Favoring a People Not Your Own

Military: Battle

Myska's Menagerie are forced to choose between immediate access to the longer term goal and and long term purpose.  They could return to Jibrom's fortress to acuire the multiple Temperance Shards there before the giant have much time to prepare.  Alternatively, they could head down into the valley to aid a community of outcasts and protect their peaceful way of life.

After having the night to ruminated on the occurrences, Myska's Menagerie decided that whatever action they chose to take next would be guided by whatever information they could gain through Myska herself. Tapping into the Shade Crystal, they drew on Myska's knowledge. When asked if Myska could feel portions of herself within the Ulgos Jungles to the north, she denied it. While there were many portions of her scattered about, none felt like they were in that direction. The next question turned towards Jibrom's intent. Myska confirmed that Jibrom's goal in attacking Harfolk Sanctuary was to retrieve another Temperance Shard. To better understand the leadership of the crew, the final inquiry was of Kimmalog's Temperance Shard. Jibrom knew that Kimmalog had one. It was very deliberate that Kimmalog had one. The final question that this arose that couldn't be answered was if Kimmalog knew he had one.   With more information gained, the party knew that whatever direction they went, a Temperance Shard would be present. Eventually, it was decided to go to Harfolk Sanctuary. The peoples that controlled it now wanted nothing but peace. Perhaps they could be saved, the frost giant marauders could be driven away before fully falling under Jibrom's control, and the party could gain a Temperance Shard to use as a distraction for the hill giant maestro.   Myska's Menagerie spent the entire day flying toward the sanctuary and arrived as the sun descended on the far side of the Olog mountains. Astrid divined for a Temperance Shard as the party descended over the ruined keep but did not sense one. The ruins of the castle were haggard. The giant's previous attack had brought down sections of walls and keep before they had been turned back. The party landed outside the castle walls at a distance. Having seen the overall structure, the airship touched down from the side that had the most fortification still intact. Doing so gave the advantage to the holders of Harfolk if conflict began. A martially weak position but a diplomatically strong one. A bugbear emerged with a white flag to parley before guiding the party inside to meet with the hobgoblin leader Kovlat Singleblood.   Negotiations with the ruler of Harfolk Sanctuary went moderately well. The party brought news of the second raid of giants to the area. They sought to aid the peaceful civilization of Harfolk. To do so, they requested a crystal artifact they suspected was here to aid in dealing with the threats. Singleblood admitted to their being a cursed artifact within the vault beneath the sanctuary. He had heard tales of all the destruction it had brought the ancient humans of the valley and had locked it away. With the giants bringing destruction for it and now the fair folk (elves and humans of the party) wanting it, he would not give it away so easily. Myska's Menagerie could just be another ploy of the giants to get it. If the party could drive off the oncoming giants and save many of his people's lives in the process, Kovlat Singleblood would give them the cursed artifact to take far from Harfolk Sanctuary.   Myska's Menagerie spent the evening planning how they would deal with the giants with the added insights of the goblinoids around them. In the end, it was decided that the heroes would hide themselves further out from the Sanctuary. The forward force of giants would be allowed to attack the fortress to give the heroes the opportunity to target Jibrom who they assumed would be guiding the assault. Tar would be spread around the fortress and boulders would be pulverized to reduce giant firepower. The goblinoids would not worry about fighting, just holding out while the heroes worked.   During the preparations the next day, Chupta sent Jafi out to spy ahead of the Menagerie. The bat brought back knowledge that Jibrom was not among the marauders. The plan would work still, Myska's Menagerie would just have to take out the frost giant leaders to break the raid. This did allow the heroes to alter their tactics to better serve this situation and save resources for a known future conflict with Jibrom and Kimmalog at the mountainside citadel.   When the time came, the heroes stowed themselves in Chupta's ring with Crush in raven form to pick the attack point. Surging out of the ring, a bulk of the Giants were surpised at the sudden assault... all of them except the tundra Shaman. Myska's Menagerie was up against four Giants: The Chief, the Tribal Warrior, the Tundra Shaman, and a withheld soldier from the forward forces. Fozz isolated the soldier and dealt with it in single combat. The Shaman released a cone of cold at the consolidated trio before the full battle commenced. Smites and Blights fell at the Shaman. The tribal warrior rushed Crush. Chupta flew ever higher to be free of the frost and dropped a fireball. A wall of fire blew out from Crush in a circle.   Astrid found herself flanked by the Tribal Warrior and the Shaman but dropped the Shaman under her spiritual gavel. Chupta lashed out with sandslashes but got caught up in the Chief's chain net. Chupta Misty Stepped from the bindings, dropping the chains back on the Chief for him to retaliate with a barbed harpoon that skewered the desert man. Chupta removed the barb from him before being reeled in. Astrid traded blows with the Tribal Warrior but the exchange rate was not in her favor. Crush eventually dropped the wall of fire to allow him to implant a fungal parasite to draw energy from the Tribal Warrior and prevent him from finding a second wind. Before the Tribal Warrior or Chief could drop Astrid, Chupta released a hypnotic swirl of sand to daze the warrior. He then bellowed out to the Chief to be done with it. If he so much as set foot in another village in his retreat, Chupta would hunt him and kill him. The chief took up his war horn and sounded the retreat.   The aftermath of the battle showed the wreckage of combat, incantations, and triggered traps. Myska's Menagerie has survived and went about looking form more prizes than their owed Temperance Shard. The party looted an enchanted pair of boots from the Tundra Shaman of the retreating frost giant raiders.   Returning to Harfolk Sanctuary, Kovlat Singleblood was true to his word. His bugbear assistant showed Myska's Menagerie down into the basement and then below the basement into a vault structure. While valuable robes and jewelry adorned stands and mannequins, all of those were secondary to what sat in the middle of the chamber. An old, simple, yet regal stone throne. The edges were trimmed and the faces carved as if paneled. Within the center of the chair's back resided a Temperance Shard, ornately added into to what would have been a diamond-shaped hollow. Chupta conjured up his flying carpet and the four heroes rocked the throne onto it and guided the structure up through the layers and out to the airship. Once before the ship, Temren Kut utilized a series of Block and Tackles available for onloading and offloading Altomari's oddities.   With their prize gathered, Myska's Menagerie consorted with Kovlat Singleblood once more promising to remove the supposedly “cursed” throne from the valley once and for all. Astrid thanked the monstrous folk for seeking a peaceful lifestyle and the airship took to the sky. The party was headed West to face Jibrom once and for all.