Re: Adventure #5 - March of the Frost Giants

[Alpha Omega]

Upon his awake Jeremiah will give the troops their orders for the day, ie finish base defenses, then inform them about the various command changes the group has established. He will then tell two soldiers to grab the dead wizard and burn his corpse where they burned the dead giants.

He will then pack up his stuff and get ready for the journey back to Umbrafall...

[Glitz]

Elodie will go for a walk before packing up her things and preparing to leave. She will also wake Lindy up and make sure that she is prepared to leave, as well.  

"Thank you, Maius, for your preparations for us."

[Swifthand]

"Shall we make a quick stop where we fought the Blackbirds last evening?  If you could track him, Jeremiah, I would be curious to see if the great cat I summoned killed their archer.  From the sounds of battle I heard, he did not make it far."

[Malazek]

After Talmut has finished his studies and Elodie has finished her walk, and after Jeremiah has given the troops their orders for the day, the Band of Four finishes packing and is ready to go. There to see you off, Maius takes Talmut's gold and promises to give it to the general craftsman, should he arrive. The assistants (Lindy, Glory, Flint) meet you at the gate, with the bound Blackbird bound across the saddle of a separate horse.

As you through the gate, you see the soldiers in the field working on their given chores. A few are constructing a funeral pyre for Morton, while others are finishing with the shallow pit traps Jeremiah devised the day before.

A short while later, the ride takes you past the spot where Talmut fought the Blackbirds, only yesterday. Assuming Jeremiah complies with Talmut request, the woodsman is easily able to follow the tracks of the dire cat to the point where it caught the Blackbird archer. Unfortunately, it looks like the big cat was slain by its quarry, but not without a struggle; their blood is all over the ground and bushes, though it has dried by now.

Jeremiah is able to follow the tracks further yet, to an abandoned campsite; undoubtedly where the brigands were staying between robberies. From there, the archer's trail goes cold (as a skilled woodsman, himself, he probably covered his tracks as he left).

With little else to go on, the Band of Four rides back to the road and continues on their way.

...

Hours later, as they draw close to Umbrafall, they see that many of the forces have dispersed. Only about a tenth of the troops remain camped around the city.

[Swifthand]

"I suggest we head straight to the Chancellor - he stressed earlier-the-better, as soon as we hand this one off to the authorities." 

What would be the protocol here?  Present the prisoner to the Chancellor, or drop him off at the nearest jail?

[Malazek]

OOC: The chancellor doesn't need to be bothered with such a paltry task! The town guards should be able to handle it; there are guard posts at every gate.

[Swifthand]

Talmut asks at the gate for the Captain.

[Malazek]

The guard eyeballs Talmut's badge for a moment, and then nods, before heading back through the door that leads up to the hoarding. You can almost see him through the windows, above, as he tells his fellow guards what's happening. A moment later, he re-emerges from the man-door and heads into the city, disappearing into the crowd. You assume he has gone to get the captain ... but he didn't say that. Isn't that what he meant? Is he coming back?

A minute later, he returns with a much older gentleman, who does not appear to be on-duty. Dressed in worn cotton, the old man sports white hair and a thick, thick mustache. "Deputies, eh?" the elder says. "So, what have we got here? A prisoner? Let's have a look." Kneeling down beside the horse, he lifts her head with one hand to get a better look at her face. Then, he looks back at each of you, one by one, before saying "Right then. What's she guilty of? What was her crime?"

[Swifthand]

"She and her fellow Blackbird's are highwaymen.  They attempted to rob Sir Maius the Confounder, Flint Fortesque, Gumphry, and I on the North Road yesterday evening as we conveyed military supplies to the Scorpulus Arx.  They sought to prey on weak travelers and traders.  They chose their prey last night poorly."  

[Malazek]

"Banditry is a pretty serious crime. We'll see that she gets the King's Justice," he says to Talmut. To his guards, he says "Boys, haul her to the dungeons." Then, as the Blackbird is being removed from the horse and taken into custody, he asks "Will you be attending her trial? Or would you prefer to sign an affidavit?"

[Swifthand]

"I will be happy to sign an affadavit...my name is Deputy Talmut Xispur...Captain?"

[Malazek]

"Okay, hold on," he says. Then, he goes into the gatehouse the same way the guard did, and returns a moment later with a wooden plank, some high quality paper, a quill, and a vial of ink. "Just write down exactly what happened, and I'll be sure the court gets it. Be sure to sign it."

[Swifthand]

Talmut does so.  That business concluded, we make a quick stop by the guildhall on the way to the Chancellor's to sell the poisons and swords.  I think that was it?

[Glitz]

OOC: Sounds like a good plan to me!

Elodie follows along, and makes no arguments about stopping at the guild hall before proceeding to the Chancellor's office.

[Malazek]

The old man offers you 8000 gold for each of the swords, plus 7430 for the poisons (for a total of 15,430 gold).

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will pop into the Jolly Toad and grab something quick to eat, perhaps something that can be eaten while they travel to see the chancellor?

[Swifthand]

Talmut will deposit his share (3,857 gold, 5 silver) in the guild vault.

[Glitz]

Elodie will also deposit her money into the vault, and is then ready to go to meet the Chancellor.

[Malazek]

Jeremiah will pop into the Jolly Toad and grab something quick to eat, perhaps something that can be eaten while they travel to see the chancellor?

Laci is happy to see him, "Jeremiah! We didn't 'xpect to see ya so soon! What can I get for ya?" When she hears that he wants food for travel, she goes to the kitchen and returns with a roasted-turkey sandwich, loaded with meat and cheese, and served on thick homemade bread. "That's not on the menu, so don' tell our other customers," she says with a wink.

travel to see the chancellor?

on the way to the Chancellor's

ready to go to meet the Chancellor

At the palace, you see a lot more military personnel than usual. Nonetheless, the guards have been instructed to lead you right in. Once inside, the Chancellor sends everyone else away and closes the door behind you. Once he is alone with the Band of Four, he speaks in hushed tones.

"Thank you for coming! Glorious job up there in the hills! I hear you slew a dozen giants without a single man suffering so much as a scratch! Such tales are generally exaggerations, but I am sure the truth was marvelous all the same; worthy of any such retelling!"

"So, you're probably wondering why I asked you to come without any troops. We have a plan, but it's risky. Too risky, in fact, to leave the Arx undefended. We can't risk letting it fall into enemy hands ... the same could be said of the city, of course, but I think we have left just enough troops behind to keep the city safe."

"Our plan, then, is to send the bulk of the armies toward the Serpentcoil Mountain, with hopes of bating the enemy. Even giants wouldn't be so foolish as to attack so many troops, so a handful of units will spread across the area where we think the giants are camped out. Once the enemy has been engaged, the skirmishers will draw them back toward the larger forces, so they can be surrounded. The men you trained will be leading these smaller units."

"Our thinking is that Jarigor will not participate in this battle. Giants are not overly trustworthy and we doubt he would have risen to such a position by exposing himself to treachery. Now, Thyra? She might be a different story, altogether, but Jarigor is the head of the beast, so to speak."

"So, that's where you come in. As soon as the enemy has been engaged, a signal arrow will be fired, alerting everyone that the plan is in action. We would like you four to sneak past enemy lines and personally engage Jarigor. See if you can negotiate a truce; or slay him, if that works better."

"What say you? Are you willing to undertake such a perilous quest? If not, I understand. There are others who are willing to take your place, but honestly, you four are the best we got for this particular job!"

He smiles.

[Alpha Omega]

"I tend not to speak for the group, but if this is the best shot we have I am happy to help. Besides, my axes have yet to taste enough giant blood for the week!"

[Swifthand]

"I concur."

Still need to finish picking spells...I will finish this eve.  EDIT - Done!

[Glitz]

"Fighting a giant face to face will be very different from yesterday's battle, but it sounds like a task that we can handle."

[Malazek]

"I am glad that you are all so willing to accept this responsibility! I assure you, the Vicereine will be most grateful if you are successful."

"Many of the troops began their march, earlier this morning, but they are on foot, so you should have no trouble beating them to the mountains, since you will be on horseback. If you follow any of the old farming roads to the east, you should find them with no trouble. According to recent reports, Thyra the Ugly is holed-up in the southern slopes of the Serpentcoil. If the intelligence you discovered is correct, OverChief Jarigor won't be too far from that spot ... hopefully, finding him won't be too much of a challenge."

"Time is the essence, I'm afraid ... but are there any necessary supplies we can help you with, for this mission? Obviously, we will assist you with whatever we can, but, the situation being what it is, anything too intricate or elaborate may be out of the question."

[Swifthand]

"I need nothing save my allies at my side.  This will be the last sunrise that OverChief Jarigor will see in this world!"

Talmut is ready to depart as soon as everyone else is, though a turkey samich for the road does look pretty good - maybe a quick pit stop at the Jolly Toad on the way out?

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will accompany Talmut back to the Jolly Toad for a second serving.

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