Against the Giants Report

General Summary

1490 DR - Spring - 1, Kythorn (6) - Khundrakar   Part 1

• The Chose continue to follow the hill giant, who is running north toward some form of fortification. The trail is covered in downed trees and branches from it's wake.
• After another day the crew is exhausted, but fins the wooden fortress in the low mountains, and a cave nearby they can hide and prepare in.
• The crew wakes and scouts out early morning before it gets light out, hearing a raucous party inside the fortification.  Llewellyn sneaks in to find two passed out giants that were 'guarding' the entrance.
• Lucyan covers the group in shadows and they sneak in, Huden murdering the guards in their sleep and searching their bags, but finding only trash and boulders.
• Yasen checks out the main hall where there are a lot of giants making noises and eating in some form of feast.
• Oudman steps around a corner and encounters a giant, who notices him.  He feigns a subservient hobgoblin and begins to fetch the giant a drink, but once returning with the drink, the crew is discovered, and they attack, Oudman missing with his crossbow, but sending his homunculus to cut the alarm rope.  Huden, Lucyan, Llewellyn and Yasen combine efforts to slay the giant, but not before he cracks Hudens ribs with his club.  Oudman finally fells him with a massiv crossbow hit.
• Lucyan decays the corpse to prevent discovery, leaving only mulch.
• The crew continues to explore the area, finding that most of the inhabitants seem to be at the feast, they uncover a weapons room, some treasure in sacks and chests and a sword behind an illusory torch that screams when picked up by Huden.  Yasen takes the blade and places it in the bag of holding for now, until they can converse with it later.
• They find a kitchen, murder additional sleeping giants but wake one only to attract some nearby to the combat, but they do not draw many more giants so they continue exploring.  
• They slay someones pet bear and loot what appears to be a bedroom.  Then proceed to discover a wolf pen filled with Dire Wolves who smelled the party and were ready for them.  Lucyan brings down a plague of insects and teleports out of the room, Huden blocks the door with a force wall, and Yasen sends wolves back into the room and they retreat.
• This combat however drew the sub-chief into that hallway who Yasen pins, and the crew focus attacks on in order to prevent him alerting the party goers.  An old Matron comes out of another rom and they dispatch both, barely avoiding the alarm being raised.
• The chosen find hill giant slaves in the Matrons room, and free them and let them rob the Matrons personal effects in exchange for information about a secret door in the Commanders meeting hall.

  Part 2  

• The Chosen leave the Matrons quarters and search for the secret door to the basement of the stronghold, almost alerting the wolves again, but succeed in hiding inside the captains war room and are not discovered.
• They search the Chieftains arms room and Llewellyn finds the secret door, with some not so well hidden scroll tubes containing maps detailed a full assault on the area from the mountains, including several giant armies.  Included is also a map of this stronghold. Continuing downstairs they arrive at an open portcullis and a room full of spilled open treasure chests with what appear to be gems spilling out.  
• Oudman inspects the open door, checking for traps. No traps are found, but he wedges it, poorly.
• Oudman begins searching chests in the room, Yasen goes to inspect the other side of the room. Oudman opens a chest full of “gems” and then the portcullis they came through slams closed and the far side springs open, unleashing a trio of manticores, starved and mistreated and angry.  Clever use of defensive spells helped turn the fight around and they dispatch the beasts.
• The trapped chests are discovered to be only glass beads, a decoy treasure.  They find another secret room nearby though with more trapped chests and the real treasure of the chieftan. Several people sip a poison potion to test it and get sick, regretting the antiquated method of testing potions.
• Xifor uses the magnifying glass to investigate the scroll further and finds the assault is more than hill giants - it must be other types -  and finds next to the name and symbol that this is reminiscent of undercommon speak.  And there are scorch marks on the paper.
• A trap door almost traps two members along the path, but they are able to foil it through magic and mechanics.  Behind it they find more treasure and instructions for some sort of teleportation circle, a rare magic these days.  It seems to lead to a frost giant stronghold.  They bring it with them to plan an assault.
• Llewellyn sneaks up the stairs, and hears the main giant leaders discussing other giants going missing, and the dire wolves all being dead. 
• Huden tries to dimension door everyone out. He drops Yasen outside, comes back for Llewellyn - Yasen gets charged, and they defend the escape route. Oudman is remaining in the room, but is discovered due to the spellcasting in the room, and is attacked by the Giant leaders.  Huden tries to portal back to get him but lands inside a giant and the spell fails.  
• Oudman mists and escapes through the ceiling but is followed by a Cloud Giant, who attacks him on the roof.  Huden is able to teleport in and then away however, and they flee down the hill wh boulders thrown behind them.  
• The party hides back in their cave, and while stomping and searching is heard outside their hole, they are not discovered.  They plan a return.

Part 3  

• After resting in the cave to recover, the crew is visited by the Man in Rags, who sneaks into the campsite to deliver a message from Sabyn.  It reads:

"I see you found the first fortress, I assume you have more information on why the Hill Giants deemed themselves worthy of offending us, and I expect you will chase that lead and find out the source of our thorns. This base has become part of our plans, along with the forge, and I need the threat to be thoroughly disposed of. As for the Hill Giants you left, Damien and Xul are uniquely well-suited for ensuring that this particular stronghold will no longer be a problem, so I have dispatched them directly, but you should scour what you can for information from the stronghold, as there will not be much left when the twins are through with their work. "With my aid, our Dreadlords' Avatar expands his power greatly, and in doing so has seen what benefits may be gained by righting some past wrongs. Expect that you will have the opportunity to partake in retribution in short order. Our primary concerns will be remaining under the radar for now of those scouring for our existence, and it is best they don't realize we are so far along. Be... wise, about your interactions when encountering those that will live to tell the tale, or be sure they are not in a position to do so."

• The crew plans to explore more of the stronghold, and examines the map they pilfered to plan an attack.  They start by setting fire to the guard tower, which triggers an alarm in the front.  
• They use this distraction to sneak in the back and head for the stairs.  
• Along the way they find some orc slaves, who despite being typically dismissive, alude to a fullout rebellion in the basement that the party may be able to stoke. After leaving the orcs the party plans to pull into the basement further.

To be Continued...