to their reports.
"Noted, no problem with that stuff. Easy to get."
Inspired by Simon's banner and outfitted in gear, the group calls to the sentries their readiness. There is some talking and commotion outside as they open the door and the sentries motion you out. Shortly the typical armed escort arrives and they take you back through the tunnels and passages of the fort. You think, maybe, just possibly, you might be figuring out how some of it is laid out, but as soon as that happens the take you a different direction. Eventually you are taken to a small chamber that must connect to the lake. A boat is here and a dock. They must have water access from this room. Head Marshal Hawke is here with some of the other marshals you have met. Hawke invokes a wand, and speaks to the group. "Well you are the first of your people to step forth to tackle this army. I hope we have prepared you well enough, but also trust in your own abilities and skills. From what I have seen from another group of your people, you seem to be capably trained. If your mission succeeds or fails, return as needed. This isn't a fancy farewell, but a mission." The other marshals nod and acknowledge you. You are loaded into the boat and one of the marshals poles the boat into motion. You proceed through a gauntlet of robust security as expected, gates and portcullises raised and lowered as the small boat makes it way out onto the lake. It is met on the other side by a patrol boat escort that actually tows you to the two tower gap at the river lake inlet. The patrol boats must be partly powered by magic or innovation as they pull you against the current without tacking. The day seems a bit overcast, perhaps rain is in your future, but pleasant enough. Small swarms of midges flit across the lake pursued by dragonflies. Everything seems a bit surreal, but you are glad to be out in the fresh air and give your lungs a break from the chemical fumes of your overnight alchemy. Everyone double-checks their belongings. Hawke gave you a map of the area, telling you to protect it with your lives, or destroy it before it falls into enemy hands. On the other side of the towers, you are deposited on the docks. The stream of refugees has trickled to very few now. A few hunters or trappers coming and going, no more large camps of people with mule teams or the like. As the boat pulls away from the shore, you watch it with mixed emotions, but look ahead to the north. Somewhere out there, in the rugged mountain valleys, canyons and highlands is the enemy you seek.
Hawke looks skeptically at the large list, but says "We can probably get this stuff, there isn't anything too fancy here."
"All right, I will put you down for cold weather gear as well. I forget you do not know what to expect, but the terrain is rugged and unforgiving, this isn't a stroll in the park."
As the various groups make their equipment requests, Hawke announces. "Keep in mind you are venturing into the mountains. It is cold there, and there are glaciers of black ice. I recommend fur cloaks and solid sturdy clothes, not the rags and skins you are all wearing."
They note down all the gear you request and indicate that it should be no problem. "You people might want some warmer clothing, cold mountains and all, black ice glaciers. Harsh terrain..." He looks at the crude clothes you are wearing currently and just shakes his head a bit.
Hawke looks at Qahnaarin,"Eh shurikens? Those little throwing things? We don't have those here. People actually use those? Always thought it was a joke. " He looks at Gunther, "Studded leather and buckler it is." then nodding at Champawat's list "Chakra-wha? Those round bladed things? No one around here uses those either, sounds like a good way to hurt yourself. I can get you some hemp rope, we got miles of that. That fancy silk rope is high demand, and you won't find much of that here." "Sure you people don't want some more clothes? You are going into the mountains, land of the Black Ice. Those crappy leather slippers you got on and your hodge-podge of pajamas and cave people style skins might be a little on the ineffective side. I recommend hooded fur cloaks and cold weather gear, but that's just me, what do I know?"
"We have extra maps already. Please assemble a reasonable list of equipment required, nothing exotic or masterwork. We will attempt to have it to you by the morning. At that point you may depart if it is your wish. It will be more efficient if we requisition the gear or obtain it rather than have you wander around at night when the shops are closed. Of course the Thain also wants to keep you all from disturbing the masses.
"Could a simple chain, leather, or hide shirt be fashioned for one such as myself? It need not fit well if it provides some meager protection." "Yes, but the amount of time it will take will not be short." He says to Lotham. "For a medium creature, we have available items."
Jopple's eye go wide as Tayanella looks at her, and some of her snake heads by virtue of her attention also focus on Jopple, who hasn't understood what Tayanella says. Hawke responds to Asheranthi. "Get me a list of scrolls, we are sometimes able to get some very basic low level ones."
"He looks at you for a moment. Does your helper know someone?" He points at Jopple.
"Frogman, you can arrange that with Cronin. His schedule and research are dictated by the Thain though, but I venture he will be willing to see you. I see you have been assigned an assistant? She or Dorval can help with that as well. Have a list of your equipment needs drafted in our Common tongue, and delivered to one of my marshals."
Hawke studies the map. "Well you may be able to find a spot to work from. The hills are dotted with old ruins and lairs. There are no formal fortifications, and I am not sure what you can accomplish in a short amount of time, but you are welcome to create an obstacle. I think this valley here has some old ruins you could check out." He stabs his finger at a spot on the map and takes a little colored marker and tacks it to the spot. "You are all signed up. Every group will get a copy of this map. Safeguard it well. The enemies know the lands to some extent, but a map like this would help them greatly. If it comes down to it, burn the map before they get it."
"The ogres are attired as is typical for the more....uncivilized types....That being a smattering of hide or furs, whatever they can find or skin from their victims. It does not seem that the giants have taken any pains to armor them or expend many resources on them. Your plan of infiltration may work well, although there are not enough of them that they would not notice a new face. It may work if you sort of 'wandered' by and joined up, although they may just as likely kill you. It is a plan that warrants development if you are willing."
"Will your group need any provisions or equipment?" Hawke asks your group. Even though you have secured some treasure, he isn't sure where you are at in terms of getting it spent. He may be only vaguely aware of Jopple and that arrangement.
"We can find a smaller sized longbow, there are some halfling hunters who find the bow more to their liking than the traditional sling." He nods at one of other marshals who takes a note. "Any other formal requests?"
The escort commander returns soon to lead you to a meeting with Head Marshal Hawke. He stands in front of a table with maps and notes. Other marshals are arrayed with him, and there are rows of benches arranged. Many of the other groups are here meeting and signing up for targeted strikes against the giants and their allies. The various groups file in and chit chat and greet each other. Marshal Hawke seems like a lean no nonsense sort of person. He has the sort of dark eyes that see much and can take stock of a person in a glance. As Sly takes measure of him, he looks back meeting his gaze. He starts out in your Common Tongue, probably aided by a Tongues spell. "OK, not everyone is here yet, but that is to be expected. Let's get this rolling and I can dole out duties if we get any other recruits from your people. Here is what is happening. A fire giant name Rambanchus, self stylized as a king of some sort, has been mighy successful in raising an army of monsters to come and sack this fort. This fort, as you know is a bastion of power in this wilderness and is fairly impregnable against your run of the mill ragtag band of orcs or what have you. A lot of trade and resources come down the river, past the dam and on to the towns and cities of the kingdom. The economy of this is at stake. Clearly if a major army appeared, it would be met with an equal army sent by the king. However we are not at war with anyone, and you don't often see that level of organization among the tribes of the various humanoid races." "This is something a little different, not an army, but not just a raiding force bent on stealing a few cows. Due to the unique nature and powers of the creatures the enemies have assembled, we need to unique response. The Thain has already determined to not ask for aid from the King, feeling as though it is not needed, wishing to deal with it himself. Dwarven pride and all that." "Anyhow, we know that Rambanchus has divided his forces into smaller groups, able to move faster. They are also not crossing that great of an area. They don't need supply trains and a giants can carry a lot of food for the few weeks it would take to come here and wreak havoc. We know that there are plenty of orcs, goblinoids, ogres, trolls, ettins and cyclops among the forces. Apparently Rambanchus has been quite successful in emptying the hills and mountains of these creatures and forming them into some sort of band with the promise of war, food, and riches. They are stemming from the mountains to the north. These rugged areas are harsh and many of the ranges are covered in the black ice, but beneath the ice lie hundreds of miles of tunnels and open areas. The ranges are volcanic in origin and large portions of the ice have melted leaving, huge caverns that could hold entire towns. A griffon rider cannot see any of this from the sky. We don't even have maps of what lies under the ice. Some of these bands have come to the surface and we are seeing them moving." "Your role is to pick a group of these creatures and strike at them. Whether through full assault or through sowing fear, doubt, dissent, or creating chaos to cause these groups to break apart or fail, I don't care. We need people willing to take these risks. My riders are already spread thing, and this is not the kind of things they do. The dwarves are slow moving and would just as soon meet these forces head on in battle to the last one standing. That won't always work. If you can manage it great, otherwise get in, and get out. While we have these individual groups weakened, slowed or eliminated, we can focus on the leadership, which will be much much more difficult. We know little so far, but with some magical scrying and divination we have discovered he is no slouch. To prove this, our scrying was blocked shortly after our first attempts. Rambanchus has skilled arcane and or divine magic aiding him as well. " "None the less, with some luck most of them won't even make it here, and will give up without a cohesive force or leader." "I have identified on these maps where these sub-groups are moving from. As mentioned most are some combination of humanoids, giant types and the like. They have recently added aerial support, manticores, wyverns, and they have hell hound scouts as well as other minions. Expect to encounter other creatures in their service a well, many that we have not seen yet. Our plan is simple. For those of you going, pick a spot on the map to travel to, strike at the group and do as much damage as you can for as long as you can. If you have to fall back or return here, do so. We would rather have the information learned from a failed assault than have you throw your lives away." "We can provide equipment for this from our stores, but we don't have gear for large sizes, like ogres or minotaurs, or other exotic weapons or special materials premade. Some of this can be fashioned, but clearly you can't make a suit of ogre sized armor over night. Keep your requests logical. The Thain has authorized roughly 100 gold per person in supplies. This includes healing potions. He has authorized that you may keep any spoils, but you must report it because we need to know the level of wealth, weaponry, armor, and magic that these enemies have. If they are raiding ancient ruins, lairs and tombs, we wish to see the items to record from what era and culture they come from." "You probably have a lot of questions. I can take a few. Keep them brief, but clearly I wish to answer them if they are important."
The Head Marshal shakes his head slightly. "Will your group need provisions and any equipment within reason?"
"We believe they have magical aid, as our initial efforts to scry the leader were successful, but afterwards were blocked. We have confirmed that they have both divine and arcane magical aid." Nodding, "Very well, may our two peoples work to a mutually beneficial end to this and life can return to normal." The escort commander leads the group back to their quarters for a short time, and then returns to lead you to a meeting with Head Marshal Hawke. He stands in front of a table with maps and notes. Other marshals are arrayed with him, and there are rows of benches arranged. Many of the other groups are here meeting and signing up for targeted strikes against the giants and their allies. The various groups file in and chit chat and greet each other. Marshal Hawke seems like a lean no nonsense sort of person. He has the sort of dark eyes that see much and can take stock of a person in a glance. As Sly takes measure of him, he looks back meeting his gaze. He starts out in your Common Tongue, probably aided by a Tongues spell. "OK, not everyone is here yet, but that is to be expected. Let's get this rolling and I can dole out duties if we get any other recruits from your people. Here is what is happening. A fire giant name Rambanchus, self stylized as a king of some sort, has been mighy successful in raising an army of monsters to come and sack this fort. This fort, as you know is a bastion of power in this wilderness and is fairly impregnable against your run of the mill ragtag band of orcs or what have you. A lot of trade and resources come down the river, past the dam and on to the towns and cities of the kingdom. The economy of this is at stake. Clearly if a major army appeared, it would be met with an equal army sent by the king. However we are not at war with anyone, and you don't often see that level of organization among the tribes of the various humanoid races." "This is something a little different, not an army, but not just a raiding force bent on stealing a few cows. Due to the unique nature and powers of the creatures the enemies have assembled, we need to unique response. The Thain has already determined to not ask for aid from the King, feeling as though it is not needed, wishing to deal with it himself. Dwarven pride and all that." "Anyhow, we know that Rambanchus has divided his forces into smaller groups, able to move faster. They are also not crossing that great of an area. They don't need supply trains and a giants can carry a lot of food for the few weeks it would take to come here and wreak havoc. We know that there are plenty of orcs, goblinoids, ogres, trolls, ettins and cyclops among the forces. Apparently Rambanchus has been quite successful in emptying the hills and mountains of these creatures and forming them into some sort of band with the promise of war, food, and riches. They are stemming from the mountains to the north. These rugged areas are harsh and many of the ranges are covered in the black ice, but beneath the ice lie hundreds of miles of tunnels and open areas. The ranges are volcanic in origin and large portions of the ice have melted leaving, huge caverns that could hold entire towns. A griffon rider cannot see any of this from the sky. We don't even have maps of what lies under the ice. Some of these bands have come to the surface and we are seeing them moving." "Your role is to pick a group of these creatures and strike at them. Whether through full assault or through sowing fear, doubt, dissent, or creating chaos to cause these groups to break apart or fail, I don't care. We need people willing to take these risks. My riders are already spread thing, and this is not the kind of things they do. The dwarves are slow moving and would just as soon meet these forces head on in battle to the last one standing. That won't always work. If you can manage it great, otherwise get in, and get out. While we have these individual groups weakened, slowed or eliminated, we can focus on the leadership, which will be much much more difficult. We know little so far, but with some magical scrying and divination we have discovered he is no slouch. To prove this, our scrying was blocked shortly after our first attempts. Rambanchus has skilled arcane and or divine magic aiding him as well. " "None the less, with some luck most of them won't even make it here, and will give up without a cohesive force or leader." "I have identified on these maps where these sub-groups are moving from. As mentioned most are some combination of humanoids, giant types and the like. They have recently added aerial support, manticores, wyverns, and they have hell hound scouts as well as other minions. Expect to encounter other creatures in their service a well, many that we have not seen yet. Our plan is simple. For those of you going, pick a spot on the map to travel to, strike at the group and do as much damage as you can for as long as you can. If you have to fall back or return here, do so. We would rather have the information learned from a failed assault than have you throw your lives away." "We can provide equipment for this from our stores, but we don't have gear for large sizes, like ogres or minotaurs, or other exotic weapons or special materials premade. Some of this can be fashioned, but clearly you can't make a suit of ogre sized armor over night. Keep your requests logical. The Thain has authorized roughly 100 gold per person in supplies. This includes healing potions. He has authorized that you may keep any spoils, but you must report it because we need to know the level of wealth, weaponry, armor, and magic that these enemies have. If they are raiding ancient ruins, lairs and tombs, we wish to see the items to record from what era and culture they come from." "You probably have a lot of questions. I can take a few. Keep them brief, but clearly I wish to answer them if they are important."
The other marshals in the room say to Xanya (who has the share languages running yet). "He is under a lot of stress lately. He has been flying missions night and day and not sleeping." They sort of shrug at you. @Quassine: You catch up to the Marshal who has a fiery look in his eye and his jaw set hard. After you speak, he say "I shouldn't get so fired up, they are just words of one who doesn't know. You are new strangers here and don't have any idea what is going on. I will go meditate briefly. If you are going, chose a spot on the map and the other marshals will work with you." He stalks off. @Kiki: (earlier before he stormed off) "We can find some small kitchen knives perhaps. Maybe modify some war dog barding. Poisons are harder to come by, and very expensive. We try not to keep that sort of thing around, it always leads to something bad."
"There is typically one or two per group at most."
Hawke snarls at Xanya, "Hold your tongue, you have no idea what risks I and my people put themselves through every day. I and my people won't be here safe preparing the defenses! Who do think got this information for you? This is not about glory! I've half a mind to slap some respect into you. Bah! We're done here for now." The Marshal turns and leaves the room. The other marshals look at each other in an 'uh oh' sort of manner.
"Very well I will mark you down for this spot here." He marks a spot on the map that one of the more northern points.
"There will be many choke points and places to assault them. They are not expecting a force, as they realize the dwarven units are slow and not prone to large scale outdoor fights. They also know that unless we call in the army, we do not have the offensive force with my riders to tackle them as well. They may be overconfident, taking less precautions as they travel, partly due to their own scouts. Beware of hell hounds, wyverns and manticores."
"We can get you alchemical base ingredients. We will provision you. Are you sure you people don't need clothes, blankets, survival gear?"
Hawke nods at Quassine, "What ya be needin lock picks and drills and stuff for out in the wilds? Alchemical kit we should be able to round up from the gnome alchemists. Why do you need a masterwork backpack for the mission? Won't a regular one do?"
"If I get someone working on a saddle today, we might have it tweaked by the morning. Would you wish to leave in the morning? Oh, and right now, well we don't know the most dangerous of these advance groups. Clearly the leader and his entourage will be the mots dangerous but that will be the main force, and we don't expect any one group to tackle them." He paces back and forth a bit in thought. "We can probably round up the rest of the stuff to by morning. How does that sound?"
He writes some more information on his paper. "Some of those may be difficult to come by quickly."
Head Marshal Hawke elaborates further, "Each group seems to be led by a fire giant, along with a smattering of lesser giants or humanoids like ogres, and a band of goblinoids, orcs or the like. Many groups have some other monsters along as well, whatever they could convince to join on it seems." "Since the addition of wyverns and manticores and other flying beings, we have not been able to gather as much information through scouting. We have tried divination, but it is time consuming and costly and we are out of time." "If you are in, pick a spot on the map and we will assign it your group, and we will get you outfitted and on your way."
Head Marshal Hawke elaborates further, "Each group seems to be led by a fire giant, along with a smattering of lesser giants or humanoids like ogres, and a band of goblinoids, orcs or the like. Many groups have some other monsters along as well, whatever they could convince to join on it seems." "Since the addition of wyverns and manticores and other flying beings, we have not been able to gather as much information through scouting. We have tried divination, but it is time consuming and costly and we are out of time." "If you are in, pick a spot on the map and we will assign it your group, and we will get you outfitted and on your way."
"The terrain is rugged, where they are, hunting trails and other natural paths such as dry river beds or canyons will serve them best. They may forge though a forest, creatures such as giants and their kin will leave a swath of destruction. I may alerts the druids they may be interested." He writes a note on a piece of paper. "When they arrive closer they will use the trails that the miners and loggers used, but we suspect they will waste little time in approaching the fort, hopefully they leave the camps alone once they find nothing of use there. Though they may burn them out of malice and spite."
"The location leaves me to believe they were independent and not related. I am sure that they would attempt to recruit them if they could, they were a menace in any event."
"Ok there, well nothing to help against fire. I will see about potions, but our people are backlogged as it is." He walks over and looks at Cryxial, "Might be we can modify a saddle for the creature." He scribbles something on a piece of paper with a quill. "Mithral breastplate, dream on. Studded leather it is. We have armor for small people, a few tweaks it should work." he scrawls some more stuff. "Chakrams, no, none o' that exotic stuff. How about a crossbow? Rosewood armor, good one, hah, umm no. Ok, some tiny daggers for the spider..person. No wakizashis, are you kidding? These are dwarven smiths."
Head Marshal Hawke elaborates further, "Each group seems to be led by a fire giant, along with a smattering of lesser giants or humanoids like ogres, and a band of goblinoids, orcs or the like. Many groups have some other monsters along as well, whatever they could convince to join on it seems." "Since the addition of wyverns and manticores and other flying beings, we have not been able to gather as much information through scouting. We have tried divination, but it is time consuming and costly and we are out of time." "If you are in, pick a spot on the map and we will assign it your group, and we will get you outfitted and on your way."
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