Re: Adventure #5 - March of the Frost Giants

[Swifthand]

Concerning the opals, I vote for option 1, above.

"Finally, some intelligence we can use.  It is clear that the giants we have been facing are no mere raiders, but a small contingent of a much larger force.  We must warn the Vicerene as soon as possible!  Jeremiah, have you heard of any of these giants before?"

Then Talmut galnces at the giant bodies outside the Arx.  "What should we do with the giant bodies, Jeremiah?  Burn them?"

[Malazek]

"Jeremiah, have you heard of any of these giants before?"

OOC: I will preemptively tell Jeremiah what he knows ...

Jeremiah has heard of all three. Mostly rumors and and campfire stories, but still. He doesn't really know much about Kaldur, but he has heard the name. Thyra is a real monster, brutal and callous, her name is often used to scare children who misbehave. Tales of Jarigor make him out to be a god-like being, capable of destroying whole cities with just a fist; most people in the Headland consider him to be make-believe.

OOC: How much of this Jeremiah wants to share is entirely up to him.

[Alpha Omega]

OOC: How much of this Jeremiah wants to share is entirely up to him.

Jeremiah will tell them everything he knows, including the actual stories told, but only to the party; not the troops.

Talmut will appraise the value of the gems... could it work out as easy as giving each troop an opal?

I have no problem splitting the loots with the troops, however, maybe we should hold onto the loot for now and only tell them of their share that they will receive. Then when our mission is complete we can divvy out the loot.

Jeremiah will oversee the repairs of the Arx in the mean time.

[Malazek]

"Sounds like something that would work well for you, Shadow Man!"

Gumphrey beams when he is called the Shadow Man. He looks incredibly pleased with himself.

She will also offer her assistance to the troops that are attempting to rebuild the palisade, using her magic at will to repair the splintered pieces of wood.

Jeremiah will oversee the repairs of the Arx in the mean time.

This speeds up the work significantly, so the palisade is whole again within the hour.

maybe we should hold onto the loot for now and only tell them of their share that they will receive. Then when our mission is complete we can divvy out the loot.

Gumphrey supports this plan.

"What should we do with the giant bodies, Jeremiah?  Burn them?"

Gumphrey supports this plan, also. "They're too big to bury, aren't they?"

[Alpha Omega]

"I recommended mounting their heads on pikes or strapping there bodies to crucifixes between here and the mountain pass. We need to let these giants know we will not back down or be pushed over so easily. Hopefully the captain gets here with more troops as well, I am not sure if we would fair so well against the giants listed on that parchment."

[Glitz]

"I like the idea of putting their heads on pikes! That sounds like a very clear message. Shall we get started?" Elodie will assist in any way that she can in this grisly task.

[Swifthand]

Grim-faced, Talmut agrees with the suggestion about the opals and the giant heads.

"I can teleport back to Umberfall and share our intelligence with the Vicerene and the Chancellor.  I could bring 3 others with me, however, I am loath to leave the Arx without leaving one of the Band of Four in charge - especially with the Captain on the way.  While there, I plan to order some supplies for the Arx.  Will you be making an announcement to the troops concerning the opals, Jeremiah?  Also, before I forget, we should have some men begin construction on a well inside our gates.  If the giants lay siege, we may get thirsty"

[Glitz]

"All of that sounds very good, Talmut. I would be willing to accompany you to town if you want company, or Gumphrey can go with you--I am happy to stay or go, wherever I can be of the most help. I can help with the well, or the spikes, or go back to town. I think it would be best if Jeremiah remains here with the men and to greet the Captain, although whoever goes to town might be back in time to greet her anyways."

[Alpha Omega]

"I will stay here, if you get a chance Talmut go ahead and let the wizards know all is well. Yes, I will inform the men of their reward as well."

Jeremiah will announce to the men the spoils of combat and that they will receive their share after this mission is complete. He will then order a few men to start digging the deepest hole they can.

[Malazek]

The men cheer wildly, when they hear of their pending spoils! When asked to dig, they immediately begin doing so ... but they only have three shovels between them. Corporal Drover suggests sending someone to Umbrafall to purchase some shovels and pickaxes.

- OOC: Is this hole for the well? Or for giants' headless bodies?
- OOC: Who is going to decapitate the corpses? And put them on pikes?

[Alpha Omega]

- OOC: Is this hole for the well? Or for giants' headless bodies?

The well.

- OOC: Who is going to decapitate the corpses? And put them on pikes?

I can decapitate the corpses and mount them to pikes. Is there a road that leads to the Arx? We can burn the bodies outside of the Arx...

[Malazek]

Is there a road that leads to the Arx?

There is barely a path leading back toward the North Road. Out here by the Arx, the path is barely noticeable, but it become more and more obvious the closer you get to the road. The actual road is at least 30 minutes to the west (on horseback) and even then it isn't much more than a dirt trail. As you go south from there, however, the North Road become more of a road, until it is actually paved. The paved section reaches almost an hour north of the city (again, on horseback). The total journey from the Arx to town is more than two-and-half hours.

[Glitz]

"What if we put the heads on stakes in the mountain pass, and burn the bodies? They're very large...might be kind of hard to transport, eh?"

[Swifthand]

"I think your suggestion is sound, Lady Elodie - keep a couple heads for the Arx so the Captain knows who she is dealing with. Jeremiah, the troops are yours, you stay here to meet the Captain.  I believe you should stay as well, Elodie.  You are the best suited to scout on our behalf, with your wild shape.  I will go with the Shadow Man, order our supplies, and give word to the Vicerene.  We will return as soon all the arrangements can be made in town; hopefully this eve.  Gumphrey, are you ready?"


If that is all, Tal will tp him, Flint, and Gum to Tal's room in he Inn.  Anyone have any objections to me ordering some supplies for the Arx?

[Glitz]

OOC: Sounds great!

[Alpha Omega]

OOC: I was figuring we just burn their bodies 30-40 feet outside of the Arx walls and mount there heads on pikes near the road. We can mount half here at the Arx and the other half at the pass if that's what you would like. I was trying to avoid going out that far without the whole party or the troops with us since that is kind of a dangerous area. Since town is only a few hours away, I find it odd that the Captain hasn't made it here yet. I wonder if he has been held up...


OOC2: Talmut I am fine with your plan.

[Malazek]

In less than an hour, Talmut has made a list of supplies and teleported away with Gumphrey and Flint. They should be gone several hours, as they will need to purchase supplies and ride all the way back.

- OOC: Teleport Roll = 57, Success.
- OOC: Swift may have a hard time posting this weekend, but when he does, we'll figure out what happens in Umbrafall.
________________________________________

Before they leave, a few of the giant-heads are already up on pikes; two by the front gate and a couple more along the outer east wall. Seven more heads need to go up, yet.

Talmut suggests piking the rest along the outer east wall and in the eastern killing field; he thinks the mountain pass might be too far away to convey the appropriate warning (plus, there's already a pile of giant bodies in the pass). He also points out that giants will not be coming from the road, since it's on the opposite side of the Arx than the mountains.

- OOC: Talmut's opinion (above) is based on what Swift told me on the phone a little while ago.
- OOC: Note: The road is a good half hour to the west; the mountain pass is an hour to the east. Where are the heads going? And, if applicable, who is taking them?
________________________________________

By now, the gigantic funeral pyres are almost ready to be lit. The wood has been stacked-up, just over forty feet from the wall. The troops are just now starting to drag the bodies onto the pyres. Once that is done, they will be ready for cremation.
________________________________________

- OOC: Swift also said that Talmut would use his Architecture knowledge to direct the troops as to the best spot to start digging.
- OOC: Engineering Roll = 38! The best spot will be in X9 on the Keep Map.
- OOC: Note that it's not the most "feng shui" of places, but its the best spot to avoid tunnels below and the best spot to avoid tearing up the central hill.

The troops assigned to well-digging start right away, but without tools, it's a little slow-going. Once the palisade is repaired, however, the miners make their way over to assist with the well and immediately realize that they can't just dig anywhere. For one thing, some of the Arx's chambers are underground and they won't be able to dig through the stone blocks. So, they stand there staring at the ground for a long while, unsure of what to do.

Finally, Talmut wanders by and offers his expert opinion. After consulting his memory of the underground layout and doing a few simple geometric calculations, he tells them the best spot to start digging. The troops will still need to dig almost 100 feet down, however, so the well will likely take several days to complete. What's more, wooden beams will be necessary to support the side walls during construction (and eventually, you'll want to replace those supports with masonry).

[Alpha Omega]

OOC: I really don't care where we pike the heads, as long as we do.

Jeremiah will get a small group of men together to start digging spike pit traps in the eastern killing field. He doesn't need them deep enough for the giants to completely fall into, just deep enough for them to break their feet/ankles or maim them. The idea would be to slow their approach...

[Glitz]

Elodie transforms into a wolf again and heads out to patrol the hills nearby.

Survival (tracking): 44, 32, 29, 26, 28

[Malazek]

OOC: I really don't care where we pike the heads, as long as we do.

OOC: Okay, then let's say the men are piking the heads here at the keep, so it will be done sooner.

Jeremiah will get a small group of men together to start digging spike pit traps in the eastern killing field. He doesn't need them deep enough for the giants to completely fall into, just deep enough for them to break their feet/ankles or maim them. The idea would be to slow their approach...

The men start digging. Since Talmut hasn't returned with the shovels and pick-axes, yet, it may take some time ... but at least it won't take as long as the well will. As soon as the heads are piked, even more men join the pit-digging effort.

Elodie transforms into a wolf again and heads out to patrol the hills nearby.

Running on all fours, Elodie heads out toward the hills.

Talmut has made a list of supplies and teleported away with Gumphrey and Flint.
They should be gone several hours, as they will need to purchase supplies and ride all the way back.

OOC: I don't know which supplies he's buying yet. I guess we're waiting on Talmut for that. He's up-north, however, so I'm not sure when that will be. He did say he would try to post while he's there.

By now, the gigantic funeral pyres are almost ready to be lit. The wood has been stacked-up, just over forty feet from the wall. The troops are just now starting to drag the bodies onto the pyres. Once that is done, they will be ready for cremation.

... and without further ado, the fires are started. The fire climbs the wood-stacks quickly, but will take some time to devour the massive corpses. Nine columns of thick, noxious smoke billow-out from the pyres and race toward the sky.

Within minutes of the rather unceremonious lighting of the pyres, a small army comes into view. Marching toward the Arx, the army garners the attention of all the men still working in the killing field. Jeremiah realizes that with Talmut, Gumphrey, and Elodie still away on other business, he'll have to be the one to deal with the Captain.

Running on all fours, Elodie heads out toward the hills.

Patrolling the hills as swiftly as possible, Elodie searches the hills that lie between the Arx and the Angers. It doesn't take her long to find the tracks of the nine giants you just killed, because they themselves followed the tracks of the soldiers following Jeremiah. Both sets of tracks lead directly from the mountain path to the Arx. She also finds the tracks of the original frost-giant scouts that led Jeremiah to the pass in the first place, as well as the tracks of the dead soldiers she found lying in the pass earlier. She does not, however, find any new tracks between the Arx and the Angers.

OOC: Did Elodie want go into the Mountain pass to look for more tracks? Or did she want to continue patrolling the area around the Arx?

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will let the men continue to dig while he heads into the Arx to meet the captain.

[Swifthand]

Talmut will put a request at the guild for a general purpose craftsman.  Also, below is the list so far (I'd be happy to get further suggestions). Talmut will ask Flint to start to gather the stuff while he heads to the Chancelor to check in.  The wizard will show him the intercepted communication and the map we obtained.  Sorry about this lackluster post, but I'm doing this from my phone.

Wagons 
Horses for wagons
Chickens
Cows
Pigs
Barrels of pitch
Shovels, picks, a plow
Seeds
General foodstuff for animals 
General foodstuff for us

[Malazek]

Talmut will put a request at the guild for a general purpose craftsman

The barkeep in the main guild-hall promises to start looking for one. "A master of crafts?" He says. "I'm sure I can find one, but his services might be not cheap."

Talmut will ask Flint to start to gather the stuff: Wagons, Horses for wagons, Chickens, Cows, Pigs, Barrels of pitch, Shovels-picks-plow, Seeds, General foodstuff for animals, General foodstuff for us

OOC: How much gold does Talmut give to Flint, with which to pay for all this?
Wagons - 35 gold each
Horses for wagons - 200 gold each (draft horses)
Chickens - 2 copper each
Cows - 10 gold each
Pigs - 3 gold each
Barrels of pitch - 25 gold each
Shovels, picks, a plow - shovels and spades are 2 gold, pick-axes are 3 gold, a plow costs 35 gold
Seeds - maybe a copper piece per pound?
General foodstuff for animals  - 5 copper per day per animal
General foodstuff for us - "poor" meals are a silver piece each, but trail-rations are 5 silvers per person per day.

Talmut will ask Flint to start to gather the stuff while he heads to the Chancellor to check in.  The wizard will show him the intercepted communication and the map we obtained.

"Hmm. Well, that's an interesting turn of events. Please, allow me some time to review this with the Vicereine and her military advisers. Can you come back in an hour's time?"

[Glitz]

OOC: Elodie will make one trip into the mountain pass to see if anything has happened since the party left the area, but after that she will stick close to the Arx.

[Malazek]

Jeremiah will let the men continue to dig while he heads into the Arx to meet the captain.

The army stops its march about 100 yards from gate. The woman leading them dismounts her steed and approaches on foot. Although no taller than most other women, this woman is much stockier and more heavily muscled than most men. Wearing armor of the highest quality and wearing a longsword on her belt, she stops a few yards in front of Jeremiah and removes her helmet. "Leftenant? I am Captain Duraina Drake. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. It looks like you've killed a few giants ... well, more than a few, actually. What is going on here?"

[Sponsored content]