V. Why Does the Caged Bird Sing?

General Summary

Secret Room

Entering the secret door off the side of Nosnra's War Room, the party descended into a hidden area where they expected to find treasure. Instead, the group accidentally triggered a trap which brought down an iron portcullis and separated Dev and the Valandian from the rest of their friends. Six Manticores entered the new room with Dev and the Valandian through inserts in the wall. The two scrambled to find an escape as their friends tried to cover them from a distance. Unable to find an exit, the Valandian made use of a scroll of Stone Shape to leave the room rather than fighting, as the party was running low on resources.  

Guest Quarters

Returning upstairs, the party explored several rooms among which were some guest quarters. Among the effects of the Cloud Giant ambassador in the dining hall, the party uncovered Waythe, a sentient greatsword. Dev conversed with Waythe and offered to bring him with them when he expressed dissatisfaction with his current master. Waythe agreed, and the party decided that Lady Kohinoor would be the best suited to wield him, but Waythe made her answer a riddle before he would allow it:  

"Why does the caged bird sing?"

-Waythe

  Kohinoor thought about it for a moment before responding:  

"For the joy of singing, and the freedom to do so."

-Kohinoor Sattari

  Waythe was pleased with this answer and agreed to allow Kohi to wield him.

Armory

Next to the guest quarters was an armory for the giants. Inside, the group came upon a fatally injured Orc woman. Alizeh offered the woman Goodberries, and, inspired by her sister’s kindness, Kohinoor healed the woman with Lay on Hands as well. The woman thanked them and revealed that she had been taken from a group of rebellious Orcish slaves holed up beneath the fortress hiding from the Tusk Takers, a group of Hobgoblins tasked with hunting them down.  

Kitchens

In order to gather information and possibly recruit the Orcs stranded in the basement, the party made their way to the kitchens, where they were caught by several giant servants and Ogres. The party offered them freedom from their bondage in exchange for silence about their intrusion, but the servants feared the wrath of the giants more and attempted to run out into the dining hall and alert the revelers there. Luckily, the party was able to stop them with a Web spell from Alizeh and a lucky handaxe throw from Achilla. The party was forced to kill the giants who wouldn’t surrender, but the others took their opportunity to flee the lair altogether. The last remaining Orcs working in the kitchen told the party to seek out an Orc named Vy'Thek in the floors below.  

Guard Room

Before descending to the basement, the party decided to clear the rest of the first floor (with the exception of the dining hall), making their way to the other side of the building. On that side, the party interrupted a group of Hill Giant guards who were playing cards and slew them. During this fight, Lady Kohinoor used her Divine Allegiance to step in front of a hit meant for Gault, taking all the damage herself.   After the fight, the party heard another pair of giant guards coming down the hall. With no way to exit the room before the guards would come in, the group panicked. Luckily, Gault pulled out a Rope Trick and everyone was able to climb into it just in time to hide from the guards. Dev threw his voice, pretending to be another guard, claiming that all was well and dissuading the giants from entering. The guards on the other side of the door had found the body of Chief Nosnra’s mother slain in her tub and were alerting the others to help them find the intruders. The party figured that the search would take the giants about an hour—just enough time for a short rest.   During their short rest, Gault approached Kohinoor, removing his hat as he had last time he had talked to her alone, and asked her not to take any more attacks meant for him. Kohi found herself speechless at the request. It was the first time anyone had ever asked that of her.

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VI. Hobgoblin Ambush

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IV. War Room Secrets