Action thread 1 - the departing

[Alethan]

Till hurries back to the group and stops them from advancing any further.

"We're at a sharp bend to the right in the trail. If those elves were telling the truth about the hill giants, then we're close and need to proceed with caution. I don't know how we'd be able to handle more than one of them..."

After drawing out details of the path ahead in the dirt, Till suggests, "I think we have two options here. Either I can scout ahead now to see if there is anything to be worried about before continuing on or we can assume some validity to the elves' comments and backtrack a quarter mile to make camp. Then, when it gets dark out, I can scout ahead to see what we're up against. It looks like the trail is about 70' or so wide at the bend, so maybe we could stick to the one edge and skirt our way around any trouble if there is indeed a tribe of hill giants to be avoided."

He stops and thinks for a second...

"Of course, there is always a third option to consider. If there are hill giants, I could scout out the camp to see what kinds of numbers they have and if they really do have any treasure. It might be that the elves told half-truths and partial lies the whole time."

[Argennian]

Yosef nods as Till lays out the options. He'll make sure to keep his eyes peeled above for any signs of movement or trouble.

"Prudent precautions, master Till. I agree a stealthy reconnoiter may be in order. Let us know if you would like any assistance or back up in that regard.

If we do decide to continue after dark and there is enough moonlight to see by, we could potentially do so without torch or lantern light. We would have to be careful..."

[migellito]

Jeloon says "I'm starting to wonder if it's really giants, or if it's the bandits' camp.. maybe with more elven bandits.. who can see in the dark, and would have an advantage if we followed those elven brothers' advice."

She takes a deep breath and sighs. "Since you can see in the dark, Till, I don't think there's any advantage to scouting around the bend now. We can wait until dark, and if whatever is there can't see in the dark, you have the upper hand. If they can see in the dark, it's even again, just like in daylight."

"If it's several giants, I think the risk outweighs the gain, and we should sneak past. If it's something else.. well.. let's see."

[Alethan]

"Mmmm... good though, Jeloon! Then let's break here for a bit. We'll all rest up and after dark I'll make my way forward to see what I can find out. No worries about going it alone, Yosef. This is the stuff I do best."

When Till scouts ahead, he will again try to hide in shadows when possible. At the very least, he'll stick to keeping by or behind trees and bushes, maintaining a low profile when possible. He'll keep to the right (eastern) side of the trail up to the sharp bend. There, he will maintain extra caution when searching the area ahead for any signs of giant habitation. He'll also keep an ear out for them; there should be some tell-tale sounds if they really are around. But he will also be mindful of Jeloon's words and try to keep an eye out for any sign of elves.

[Alethan]

Till returns to the group after about an hour's time.

"Well, it isn't elves," he begins, as he sits down with the rest of the party and stretches his legs out.

"Just before the bend in the pass, there is a small... well, large... alcove on the right side."

He sketches a quick drawing in the dirt...



"X marks the hill giant. He was awake and quietly muttering to himself in a mixture of giantese and orcish. The path is about 70' wide at that point; I'm not sure if we could sneak past him or not. Either way, I'm not sure if there is just the one or if there are more. If we can't sneak past him, we could always try taking him out. But would he try to call for help from others? If so, we'd be outnumbered in no time. I think he's probably too big for a sleep spell to have any affect on him, as well."

"I thought about trying to sneak past him using the far left side of the canyon, but I figured I should come back to let you know the situation first. What do you all think?"

"I'd be willing to try and get past him to see what lies ahead. Maybe there is just the one giant; maybe there are more, as the elves indicated."

[Argennian]

Yosef nods to Till after his recon report with the party.

"Well done, Till. You were right to fall back and inform us. I am trying to remember how well giants see at night and, even if they cannot all too well, it would be near impossible for us to lead our team through without making noise of some appreciable degree. A conundrum to be sure..."

The elf sits in thought for a moment before responding. He lifts one eyebrow as an idea assaults his mental deductions (much love, Leonard! ). "Unfortunately, there is not a way with my current spell roster to affect him much, friends. I still have my Charm Person spell memorized, but now that I truly think about it, it probably would not work on a hill giant. Although I do not speak the giant's native tongue, I do speak orcish. Still, if it could be possible to perhaps, capture him? It could be of benefit in way of further intelligence gained of our route and its occupants? Still... capturing and indenturing a hill giant might be too ambitious a path. Perhaps I could rest and memorize one of my spells that could work?"

The elf, in a moment of solidarity and trust, lays out for Till, Jeloon and Bruard only, his spells from his book and the actual mechanics of what they do/accomplish. "Perhaps a timely Scare spell, in order to cause a diversion?"


Edit 1: to correct player misunderstanding!
Edit 2: spelling and grammar (again)

[Alethan]

Till says, "Ok, I'm going to head back and settle in on the back side of the alcove and see what happens throughout the night with the giant and his shift. I'll stay up through the night, just to see what happens, but then I'll have to hole up for four or five hours to catch up on my sleep."

"You lot stay back here and rest up. Don't forget to set guards and watch our backside. I don't think we'll have too much to worry about coming from the giant's direction... excepting maybe the giant!"

With that, Till heads back to the alcove to set up watch.

[rredmond]

I'll assume watch for the rear guard as follows:

First Shift - Yosef and Ancor
Second Shift - Jeloon
Third Shift - Bruard and Rosin
Fourth Shift - Yosef and Van

Let me know if there are any changes.

[Alethan]

After spending all evening watching the giant in his alcove, Till returns at day break and reports the following:

"Ok, I was able to get up fairly close to the giant and monitor him all night. I don't know if there are others or not - no guard was ever switched out. He spent much of the night mumbling in giantish and orcish, much of it appearing to be nonsensical - talk of squirrels and flying squirrels and eating squirrels. He is really jittery. Any time he heard the slightest noise out in the canyon he would rush out. He occasionally rushed out for no real reason, even - I never heard a noise that might have startled him... oh, and he likes to eat rocks, it seems."

He yawns.

"I don't think we're going to be able to sneak past him very easily. Bruard, are there any other spells your god might grant you that would be useful? Something to meditate on, maybe. If you guys want to discuss any ideas you might have, please do so... and let me know what they are after I wake up."

With that, and another yawn, Till grabs one of the blankets, crawls into the tent, and goes to sleep for four hours.

[Argennian]

Yosef is relieved to have their companion return safely and thanks Till for the job well done. He turns to Jeloon and Bruard to discuss some ideas.


OOC: No problem with that watch rotation, though I had hoped to be able to have enough time to change up Yosef's memorized spells. (He wants to change his Charm Person spell to Magic Missile] and then change his Mirror Image out for a Scare spell.

[migellito]

"Well, this makes me think several things, but I don't know which one might be right. This giant might be very hungry, reduced to hunting squirrels for food. We might be able to trade some food for safe passage. He might also be crazy. If we were clever, we might be able to use that. Or it might just make him dangerous. If he's really eating rocks, he might be some other kind of giant, and might not be interested in killing us for food at all. Also, it seems odd that he doesn't sleep."

[ToniXX]

Well done, Till. Yosef, I'm in the same situation as you with spells. Hold person may work, but, like your charm person, it may not on a giant. I like Jeloon's idea of possible parlay with some food, but the risks are still there.

OOC: Watch rotation works fine. Also, remind me of the mechanics for clerics to learn new spells. IIRC, I'm stuck with what I've got.

[Alethan]

After Till wakes from his sleep, he joins back in the discussion.

"I don't know if parlaying with him is a good idea. His actions seem quite mad. I just don't know if we'd be able to effectively negotiate with him."

"Did someone say they have a command animals spell? What if we used that on something besides the giant, like some squirrels. What if we made the squirrels attack the giant. Or lure him away from his spot? Just trying to think outside the box... we don't necessarily have to come up with something that directly involves him; maybe something indirect would work better."

[migellito]

"If he's constantly talking about squirrels, that might be the best idea. Or if someone could make an illusion of a squirrel."

[ToniXX]

Hmmmm... there is merit in your musings, master Till. Did you see squirrels on your journey forth, or was the giant merely muttering about them? My communicate with animals spell will last eight rounds. Does that seem enough time to keep the giant occupied as the rest of the party slips past?

The silence spell lasts the same duration, but I'd have to get pretty close to cast it upon him.

[Alethan]

"No, there were definitely real squirrels in the area. He caught and ate several while I was there."

[Argennian]

"I think Till might be onto something with the use of the squirrels. Although the giant is too powerful to suffer is, I memorized a Scare spell last night. Perhaps if master Bruard was able to get close enough to use his Speak with Animals spell on the squirrels, and was able to use that to employ tactics against the giant, we might be able to trick him. Could he not ask the squirrels if there are other giants about, or perhaps anything else large or potentially deadly?"

Yosef then gets a stern look upon his visage. "Frankly friends, anything that puts us in a better position to ambush him and take the advantage. I believe we would compromise ourselves and the expedition by leaving him alive. Not only would he again be blocking our return but he could potentially follow us and assail us at a later time. Although not very intelligent, giants have a cunning about them. They are also evil. As Till said, he might be crazy. That would do nothing more than to add to the potential for violence and the unexpected, as well as give hopes of parley a significant disadvantage..."

[ToniXX]

Okay, let's give it a try. Bruard will forget his slow poison spell and pray on a speak with animals spell.

[migellito]

"Since he's a giant, I have no problem with attacking him from behind while he's distracted. Hopefully, if he's busy with a squirrel, we can surprise him. And yes, definitely ask the squirrels if there are more giants, and possibly where, if they can tell you something like that."

[Alethan]

"I certainly have no problems with taking the low ground, as it were, and attacking him from behind. Let us see what the squirrels have to say on the 'morrow, though."