[3.5E] Heretic's Bane - Beyond the Dale

[Gryndel]

Magnum

With a shrug, Magnum replied to Buna, "This is part of the Baron's responsibility, so I'd say he's in charge. If he wants me to be in command he'll tell us. As to splitting the party, good point."

Though they had agreed they were going to try talking, he began to cast spells to prepare for battle.

Spoiler: OOC

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HP 105/105
AC 34 (39 vs giants)
Freedom of Movement (100 minutes, self)
Mass Resist Energy (100 minutes, Lightning - 20, all)
Spell Resistance (22, 10 minutes, self)
Silverbeard (10 minutes, +2 AC sacred bonus, self)
Bull Strength (11 rds, self)
Weapon of Energy (10 rds, Fire, my giantbane axe)
Triad Spell (cast one spell of up to 3rd level 3 times): Fell the Greatest Foe (10 rds, +1d6/size category difference on Thordrek, Grath and Johannes?)
Quick March on all (+30 speed for 1 round)

Cast in the above order, presuming 1 rd/spell cast, the durations listed begin as he casts subsequent spells, so some will only last a brief period by the time we get going. I'll list the remaining durations in my next post.)

[thorgrim29]

Thordrek

(hey, so we lost Johanness' player, but he usually would be the one opening negociations, do you want to play him or did he just stay behind?)

Good point Buna, together it is then, as soon as we're done with the spells. Joh, do you want to do the honours? What are they doing, why, leave or die, that sort of thing, you know your job

[mshady]

Round 6

Wyatt (Initiative 23): Delayed

Sabine (Initiative 16): Deciding that Kal-resh at least was back into this, as he is now back into his monstrous form. It was impressively fearsome. In the air, she flies past Wyatt and slaps a vial into his hands and advises him what it does in case he couldn’t read the label. She than flicks a healing potion at Kal-resh’s feet and advises him it was for healing. She accomplishes all this in a matter of moment as she speeds through the air, taking full advantage of the spell.
With that brief but important task accomplished in moments, the invisible assassin moves towards The Hunter. Under the protection of this spell, she could target her sneak attacks on this big brute and there was nary a thing she could do. Her thrust with her rapier strikes The Hunter, finding a gap in his breastplate and chain links. Something underneath the armor stops the blade from sinking in too deeply, keeping her from puncturing the organ she was aiming for but his hide was tough! The blade still dug deep and the tough old orc snarled from the unexpected pain.

Sabine inflicts 19 HP on The Hunter. He seems to have sort of ability to shrug off some of this damage.

Greater Invisibility: 2/12 rounds

Wyatt (Initiative 15 – Delayed from 23): Deciding it was time to clear out, he takes the potion from the cloaked Sabine with a moment of surprise. He understood what she was doing, and she was sure it was going to be deadly. So Wyatt clears out of the area for the moment, but not before whipping a thunderstone at the orcs in hopes of making it harder for The Hunter to give his orders to his troops.
The stone whips through the air and drops behind the ranks (K8) and explodes with a mighty crack! He sees the nearby troops reel from the sound. The two closest orcs (H2, H3) appear to clutch their ears in apparent pain, causing their spears to waver for a moment…

The Hunter (Initiative 12): Sabine had his attention now, and The Hunter looked at the blood flowing from his fresh wound with annoyance. His eyes dart around the area to see if he somehow missed something, but he was a smart and experienced orc and worked out what happened pretty quickly. He was facing a magic user, after all.

So he takes his lance and grips it with two hands, draws it back behind him and swings the 10 foot lance in a wide arc in front of him. He uses it like an enormous bat, trying to connect with whoever in front of him just wounded him.

Sabine realizes what is going on just in time to duck underneath a swing moving so fast it whistled through the air past her. While this orc could not see her, it still had a bigger weapon that could hit her extremely hard simply by sweeping it hard in the direction he was stabbed from.

“Smoke! Now! To the road!” The Hunter snarls, but not everyone can hear him.

The Hunter rolled high enough with his improvised weapon to hit, but Sabine’s 50% concealment just saved her.

Kal-Resh (Initiative 10): This enemy was really starting to frustrate him. All he wanted to do was get to grips with them and kill them, but their nasty, nasty spears kept him away. It was surprisingly effective, something he had never encountered before, and he had an almost irrational fear of them for the moment. So instead of pressing the attack or flanking, Kal-resh takes the surprising gift of the potion from the invisible Sabine. He snaps the potion tube off the ground, taking some dirt and grass with it. He takes the potion and tosses it in his mouth, with his powerful bite crunching the potion. It ruptures and spills the warm, wonderful liquid into his mouth and he feels rejuvenated from his wounds. Not completely, but enough for the moment.

Kal is healed for 15 HP.

When Kal pulls back, it allows the two spearmen a chance to attack him again with those damnable spears. They race out to him and try to puncture his tough hide again, he twists and flails his arms with desperation to knock the spears away. In the end, neither spear hits Kal, but it was a close thing.

The Orc Soldiers: The orc soldiers hear their orders, and toss a smokestick in the vicinity of Kal-resh and Wyatt. The rest of the smokesticks fall inside their formation, creating a cloud of smoke inside the formation to create some cover. With their cover in place, the orcs start to pull back…

One of them leaves the area near Sabine, and she attacks the orc. In the choking, hazy smoke though, her thrust misses the fleeing orc. They were fleeing, right? The pink circles on the map represent the effects of the smokesticks that were just deployed. Their effect is just like “obscuring mist”

Effect Note: A bank of fog billows out from the point you designate. The fog obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target).

A moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the fog in 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the fog in 1 round.
The Hunter’s Guard (Initiative 8): Two of the guards don’t understand the order to toss the smokesticks, but they understand the order to withdraw in time to follow the rest of their group as they fall back.

[Strangie]

Wyatt

Getting smoked out, Wyatt runs out of the smoke to the east, in the hopes of tagging orcs as they try to retreat. This would be the perfect time to get them, because he knows for sure they can't outrun him... he thought so, at least... and could easily harass them while they tried to flee. He attempted to jump over the caltrop trap to get closer to the orcs toward the back rank to try and pick him off...

Actions

Spoiler

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Gonna move east and then up a bit to L8, and I'm going to jump as part of my movement right before I go over the caltrops to try and avoid that square entirely. I'll then attack the O8 orc from that space, and then double back out, jumping over the caltrops again, to N8. Quite literally a spring attack! He does not get to AoO me. I can't imagine the jump DC being high because it is 1 per foot, so I probably don't even need to roll. In case I do, my jump skill check is +16.

Once I reach my target space, I'll attack! I get that guy is in the smoke, though. Since I'll be right next to him, I can target him, but I have a miss chance of 20%, which I'll roll here.

Anyway, here goes.

Attack!: (1d20+15)[19]
Damage: (1d3+1)[2] plus Skirmish of (5d6)[20]

Concealment Check (20 or less is a miss): (1d100)[78]

If Crit (natural 18 on attack roll or higher):

Spoiler

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Crit Check: (1d20+15)[27]
Extra Crit Damage: (1d3+1)[3]

Defensive Stats

HP 58/64
AC 36 (Touch 24, flat 28) - this is including his skirmish bonuses
Fort 7
Ref 15
Will 9

[Gorgon_Heap]

Round 7

Sabine sneers in anger even her magical blade is somehow facing some resistance trying to perforate the mighty Hunter. She performs a midair horizontal spin as he grows and sweeps the air with his massive weapon. It was entirely too close for comfort, but she knows she's hurt him.

As good a thought as that is, she knows it's far too little, and at his command the other hobs begin snapping their special twigs, filling the air with an acrid smog rather more thick with chemicals than her own magical abilities. She knows a single lucky strike by that monster might break her spine, but so long as she has the advantage she's going to use it. And it sounds like he's scared. Well, maybe smart, but she'll go with scared.

She strikes again, punching through the smoke...

Spoiler: Action

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Attack (1d20+21)[26]
Crit (1d20+21)[27]

Damage/sneak (1d6+3)[5] + (6d6)[22]

[mshady]

Introductions

OOC: How is Magnum at AC39 v. Giants instead of AC38? I thought it was a +4 AC v. Giants. What am I missing?

Having resolved a show of force would be best when dealing with an unknown situation, the protective spells are cast and the group gets ready to meet the giants. Buna has a flag pole with the banner of the Iron House of Tethyamar and she holds the flag, so the others know who is approaching.

They retreat a little bit and instead approach the group along the main road, so as not to give the giants the idea that they were being spied on. They might consider that rude, after all.

So the group approaches the farm the giants were occupying openly, instead of attacking from ambush, as they were unsure what they were going to find. If one of them was not a follower of some evil God, this could all be complicated but could be resolved with words. If not, they had just given away their only advantage against a very dangerous foe.

As they walk through the gates of the farm, they see that the giants were late to notice their arrival and were just getting into position to greet the new arrivals. They can see the heavily armored giant standing next to one in a robe and mail, along with three other giants wearing chainmail and holding massive morning stars, with two spiked metal balls on the end of a thick chain. The heavily armored giant has a more massive flail with five heads that each glow a slightly different color in the darkness. Otherwise, the giants are all wearing tunics with fine looking embroidery and every single one of them has rings, arm bands and necklaces that look quite valuable. The biggest one wore a large horn on his side, so big that it probably came from a dragon. The one wearing the robes is a female, she is shorter and less stocky than the bearded giant next to her, but she is the one giving the orders it would appear. She turns to one of the younger giants and signals one with a flick of her ring adorned finger and a boulder comes sailing through the air from the right and rolls right past the group. There is no sign of the three other giants that you saw earlier that were working, but you also did not see where that first stone came from either.

"That close enough, it is" the giantess says in accented common, she advises the dwarves with a firm voice. The three younger giants now have carved, round stones in their hands as opposed to a roughly hewn rock like most giants would carry.

"Openly, you approach us. Under banner of the dwarfs. Few in number you are. Your bravery amuses. Now who is your Speaker? If you wish words, speak them plainly and with promptness" she asks, a somewhat bemused smile on her face.

Johannes immediately keys in on the fact that, however unusual this giantess's use of common phrasing was, she mainly spoke in short, declarative sentences and was demanding. She also gave away nothing in her opening words. She also believed she was speaking from a position of strength and this conversation was an indulgence for her, an act of toleration. The prominent displays of wealth, real jewelry fashioned by actual smiths showed at least an appreciation for wealth and these giants were intelligent. They were also 18 feet, had massive weapons and could probably fly as well, but clearly fighting was not their very first choice even if they were well prepared for it.

"Well Johannes, I think you're the Speaker. We want them to leave the farm and not come back" Buna says to Johannes in a loud whisper.

Gripping his bow, he can hear the thoughts of Gemeye. The golden eye of the bow glows now. Usually it was a dull light, but now the situation had roused the dormant bow's attention. The power of the bow made Johannes' fingers tingle through the gloves he wore.

"These giants like shiny things, but they're just baubles. They've got nothing like me. That big flail looks like the only half way decent thing they actually have, and what a classless weapon that is. Metal heads on a chain? Please... I bet if they toss another boulder, we can shoot it out of the air. I assume you can do a trick shot like that, just like I have to assume you can actually shoot. You never have time for me. I assume if my creators gave something as magnificent as I to you, it was because you would actually use me. I'm lucky if I get to burn a hay bale..." Gemeye moves from prideful to petulant to a bit of a sulk all in the space of a few moments of though.

Mostly, the bow just seemed to complain that Johannes was not good enough to carry him, and he was convinced that was some sort of cruel joke from Glorian who resented having to craft the bow in the first place. It was occasionally insightful though, but mostly it seemed to enjoy discussing the inferiority of other weapons.

[Gryndel]

Magnum

The disgruntled priest of war cheered slightly at the initial words spoken by the giant, which he took as the opening challenge to a battle. Readying a spell, he waited with uncommon patience for one of his calling in the presence of giants.

Spoiler: OOC

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The Giant Bane ability from the Sum Alaghor grants an additional +1 dodge vs giants at his current level.

Since we changed tactics slightly the Quick March, Bull Strength, and Weapon of Energy spells would not be cast. Otherwise, the rest are in effect. Not sure how much time would pass between casting the last spell and where we are noticed, so some of them may be wasted by expiring before we reach that point. While I really dislike wasting spells, he would cast the following anyway, in case things were not as they seemed when we started.

HP 105/105
AC 34 (39 vs giants)
Freedom of Movement (100 minutes, self)
Mass Resist Energy (100 minutes, Lightning - 20, all)
Spell Resistance (22, 10 minutes, self)
Silverbeard (10 minutes, +2 AC sacred bonus, self)
Triad Spell (cast one spell of up to 3rd level 3 times): Fell the Greatest Foe (10 rds, +1d6/size category difference on Thordrek, Grath and Johannes?)

Ready spell: Flame Strike on the female (if we're within range, which is 200') if battle commences. If we're not that close then ready the Quick March spell.

[mshady]

Round 7

Wyatt (Initiative 23): Remembering where the orcs were, Wyatt bravely resumes the attack and hurtles the caltrops in his path before attacking one of the weaker orcs with a ferocious chop from him kukri. Unfortunately for him, his brave attack is turned away by the orc’s chainmail as he reacts quick enough to make the blade slide off the armor inside of bite and chop through it. The orc grunts from the blow and swings at the departing Wyatt but his riposte is too late and the halfling disappears into the smoke again.

Sabine (Initiative 16): Deciding the orc was more scared than smart as he clumsily (but swiftly!) swung his lance like a giant club in front of him, Sabine decides to press the attack even though the orc is bobbing and weaving on top of his mount, using his massive forearm to protect himself. She tries her best to hit the moving target, but the unpredictable movements result in Sabine’s thrust being deflected by the thick bracer the orc is wearing. It clangs off the bracer with a spark and a painful rasp, causing the orc hunter’s eyes to go wide with alarm at how close his assailant was.

OOC: Sabine would recognize The Hunter’s actions as being like a fighter utilizing the Combat Expertise feat.

The Hunter (Initiative 12): With the proximity of an unknown but deadly attacker, The Hunter runs through his own options and is clearly frustrated, even a bit rattled with how this has gone. Shockingly enough, he tosses aside his lance and grabs the horse by the main.

“Run home” he instructs the war horse in suddenly calm orcish, grabbing the horse by its mane to get it’s attention in the chaos. The Hunter throws open his heavy jacket, revealing several potions held fast by leather straps like it was some sort of jacket bandolier. He reaches for a blue vial, snapping it out of it’s holder and stops his weaving long enough for Sabine to strike at him but once again she cannot hit a vulnerable area and instead bangs off of the thick breastplate of this unusual orc (rolled a 24 on Attack of Opportunity). Having struck that plate twice and not even gouging it with her own blade, she knows that it must be heavily enchanted.

The Hunter grunts from the force of the blow, more in annoyance, and hesitates with the potion as if deciding whether his current opponent was worth its expenditure. He grabs his horse by its’ mane and commands it to “Run home” in suddenly calm orcish. His voice immediately changed to a frighteningly loud one though.

“Scatter and I will bring Glory to the One Eyed God!!” he roars in a voice louder than anything humanoid sized had any right to be.

Next, the Hunter flicks the cork out of the potion and downs it one quick gulp before rolling off his mount. Before he hits the ground, the simply disappears from sight himself, playing the same trick that Sabine had played on him. There is an audible *smack* on the rump of the horse, spurring it to run off for the road.

The Hunter is nowhere to be seen now.

Kal-Resh (Initiative 10): Not caring that The Hunter had gone overly much, Kal-resh’s injuries and burns have sent him into a bloody minded frenzy. He charges at the orc, barreling through the caltrops and one bites into his hind foot. A boar spear darts out after him, but this time it cannot penetrate his tough hide and he bulls past it. It elicits a roar of pain that fuels his next brutal attack. The ferocious slayer form that Kal-resh is in is large, terrifying and his teeth are rows of knives already darkened with blood. He lunges at the closest orc and clamps down on its neck with his powerful jaws. They slam shut, cleaving through metal and the orc’s neck. The poor soldier screams, but it comes out as a strangled gurgle and foamy blood before Kal-resh silences him by snapping his own head backwards, ripping the head right off the orc.

Before the orc even hits the ground though, Kal-resh turns his claws on the next orc. The claws rake across the armor, sending chainmail rings flying opening up the armor enough for a second sweep of his claws to cut bloody furrows into the panicked orc’s chest. He immediately follows that up with short, quick thrust with his bloody horn on his nose, driving it through the orc’s chest and killing a second one.

The Orc Soldiers (Initiative 8): Having lost two of their number suddenly and their own leader calling for them to scatter, the three remaining soldiers run off in different directions, sprinting for the woods. It all looks too practiced to be a sudden break of discipline though, as none of them toss their weapons.

The Hunter’s Guard (Initiative 8): The five remaining guards also withdraw, heading off in different directions into the woods at every angle of the compass. They too held on to their boar spears as they went and for good reason, as they seemed to be about the only thing that would deter the monster they were fighting.

Epilogue: With the orc's running off, Sabine and Wyatt watch in frustration as their enemy runs off. Pursuing just one of their fleeing enemies would do little good, and possibly much harm if their invisible leader ambushed them during that pursuit. Clearly, all of these orcs knew the woods well from quickly and confidently they were moving here. This was not a rout at all, but a withdrawal with discipline, even if it looked chaotic at first.

Unfortunately, Kal-resh was not in the mood or mindset to recognize that tactical wisdom. Such was his frenzy that, wounded foot and all, he was going to try and run down as many of the orcs as he could. Wyatt yelled for his comrade to wait, but he stumbled off into the woods after one of the boar spear wielding orcs with vengeance on his mind. Sabine and Wyatt were momentarily unsure of what to do, and even though Wyatt could not actually see her, he could sense her intentions well enough from experience. It would do no good to go charging off after Kal-resh, and the hulking monster could take care of himself.

The sudden flash of light and the banging report of a thunderstone in the middle of group of sleeping dogs was finally enough to rouse the hunting dogs, and they slowly got to their feet and collected their wits.

Realizing it was time to leave the area, Wyatt darts amongst the dead orcs and snatches their purses and anything valuable it looked like they might be wearing with the speed that would guarantee him a job in any thieve's guild in Waterdeep. One of the orcs though, Wyatt discovers that one of them that Wyatt had attacked was still barely alive. He motions to Sabine, and she dismisses her invisibility spell to drag the orc off deeper into the woods. The two looked at the waking dogs and shared a look between themselves, hoping the dogs would not pursue them and instead would seek out their masters.

Kal-resh was nowhere to be found, but his roar could be heard moving away from them. No doubt he had caught and killed at least one of the orcs, taking advantage of their isolation. They would have to try to catch up with him later when the scene clears out. He would not be hard to track. Which was a concern and a comfort....

[Strangie]

Wyatt

"Godsdamnit, damnit, damnit, damnit. Well, Kal can plenty handle himself, but 'dis orc leader is nuts. He's a bit too sharp to let Kal walk all over him." Wyatt remarked as they were dragging off their only takeaway from the fight, one of the orc soldiers. It wasn't what he was hoping for, but it will have to do if they hope to avoid getting into any more tangles, particularly with the dogs awake now. Bailing was probably the only sensible move at this point, but he was visibly concerned about Kal-Resh.

"Kal better come to his senses... we can't afford to go dig him out now, and we can't afford to lose him either. He can track us down, at least. I hope he brings back that guy's head if nothing else. But..." He shook his head. "Well, we'd better do what we can with 'dis loser while we got 'em." He gestures a thumb at their only prisoner. "He BETTER know somethin', for the hassle we just went through."

[Gorgon_Heap]

Slowly bringing her breathing back under control, Sabine looks around the scene with disappointment. She purses her lips and grimaces, peering off into the deep woods, listening to the far-off howls of their erstwhile companion. She retrieves a small kerchief and wipes the Hunter's blood away before stowing the cloth. It'll do, she mentally shrugs.

Sympathizing with Wyatt's curses, she says, "How are you feeling? Are you badly hurt?" If he's still got obvious wounds she gives him a healing potion. "That ... could have gone very differently. I don't think we were properly prepared to bringing somebody back alive. It was kind of a first, you know?" She agrees with Wyatt's assessment of the wounded soldier and listens for Kal again. "We can't afford to wait. Sorry. Let's go."

[mshady]

Sabine & Wyatt

Wyatt and Sabine, but mostly Sabine, haul the wounded orc clear of the scene. They could not go far without stopping to treating the orc and he was bleeding. That was going to leave a scent for the dogs, but clearly they had other priorities for now. It depended on how it all worked out with Kal-resh and the pursuit. With the enemy broken and him reinvigorated, he stood a good chance of running the enemy down but dealing with their leader was an entirely different thing. Still, Kal-resh was a ferocious fighter. It was not going to be easy or quick fight.

While that played out beyond their control, they used their limited time and space to take cover on a small hill behind a grove of trees and fallen, rotten logs. They tossed their prisoner down and Sabine used rope to bind the orc to a sturdy looking tree. She took a moment to find a solid looking branch if she needed to concussively silence the orc. With the preparations made, she poured her smallest healing potion down the orc’s throat and watched the wound on its’ neck and torso heal. Satisfied the potion was working, Sabine stuffed an old sock into the orc’s mouth, checked the bindings again and the two of them waited patiently for the orc to come to.

After two minutes, the orc’s eyes flutter open and his eyes roll forward. They look around, taking a moment to focus before he becomes alert. At first, it was to his wounds which elicited a long groan followed by recognition of his bindings and his unexpected company. The orc tries hard to test his bindings, straining to burst the ropes, but he quickly determined that was hopeless.

Sabine & Wyatt: Now what?

[Gorgon_Heap]

With their muscle - and transportation - out bounding through the woods in a mindless slaughter, Sabine took careful stock of their location and resources. She and Wyatt simply couldn't carry a full-grown orc back to the dwarves. She chews her lip and exchanges a thoughtful look with her small friend. "Well, Wyatt, this has been a day full of disappointments. Sure, we sent that bastard packing, but ..." she waves a hand at the sleeping orc, "I never really appreciated how hard it is to keep people alive." There's a sort of halfhearted whimsy to this philosophical thought, but she casts the deeper meaning or morality and such aside when their prisoner begins to stir.

She rejects several useless plans before making a decision. She draws her blade, places the point heavily on the orc's chest and glowers at him with all the authentic anger, frustration and loathing she's feeling and, while he's still groggy, works a bit of magic. The orc's memories open before her own imagination, but she only scratches the surface before finding exactly what she's looking for: Moments before the fight only minutes earlier. She carefully thinks of the Hunter, his incredible size and presence, his horrible tombstone voice. The orc recalls marching at a rapid pace with his squad mates, the heavy rasping breaths of the dogs drawing them onward. "This is not the first I've heard of scouts probing our defenses," the Hunter tells his troop. "Our enemies would learn about us, but we would also learn about them. I have little doubt we will make quick work of the filth that threatens us, but should the opportunity arise, we must learn more about them. If one of you is in danger of capture, I will feign a withdrawal. If you are led back to our enemies' doorstep, you will learn all you can of them, and we will follow to bring you and your knowledge back..." at that moment the dogs begin to pant and tug all the harder - and the memory merges with what truly happened when the fight began.

Spoiler: Action

Show

Sabine casts Modify Memory and adds in those few moments of orders right before they actually engaged in combat. The idea is to give the orc hope of glory and a continuing mission, to want to come with us, while not actually changing anything. The truth is always better than a lie.

[Strangie]

Wyatt

In response to Sabine's questions about his injuries, he shakes his head. "Nah. Nothin' to write home about, anyway. I got scraped a bit while I was tusslin' with the orcs, but it ain't nothin'. Don't worry about me.... 'preciate it, 'dough."

He remains quiet while Sabine works her magic, to see how the orc responds. She was always better at this sort of thing than he was, anyway - he was a man of action. Words, not so much. Words were the things that let him get chewed on by a dragon a hundred times his size.

[mshady]

Sabine and Wyatt

Thinking through her options, Sabine settled on altering the orc’s memories a bit. With how smart their leader was, she briefly wondered if what she was suggesting to the orc was not what the plan was all along. If she was devious enough to think it up, her opponent seemed the type to come up with the plan too. When Sabine withdraws her blade after the memory modification spell was cast, and waits to see the orc’s reaction. While he might be more willing to come with them now if he did not feel directly threatened, there was no guarantee he would answer any questions truthfully. There were ways to accomplish that task later.
Sabine knew how far Sable would go do that, but how far would Sabine go?

As she watched the orc’s reactions, she watched him become fully alert and test his bindings with full strength. When he determined they were sound, he returned a powerful look of anger and frustration. Indeed, the orc was furious at his captivity but after a moment, his breathing slows and his rage subsides. Looking at his equipment and heraldry, such as it was, this orc was one of The Hunter’s Guard who had those damnable boar spears.

“I am called Naka. Know you orc speak?” the orc asks the two of them in badly accented common, clearly struggling with the words. His red rimmed eyes, common of those who could see in darkness, shift between Sabine and Wyatt.
Of the two, only Wyatt speaks orc and (presumably) nods in response.

“It is hard to tell who leads you, little one. Is it you or the slender female? The Prince will return here soon, I think. Whatever your plan is, I hope it is better than your last one” he smiles through bloody lips at Wyatt. “I will know this of you. Are you thralls of the monster or its’ master? We only care to hunt the monsters of these woods. To protect the horde’s people and sport, but if you are enemies of the horde, you are still enemies of the Prince. Tell me you are it’s thralls and I will speak for your lives. Try and get away if you can, take me even, maybe I know things but you best hurry. I can smell my kin approaching”

As badly wounded as the orc was, as desperate as his position was, he seemed quite confident, even arrogant. That had to come from more than Sabine’s spell and his altered instructions. This was a proud warrior, and he had some intelligence.

If many of these orcs were like this, it was not encouraging for the coming attack.

[RaggedAngel]

Johannes

The situation was quite a pickle, he had to admit. The weakest cloud giants were terrible foes, and an organized group with a spellcaster and a specialized warrior was simply not something to lightly tussle with, even for dwarves. Gemeye was raring to go, of course, but Johannes was not so certain that the bow could outmatch a barrage of possibly-enchanted boulders.

Indeed, their group was in a position of weakness. Logically, he should be begging for a truce, or perhaps offering gifts in exchange for the hostages and the farm. So, naturally, he decided to take a few more steps forward in a gait that could only be called a swagger. "And well met to you, fellow Speaker. My name is Johannes, and I represent a specialized strike team that represents the largest military collection of dwarves that has assembled in the past few centuries. I know you are not one to bandy words, so let me be clear: this farm is not a defensible position. We have come to reclaim it, as well as avenge the lives of those that worked here."

He holds up his hands, a gesture of placation, but his eyes are hard and fierce. Too long had he been cooped up with books, and the threat of danger and battle was making his blood hot. Gemeye may have had something to do with that, but for now it was helpful. "But when we arrived, we found that our people still lived and that the 'raiding party' of giants looks more like a civilized regiment. What is more, and I apologize for the intrusion, but we had a glance at your alignments, and we all seem to be reasonable people. So instead of teleporting in invisible and enchanted, raining magical fire and death, I thought I would try something different. How would you like to join our efforts against what is sure to be a common foe, the greatest destabilizing force this region has seen in ages? We would certainly make it worth your while. And if instead your ends are at odds with our own, can we not discuss them like rational folk?"

[Gorgon_Heap]

Sabine narrows her eyes as their captive yammers on in his ugly language at Wyatt. Despite being badly wounded, tied up and alone among obviously skilled warriors, the bastard had the temerity to look smug. And it certainly wasn't all just because of her spell.

Her arm twitched as her practiced muscle memory nearly took over and lanced the orc directly through the heart. A year ago she would have followed through out of simple annoyance and a desire to see his comical reaction. But now she couldn't take pleasure in an unnecessary death. Even if he probably deserved it. If he wants to make a go of it, then I'll kill him. For now just get him back to the dwarves in one piece.

She waits for Wyatt's response or translation with an ear out for any signs of danger.

[Strangie]

Wyatt

Wyatt frowns at the orc's statements, and translates for Sabine, in a language presumably only the two of them would understand (Draconic, Halfling, Dwarven?). He also talks to her, in the same language.

"I think we just ought to take this guy out of here before, in fact, more of his people show up. We can always interrogate him with our allies. At least like this he can't kill himself or something," he says with a shrug.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Frowning, Sabine says, "Yeah, I don't think that'll be a problem."

She and Wyatt move the orc as quickly and quietly as they can for the dwarfhold.

[mshady]

Sabine and Wyatt

The two briefly discuss what to do with their prisoner in a language he does not understand after Wyatt translates his words. The orc's smugness in the face of his situation was pretty much disrespectful, but the orc also outweighed the both of them combined by a good margin and came from a savage culture. At least he was not complaining about his misfortune to be captured by a child sized warrior and a skinny serving wench or something similarly insulting. It was a grudging acknowledgement of the skill of his captors, so there was that between all of them. Kal-resh had not been the one to drop him in the first place, after all.

Despite his strength, the orc still needed an extra potion to be completely ambulatory from his wounds. He kept quiet enough at this point, which was a blessing. The three of them kept off the main road and worked their way through the woods, but it was often dense and forced them to make detours rather than push their way through the brush and make tracking them even easier. The frenzied yelping of the dogs had long ceased, but their barking could occasionally be heard. It was not far off. The Hunter seemed to know their direction and they were, indeed, being hunted now. That did not bode well for Kal-resh if he had directly confronted their enemy. It did not bode well for them either. With that many dogs searching for a scent, it was only a matter of time before they picked up on either their prisoner's scent or their own. After that, they would be run down.

They were still two days of hard walking from friendly territory now going through woods, brush and occasional fields. There were some occasional streams, but nothing that would give them a path to friendly territory. There was also the issue of the Hunter, or Prince as their prisoner called him, sending for reinforcements from the base that was between them and home. The closer to home they got, the closer to the base they were, and now that base was a good two to three hours away.

The trio had limited options now. They could press forward, passing to the south of the base and to freedom but face hunting parties from both sides, they could turn and try to ambush The Hunter again and either directly confront him or try to whittle down his forces, or they could try to find a place to hole up. If they wanted to do that, there appeared to be a ridge line a few hours walk to their south where they might find caves but there was also an orc watch tower there too, although it was unlikely they would spot such a small group. However getting to that ridge line was probably going to mean crossing a grass meadow.

What do you do?

OOC: Please post a response to that by Sunday, so I can keep things moving. I'll post something Monday.

[mshady]

Giant Talk

"Well, that's ballsy, even for him" Buna mutters to Grathalmor. "If this goes south, use those guns on the giant bitch and maybe you and I can drop her quick" she instructs her Sworn Shield. Everyone else in the group murmurs their surprise as well by the proposal. It was not a solution they were unaccustomed to. When they went to Wayward and confronted Hextros' mercenary band of Yugoloths, Carmard had solved the problem by hiring the mercenaries and than turning them loose in the Godsmen's foundry as part of that whole fiasco.

For the giant's part, the female seems momentarily confused by Johannes' statements and wide, uncomfortable smile crosses her face as she realizes something, pauses, and laughs.

"You must have seen one of the slave giants. Not one of my warrior sons" she muses, and the other giants join her for a good laugh as she snaps off a translation in the giant tongue to her apparent family.

"This farm does not need to be defensible. It has us" she says, her voice insulted momentarily before continuing. "None of farmers here have been harmed. Much. We have taken the crops and meat we wish and have no further use for this place. Our appetites are great, but the fields are vast. Their cook is of a particular talent and hired him, we have. These farmers were to pay us tithe, but have not for years now. To feed this great host instead? That offends our agreement with these farmers and any others who do not pay thine tithe" she says and pauses, crossing her tree trunk like arms.

"So now the tithes are all repaid, these children disciplined and we return to the mountains until next season. If you wish to spill blood over grain and bruises, we shall settle the matter of dominion over these peasants in battle. While you are from great bearded host, it is not with you.

If you hear these words and do not wish to die today, I would hear of this "great force" you speak of. The peasants say you bearded ones are off to die in the mountains trying to return to your mines, once again. If you all die, these valleys become ours without annoyance. What is it you offer when your failure benefit to us? You may confer for a moment, Speaker" the giantess says. There is a lull in the conversation now before the massive, armored giant speaks now.

"You carry much magic" he says. It is not a compliment, but more of an appraising observation. The other giants grunt in agreement. The giantess half heartedly holds up her hand to stay that talk for now, but clearly the giants were now considering the value of what your group wore is worth the trouble of taking it off your (dead) hands.

[thorgrim29]

Thordrek

Thordrek mutters in agreement with Buna

Ballsy indeed, that bow of his might not be the best influence... If it comes to that, you two and Joh take care of the bitch, I'll lock down the big guy for as long as I can

After the leader of the giant family spoke and Johanness came back to the group, Thordrek addresses the group in dwarven (they seem not to speak it after all) with uncharacteristic aggression.

It was a good try Joh, but I don't think we want to tie ourselves down to that bunch, I,m done with untrustworthy mercenaries. Also I hate slavers and the fact that the younger ones are slaves alters the balance of the thing significantly. This bunch is likely to be a menace to the Brightblade clan once the army's left, plus they seem on the verge of attacking us anyway for our gear. I say we strike first. Everyone open up at range against the woman, then engage at your discretion, I'm going for the bigger one. Buna, Joh, Amethyst, take her down if the first volley doesn't do the trick. Joh, see if you can convince the slaves to stay out of it or outright help us out, tell them we'll help them get back to their home. What do you think Captain?

He arches an eyebrow in Magnum's direction

[OMG PONIES]

For a moment, Nalrak has it in his head to supplement Johannes' words. But if that dwarf couldn't sweet talk them, it seemed Nalrak had little to add. However, when the discussion turns to one of pre-emptive strikes and quick attacks, Nalrak can't help but speak up. "They said they're leaving," he chimes in using Dwarven, "could we pay them or convince them not to return?" As the group mulls over their plan of action, Nalrak squints at the giants and, with a sad smile, casts Detect Thoughts.

[Strangie]

Wyatt

Wyatt considered his options. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have any issues crossing out into any natural environment - he was skilled enough where he could blend into the area without actually needing anything to hide with, and could cross an open field unhindered alone as if he was some sort of nature ghost. Of course, that was the problem, he wasn't alone. He had Sabine, still sneaky but not quite as attuned to the natural environment as he, though if she had something that allowed her to replicate that effect it wouldn't surprise him.

Then they had their orc prisoner doofus, who was going to be a hassle getting around. Not having Kal around to lug this loser around was going to make things difficult. He communicated back to Sabine in their secret language. "If I go on ahead, I can probably sneak through with ease, without getting spotted. What are you going to do, though? And we definitely can't just leave this guy behind, not after all we... gave up just to get him in the first place."

He looked a little unnerved they had to leave Kal behind. He was getting tired of losing people that started to become his friends.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Sabine is distinctly unhappy with the situation and she can tell Wyatt is as well. His constant worrisome gazes back toward his frenzied companion tell her he has things on his mind beyond their safety in the moment. She feels fortunate to have not yet gotten close to Kal-resh, or she'd be sharing his distraction. Hesitatingly, she reaches out and places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She says nothing, but hopes her sympathy is felt nonetheless.

"You're right. I think you can get out of here fast and easily, but unfortunately this time we're dealing with a ... package. I have spells that can help mask even our scents from the hunters. And traveling alone would be a good plan if not for that. I'll need you to lead us as fast and ably as you can through these woods to safety. Please."

They choose avoidance and rapid movement to keep from getting surrounded.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

She's already cast Nondetection today, mores the pity, but when the chance arises again I'll cast it on the orc, hopefully with him not knowing what she's doing. She does cast Pass Without Trace, however, on all three of them, which will give them six hours of undetectable movement to bolster their sneakiness and hide their tracks and scents. Now we go and do our ultimate scout unit thing with this jerk weighing us down.

[King Tius]

Amethyst blinks in stunned surprise. "They keep their own as slaves? Wee folk I'd understand, but I had no idea they bound other giants. Whatever we're gonna do, we best be getting to it before my infusions wear off." She snaps her fingers with her right hand, causing the wand she's holding to vanish before drawing another off her belt and giving it a weird little kiss on its tip.

[RaggedAngel]

His allies begin to squabble, still convinced conflict is to come. I was locked away in a cave for so long, Johannes thinks to Gemeye, that they have forgotten exactly who I am.

"Tithes?" Joh addresses the giantess, curious. "On your own authority, I imagine. Know that once our current military pursuits are complete and we have made fast our holdings we will no longer turn such a blind eye to the edges of our realm." He speaks not with threat in his tone, but with open honesty and a dash of authority. A troublesome tone to learn to produce on command, but a very useful one.

"You can make allies on this day, or you can simply postpone a much greater conflict. Raiding is not a dignified way for a people to sustain themselves, my friends. The sale of goods or services is the cultured way to do things; even hobgoblins and orcs have the capacity to recognize that every now and then." He spreads his arms wide, a welcoming gesture. "I do not suggest you all sit down at a potter's wheel to buy your meat and bread. Join our forces and we'll give you honest pay for honest work. You'll get to test your mettle in an honest fight, and you'll have an army supporting you rather than an army to fight. Sooner or later our peoples will clash over simple things like claimed tithes; would it not be more reasonable to fight beside each other rather than against each other? We have a history, our peoples, but it is not filled with the bitter hate that we have with the orcs or goblins. We once worked together to incredible effect, ages ago when the world was younger. Why, then, not give such a partnership another chance? What do you have to lose?"

Spoiler: Diplomacy

Show

Diplomacy with a point of Inspiration: (1d20+29)[49]

EDIT- Natural ****ing 20.

[OMG PONIES]

Nalrak's eyes soften from a squint as he relaxes the muscles in his face and nods silently, as if agreeing with some unvoiced thought. "Johannes," the doctor chimes in, "If I may?" Nalrak waits for the consent of both the giantess and his group's designated Speaker before continuing.

"You need no partners in us, Madame," Nalrak addresses the giantess, "as it seems you already have that in one another. I'm guessing you're all of the same clan, yes? I travel with my cousin," he says with a nod toward Grathalmore, "so to a lesser extent I too know the bond of blood. I wish to protect my own kin as I'm sure you do. Let neither of us risk the blood of our brothers or sons in this dispute. You were already planning on leaving unhurt, and we wish the same. I admire your civility thus far and hope you only feel the same for us. You are already wealthy, as are we. What say we both leave these meager lands intact, allowing the peasant owners of them to continue tilling what little soil they have? We would ask that you simply exclude this area from your dominion, and should you seek compensation for ceding that control I'm sure something could be arranged with our Speaker.

As far as the orcs, my beard is long enough* that I wouldn't be surprised if they've already come to you with a similar offer to take up weapons against us. At the very least, there is some existing arrangement because they fear you. We do not. Make no mistake, we respect you, Madame, but we do not fear you. Should we fail to come to terms, I wouldn't wish that battle on the slimiest kobold. Best case, you drive us off and an unending cascade of dwarves comes from those mountains in our stead. Worst case, both your family and mine experience the pain of loss today. Please, Madame, whether or not you partner with us against the orcs, we both seek the same thing: peace for our families' sakes. We have no need to fear you, nor you us, if we can broker the terms of said peace permanently. What say you?"

Diplomacy - (1d20+11)[20] to aid another on Johannes' roll

*let's call it a Dwarven version of "I wasn't born yesterday."

[Strangie]

Wyatt

He looks up at Sabine as she touches his shoulder, and listens to her explanation. He sighs, and nods, replying, "Right. I got it covered. We'll be out of here in a spit, everybody else none the wiser."

Spoiler

Show

Going with Sabine's plan, we actually sorted it out through PM. Super sneaky scout stuff, go!

[mshady]

The Giants

The giantess’ face sours, like she just sucked on the world’s largest lemon for a moment before sharing a glance with her mate. She has heard the words of both Nalrak and Johannes and considers them for a moment.

“Control we will not be ceding of this domain this day. If brokerage of peace you want, have your leader bow before the Sky King and present gifts worthy of his attention. We will not simply exclude anything just on the asking.
Your people have been gone for over two centuries and are now shadows of yourselves. Your beards are long and your breaths blows hot, but admire your stones at least. An unending cascade pebbles, you must mean!” she finishes with a laugh, shared by the rest of the giants. It was hard to hear the grinding of dwarven teeth over the guffaw.

“Know that all we display is not all we have, stone people. We have no need of your gold when we have more of your old hordes than you do. Do we look like mercenaries? We will claim this tithe and make ready to leave tomorrow, and will keep claim of this tithe. If you have true power, display it and the Sky King will decide what he asks in return. We will not return without what has been ordered of us though.

We do not seek battle, if only for risk of a troubling wound and we have much to carry. You are also brave, at least. If you seek to shed blood and die over grain and barley, we will accommodate though. Ye may choose a champion to face our own, or we may all fight. If you fight and lose, know the heretofore unharmed prisoners we will kill.

Or we will leave with the grains and meats and hides, release your prisoners and your Speakers can come and be listened to. As guarantee of your word, one of your two Speakers will be a hostage to their own promises to be released when we leave. What say you?”

The obvious champion steps forward holding a torch in the darkness. He is indeed a massive giant, with a great beard and heavy plate armor of shining silver. This specimen of giantkin simply stands there, over 20 feet tall in a great, winged helmet and crosses his arms, ready for a challenger.

[Gryndel]

Magnum

Every fiber of his being resisted diplomacy. His religious views and training solidified that resistance and made it all but impossible to hold much respect for those who would talk instead of fight when a conflict arose. But he knew his place in the hierarchy of importance on such missions, and confined his input to tactical and strategic issues when they inevitably arose.

His many years of battle, combined with the current situation, particularly now that he knew that the good giant he had detected was a slave, caused the battle glaze to shade his eyes with unspoken danger and harden his already stony face. When the dwarves retired to discuss the situation among themselves, Magnum simply nodded to Thordrek as he grumbled gruffly, “Agreed! The leader is mine as well.”

When the group returned to talk more with the giants, he was prepared to launch a horrendous personal assault and enhance the abilities of his fellow dwarves in battle. Listening closely to not only what was said but the tone of the speakers, he tried to judge when would be the right moment to begin his attack. This became clear when the giantess spoke of champions, at which point held up a hand to the others to stop any attempt at bravery and head off any possible thoughts of taking his rightful place. He nodded to Thordrek as a signal that the Baron had authority to unleash the bearded battle cleric, if and when he decided it was the proper course of action here.

Without a word the Sum Alaghor stepped forward to assess the giant champion, knowing with absolute certainty that it was his position and duty, even his personal desire, to do battle on behalf of the others. He grinned fiercely as he lovingly drew his giant bane axe, activating the Bless magic of the magical scabbard as he did. Pulling his shield into place, Magnum prepared for what would doubtless be a tough but memorable fight.