Neverwinter Woods - Spring 1358 DR

[Alethan]

Greystone smiles grimly and nods once.

"They're too close to Neverwinter for my taste. Goblins on worgs are never up to any good..."

He checks his sword to make sure it is loose in its scabbard before selecting an arrow and setting it to his bowstring.

[Hoondatha]

"That was my thinking as well," Tarrin said, flexing his hand inside his holy symbol and drawing his sword. "Let's go see what we can do about it. But if we can, wait a moment once we find them before we actually attack. I have a blessing to share, and it's useless if we're already fighting."

[hedgeknight]

A little concerned about what happened with his bracelet (or, rather, what didn't) and the hobgoblins last night, Greystone closes his eyes and concentrates, digging his fingers into the nearby grasses, and attempts to communicate with the plants at his feet. He asks them if they can tell him anything about the red-skinned devils walking the nearby lands...

Greystone >

Many red-skins come and go; large dogs too; kill tree brothers for wood; defile wood with waste; old human visits often.

How are you planning to approach the manor house? What about your horses? Give me some plan of action...do you need a map of the manor house?

[Computer +1]

Darkstar shakes his head. This is not a fight for us right now. I will not go seeking trouble. Let us return to your clan and report it to the elders. They can decide to pursue or not. He looks around We remain undetected, let us skirt around the manor and avoid conflict.

[Alethan]

Greystone sits quietly for a moment, reflecting his cousin's words.

"There is much wisdom in you, Darkstar. Indeed, there may be a whole nest of goblins and worgs down there, way too much for us to handle on our own. You're right; we should relay our messages first. Then, if there is time to spare, we can bring a war party back here to clean out this nest. What say you, Tarin?"

If all are in agreement, Greystone will again pack up his meager camp supplies and lead his horse on to Neverwinter woods, skirting the old manor house with a wide birth, until they're far enough away that they can safely mount up and ride again.

[Hoondatha]

Tarrin shook his head. "We are here. They are here. We do not know how long they will remain, or if reinforcements will be able to arrive in secret. I say we hit them now and kill as many as we can." He smiled slightly. "If in the end we need to bring in the support of your tribe, we will at least know what sort of force awaits us."

[Computer +1]

Darkstar nods at Greystone's words but his face turns sour at Tarrin's. We are but three versus an unknown quantity.

[Hoondatha]

"All the more reason we should find out now, while we're here," Tarrin said. "Think about it. If we go to the tribe and say, 'we found these goblins and worgs,' what's the first thing they're going to do? Send scouts and get a better idea of what the threat is. We are scouts, and we're already here. If it's just a few, we can kill them and let the tribe know. If we discover a massive lair, we can run like the hells and let the tribe know. Either way, we'll know, and they'll know, and they can act sooner."

[Alethan]

"... and we are without our massive half-orc and wily ranger friends," Greystone adds. "I have no doubt we would never have been able to accomplish what we have done the last few days without Nokrugh and Cole. Without them, our fighting powers are certainly limited. If we miscalculate, and attempt battle with these creatures and lose, then... messages will not be delivered and warnings will not be heard. Warning the tribes about these Zhents should be our top priority; we should not stray from that path..."

[Computer +1]

Darkstar nods I agree with Greystone. I understand your intention friend Tarrin but I disagree with you. Besides only Greystone is a true scout,he can move more undetected than I. You he says with a smile lack even the racial ability that I have to move quietly. His smile slips a bit I am also more aware, as of late, of my own shortcomings if the fight is hand to hand. I can hit any target at range but up close, when my bow is of no use. He shrugs his shoulders.

[Alethan]

During the discussions, Greystone looks down at his hands and, noting the green-ish stain around his wrist, is reminded of something. "There is something else," he adds, after a moment of silence.

"I tried to communicate with the plants here to see what they knew about the current residents of the manor house. They said, 'Many red-skins come and go; large dogs too; kill tree brothers for wood; defile wood with waste; old human visits often.' It sounds like they may be in league with someone around here. It might be better to try and determine who that is before we let anyone or anything know we're aware of their presence. If that is a small pack, leaving them dead would tip off the 'old human' who visits them and we might never know what they are planning."

[Hoondatha]

Tarrin shrugged. "I think you're making a mistake, but I'm not going to take them all on myself. So if we're going to go, let's go. And along the way, maybe we can find some money. I know a spell to ask Shaundakul directly whether it would be a good idea, but it requires some very expensive bones. No help to us at the moment."

[Alethan]

As they make a wide birth around the manor house, Greystone says, "Tell me more about these bones you seek... What kind? And why are they expensive?"

[Hoondatha]

Tarrin smiled slightly. "You don't ask the gods to share their vision with you using common chicken bones. You need something more special. Different churches and clerics use different items. I've seen gold-inlaid sticks, dragon bones, and rare rock or metals. But they're always exceptional, always works of art, and always involve gems. Lots of them and high quality." His smile widened. "The gods are very fond of gems, it seems."

[Alethan]

Greystone allows a rare smile to flash across his face.

"So you need to collect gems to make fancy bones? You're in the right company, then, Master Tarrin. The dwarves think they covet their sparkles more than any other race. They have no idea what hoarders elves can be... But for us, it seems the search is most of the fun. We will hunt down some stones for your fancy bones, then."

[hedgeknight]

You saddle up and lead the horses out of the copse of woods, keeping a close watch on the manor house as you depart. Greystone leads you into the Crags as dawn breaks fully and the spring sun tries to poke through the almost constant cloud cover the North skies are known for.
A sunny day in the North with no clouds is a rarity...and usually an omen.
The old saying comes unbidden to Darkstar and Greystone as they ride, weapons ready, eyes watchful. There is a gradual slope to the hills as you meander through them, ever moving southwest toward the Neverwinter Woods in the distance. Sagebrush and bushes make your going a little slow, scratching the shins of the horses or your own when you decide to walk.
Nearing midday, the horses suddenly become nervous, snorting and stamping, and you begin to hear what sounds like water falling as if someone was pouring it out of a spout. You also hear a grunt or grumble every now and then...and as the sounds seem to grow louder, you cautiously ease up over a hill and see...something you never thought you would see:

Not more than 30 feet away stands a hill giant - not a very tall one, but the creature easily dwarfs you even astride your horses. Dressed in rotted hides and smelling like a privy, the beast is leaning against a large rock while taking a piss. The hill giant grunts in satisfaction as it empties its bladder. Its back is to you and a large club with crooked spikes embedded in it lies on the ground at the giant's filthy feet. It appears to be almost finished with its business...

Actions?

[Hoondatha]

((ooc: Is there enough surrounding plant life for an Entangle spell to work?))

[hedgeknight]

There's enough around...but you have to ask yourself > how effective with entangle work on a giant, even a young one?

[Alethan]

Greystone's eyes go wide at the sight of the giant. He quickly glances at the other two to see if their faces read the same as his - afraid.

Actions? You mean aside from "run the other way"?

[Hoondatha]

((ooc: Entangle, quite well. Monsters have to be gargantuan to ignore it, not huge. Web? Not well at all.))

This was probably a bit much for them to take, especially if his elven comrades were scared of a few goblins. Though he did have a few ideas that could buy them time to make the giant's life miserable. Still, diplomacy was usually preferable to fighting. So instead of doing some sort of stab in the back, Tarrin waiting until the giant was done and then nudged his horse out into plain view.

He didn't speak giant, but he did speak goblinoid, and he was hoping the giant would as well. "Fair morning!" he called in the goblinoid tongue. "What brings you to these parts?"

((ooc: Readying an action to cast Entangle if the giant just roars and attacks.))