Two weeks ago, I launched into another PnP adventure With Curufin & his friend from MD. Zorn was unable to join us due to another commitment, but he was invited. I feel sorry for him having missed it for several reasons, not the least of which is that it involved playing the evil PC's utilized in our recent ToEE PnP adventure which he loved playing so much. We did not tarry, however, as adventure called. This time, the Scarlet Brotherhood sent its agents into the eastern Flanaess, where the lands of humanity are under assault by the giant-kind. Deep into the Jotens, to the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. We've played 3 nights of it out, and have gone quite a circuitous route to get where we are now. I have to wait until Curufin returns from a trip into the "Mystic" realm to play further; and I have some prep work to do to stage a major encounter. But, since I can't play until then & I have a day or two off in the meanwhile, I thought I'd share this with the forum. Look back here for additional posts! This pick is our computer setup projecting Boromir on the wall of my living room as we play. The tiny inset screen in the lower right is us on a webcam that he can see. To top it all off, we have him on surround sound, so the dice rolling can be heard as it occurs on both sides of cyberspace!
Okay...got the encounter staged. I just need to pick spells for the good NPC adventurers, and maybe some hench-types as well. There are 6 of them, and 5 of them have spell casting ability. All of the bad guys are ready to go; and it was kind of tough to decide how to do that one. I don't want to say too much on this subject, at least not until the pending encounter is over....so, tomorrow I shall post in regards to the first two night's activity. It has long since played out, and while quite fun, wasn't as thrilling a one might expect. More like an appetizer. The second night set the stage for this big battle, which is looking more and more like the "main course." Once it happens, there will only be a few more things to accomplish before marching off into the darkness...
You know, I never noticed that in spite of Zorn's comment in the other thread...odd. Perhaps it was because he had his hand so close to the camera, that his finger looked like something other than a finger? Hmmph. So much for being a trained observer; I must be getting old or something. :grin: Now, for the story (long post, here): Chapter 1 - The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief Since we hadn't played these characters for a while (since ToEE, actually) we divided treasure & levelled up first. The party was summoned into the chambers of the Grand Uncle in Kro Terlep. It seems that the Scarlet Brotherhood's council of leaders had received "certain information" regarding incursions into the lands of men far to the west. These assaults were being made by forces of evil humanoids, led by giants. The Brotherhood had chosen to involve itself for several reasons; not the least of which were to preserve its own interests (it already has spies in every court in the Flanaess). Here was an opportunity to expand its influence & power by guiding the response of humankind. All of the realms being invaded were in varying stages of panic & chaos; what better time to consolidate one's power? The party consisted of Nalb, the Gnome Cleric/Illusionist; Halb, the half-elven Assassin; and Heplix, the human Sorcerer. They were instructed to find out who was the real force of intelligence behind the stupid giants; what was going on in each of the contested areas; give as much aid (preferably indirect) as possible to anyone trying to repel the invasion; report any findings back in Kro Terlep & seek further guidance should key information become available. Last but not least, gather as much wealth & information as possible, as this only makes them weaker & the Brotherhood stronger. Once the party had made a few purchases, it was off to the Steading. They arrived within a mile or so of the great log fortress along a track which ascended into the Jotens. Agents had reported that this was the path used by the invaders on their most recent incursion. The party utilized their scrying device (a Mirror of Mental Prowess) to open a direct portal from Kro Terlep to this area. They journeyed afoot for perhaps an hour before finding it. Refer to the pic below for what they saw. Scouting around the outside began, and it was observed that there were several ways in. One was guarded by wolves, one led directly to the great hall where the Hill Giant Chief was entertaining his guests, and the third led into the main entry hall at the front gate. This latter was chosen after considering that being dinner for wolves or slowly roasted for Nosnra's guests would swiftly bring an end their mission. The party chose to move about invisibly (each had some item or other for this effect), and they climbed up the front door to the viewing slot, which was just wide enough to permit entry. Once inside, a pair of dozing hill giant guards were found...drunk at their post. A set of stairs was discovered, and several doors were observed. The stairs were chosen first, and up they went into the guard tower where yet another snoozing giant was found. This one was sleeping next to an alarm gong, so....after a quick huddle, it was decided that leaving unkilled giants in one's potential path of retreat was a BAD idea. All three guards were swiftly dispatched, and the gong was disabled. The doors were attempted next, beginning with the westernmost. It led to a barracks area and the kitchens. Most notably in this area were the guest chambers for a visiting Cloud Giant, whose sword was hidden in a torch sconce & made to look like a burned out torch stub. It was discovered to be other than an illusion when the party tried to light it unsuccessfully. The easternmost door led to chambers housing the gentry of the steading, and included young hill giants, serving maid hill giants, the sub-chief's room, and the chief's chambers. Here, the party avoided encounters by listening for noises & staying invisible...slipping in & out when doors were opened & closed. It was in this very way that they were almost caught by the sub-chief's pregnant paramour. She was sleeping lightly, and thus could not be heard in the room they entered. Her repose was disturbed by their entry, and she sat up in bed when they came in. Two of them ducked out of her way when she got up to close the door & stayed inside. Nalb elected to duck out of the room & wait in the hallway. Heplix put an end to her meddling with a hold monster spell that paralyzed her once she laid back down. I suspect that her being in such a state seemed like alien abduction or something..."There was this little man who appeared out of thin air. He was dressed very strangely, and he spoke strangely too! And when he waved his hands, I found that I couldn't move!" If they had lived, they might have chalked it up to a nightmare or something; but I digress. Exploration continued into the Chief's chambers, where some more minor treasure was found. They failed to note that the huge links set into the wall of this room were obviously for keeping some form of huge creature restrained, and went on to his wife's room where "Snookums" the giant Cave Bear was waiting. Snookums doesn't worry about little things like invisibility; she can hunt by smell, and could smell the party at the door. She was not taken to the great hall for whatever reason (I suspect she was "in season" and the Chief didn't want to have to put up with his bear's undivided attention towards her in front of his guests). Whatever the reasons, Snookums nearly ripped Halb limb from limb when he opened the door, so that room was swiftly vacated & totally avoided thereafter. The party then discovered the armory & arsenal complex of rooms, and constructed a trap to delay the giants so they would have a little extra time to flee or buff up (or both) in the event of a general alarm. Several spears were lashed together & attached to a deadfall that would hit the first 1 or 2 that rushed in the door to grab weapons. The party also found the Chief's conference room, along with a set of stairs down. They opted not to go down 'til later. The central set of doors led to the Great Hall, where all of the giants were feasting & partying. No real decision was made on how to best tackle such a huge number of hostile giants, so Halb decided to try to sneak in & listen in on their conversation. Trouble is, he couldn't speak the languge...and he discovered that the Chief's even more giant Cave Bear was lying at his feet under the table. So much for that idea. They solved the language barrier issue by retreating to Kro Terlep & picking up an Amulet of Comprehending Languages. This only took a couple of hours to accomplish, as Heplix used a Fly spell to zip out to the portal they had left over the hill from the steading. He retrieved the amulet, and returned by scrying a new location in the guard tower only a few dozen yards from the arsenal room where his friends awaited him. Realize, of course, that you have to touch the creature who you desire to understand, and that "un-bear-able" problem still remained. Halb decided to climb up onto the rafters in the room, and make his way above Nosnra; he would then lower himself into a position behind his seat, and touch him on the back or shoulder where it might not be noticed. Then, he would climb up high enough to eavesdrop on his conversation with the cloud giant, avoiding "Throat-Ripper" the bear altogether. It worked, but...their conversation was mostly of things other than their plans, and included feats of battle, acts of alleged sexual prowess, and the semi-drunken ramblings to which the males of any species are prone. One thing was clear, however...the cloud giants were not necessarily already part of the plans to invade humanity, as the Chief was trying to enlist their aid. Halb retreated with this information, and they explored further in the direction of the stairs down. The Chief's conference room held a map of the entire level, and also had a map of previous and planned raids. There was a scroll of instructions bearing the name "Eclavdra"; all of these being quite valuable from an intelligence gathering standpoint. Once these things were seized, the stairs were utilized. This leads directly to the Chief's treasure hoard, which is concealed behind a secret door at the end of the hall way; those who go left find a trap room & false treasure guarded by Manticores. Having a half elf in the lead served the party well here, as Halb found the secret door before they got all mixed up with the traps & monsters. Unfortunately, he didn't see the pit in the floor which was the last defense against intruders, and he took a tumble in for a few points of damage. That was about the only damage suffered in this foray, however, and it was swiftly healed by Nalb once Halb was out of the pit. Moving more cautiously, now, the party entered the Chief's treasure room & looted it. It helps to have a Portable Hole. They also discovered therein the map to the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, along with it's attendant magical transport device. Success! Boosted by their good fortune in gathering intel & treasure, the party returned to Kro Terlep post haste. The Grand Uncle decided to let a few of the Brotherhood's death squads gain some experience by turning them loose inside the steading to reduce it's population somewhat for any others who might follow on the heels of his adventurers seeking revenge for the giantish incursions. 18 Assassins snuck about letting the blood out of the giants just before dawn; they were aided in no small way by the fact that they had been drinking all night & were mostly sound asleep. It was the least he could do considering the considerable amount of wealth nobody else would find for all their efforts in that part of their quest! Fin; Chapter 2...later.
