...Where The Company of Heroes Gather and Bond

"Agreed. No need to rip off a spider's legs when severing it's head will stop them all. We saw that they have guards posted, presumably there will be one tomorrow as well. I say we strike tomorrow at dawn, when most of the giants are asleep from the feast, the ones on guard are likely to be half asleep. The Nyrondians in the distant past were in a similar situation, they offered to throw an invading warlord a feast as sign of their submission. When the warlord and his men had fallen asleep after they had eaten all the Nyrondian's livestock and drank all their ale, the Nyrondians slaughtered them in their sleep. "

"Just before dawn, perhaps. Though I should say, there is no need for haste. There is still an underground section of the keep I could scout, and the giants are as of yet unaware of our presence." He looks pointedly at Ælfric. "Alternatively. Perhaps we could send one of our... more 'subtle' members in, with my eyes watching him. He could safely procure something from their leader's bedchamber. If he were to do that, and return successfully, I could teleport us in as their leader sleeps. It would make easy work of him, I imagine. If successful, we could do this without alerting the rest of the keep. After Ælfric acquires the item, I could finish my scouting of the basement, and we could continue on with our plan."

Julian pauses for a moment, allowing the others to think on his plan before proceeding.

"I am not fully convinced this stone giant is our primary enemy, however. He may hold sway over these hill giants, true; however, I doubt that he has the power and charisma to control frost giants and their ilk. I suspect he is but a pawn in something far greater. I would very much like to gaze into his mind, to see if we might learn more from him before his death."

Ælfric nodded approvingly as the diviner proposed the infiltration plan.

"Given an hours' rest, I could keep eyes on you for the trip, and I may be able to intervene if things go poorly. Given a nights' rest, I could offer more assistance. Or, you could go alone now. I foresee the second option fairing far better than the first or third, but I leave the decision to you. Remember, there is no need for haste as of yet."

Ælfric pondered a moment then, surprisingly, spoke.

"I go into danger alone... when necessary. What more help can you provide in the morning, Dreamseer, to surpass the cover of night and drunkenness?"

"It need not be in the morning, elf. I could be ready before the dawn. In addition to the cover of night and drunkenness, I could offer you a chance at escape or rescue should things go sour. If you leave now, you are truly alone. If you leave in an hour, I might watch you succeed or fail, and react accordingly. If you leave just before dawn, you might leave alone yet still have allies but a second away, and I will be able to guide you from afar, watching foes you cannot and alerting you to their presence. As I said, the decision is yours."

Ælfric pondered for a few seconds.

"Rest well, wizard. I will leave well before dawn."

Ælfric's tone seemed strained, as though even this much talking was foreign to or annoyed him.

Korgazhar had been listening intently to the diviner's detailed description of the entire steading, understanding its various possibilities of ingress and egress, and contemplating the strategic approaches available. He personally preferred a frontal assault, but understood the merits of an incisive strike, and spoke his mind accordingly.

"Agreed. They'll be drunk and asleep in the early hours of the morning. That's when we can do the most damage. At this moment the bedchamber is unoccupied, and therefore the best time for Aelfric to get in, retrieve an item, and get out. Strategically, even an item from one of the nearby rooms is sufficient, if you cannot make it to the bedroom itself."

Then the half-orc's reasonable demeanor changed, and he spoke his truer opinion. "You're a fool though, to go now without backup. If you succeed, our work is easier. If you fail, the task becomes harder for the rest of us. The correct approach is for Julian to rest up. We take a safe position nearby, just outside, before you sneak in. If you get out successfully, we can teleport in without error. If the alarm is raised because of you, you will serve as the distraction for the rest of us to do an assault through one of the entrances." Korgazhar spoke imperiously as if he brooked no disagreement.

OOC: What time of day or night is it now?

Fernal listen with just a smile on her face. She even noded once or twice. Other than that she found a rock to sit make it her home.

Gurtrek kept to himself largely, having set up in a corner of the cave and opening up the wooden alchemist backpack to form a small station upon which he started mixing ingredients to fill up vials, pouches and little clay pots. He kept on humming the marching song from before during the process, interrupted every now and then by murmuring about ‘a dash of’ one thing and ‘a spoonful of’ another. All the while he listened to the mage talking about the fortress. With the attack being plotted Gurtrek only had a single addition:

"Why don’t we just torch the whole damn place, giants and all? Made out of wood ainnit? Just point me where you want. But I got enough to start a few ‘strategicly harmfull distractions’."


He spread his arms to show the assortment of vials, skins and other containers of presumably flammable liquids. A grin formed behind the gaping mouth of his mask.

"Effective as distraction, or as funnel." Korgazhar evaluated. "But unless you barricade all the giant-sized doors or block the basement, they'll escape." The half-orc looked at the impossibility of the diminutive dwarf barricading a door.

"Korgazhar is correct, Gurtek. Burning the structure will simply cause them to flee. So long as their leader lives, they'll regroup and rebuild. This situation calls for tact and cunning, not wanton destruction." He pauses for a moment.

"We can always resort to burning it down should we fail. Let Ælfric and I see if our plan bears fruit first."

Turning to Ælfric, he hands him the map he'd drawn over the past three hours. Pointing to the room with the lone double bed and bearskin rug, he says "I would wager this room here is their leader's. Remember that whatever object you acquire is sufficient, but it must be from this room. Wood from the walls, stone from the floor, clippings from the carpet or bed. Anything will do." Along with the map, he hands him an empty corked vial to contain the materials. "Wake me before you leave, regardless of when it may be."Julian then proceeds to find a comfortable spot within the cave to rest before interjecting one last time. "If you can also acquire a piece of his hair, skin, or some other possession or body part, it will make scrying upon him easier in the future."

Ælfric nodded at each stage of the wizard's explanation.

"I await your awakening."

Having awoken before dawn as promised and having slightly modified his repertoire of spells for the day, Julian nods to Ælfric to indicate he was ready to assist him in the mission.

Ælfric took the scroll and the magic blessing with gratitude.

"This should be his room? How tall are the chimneys?" he asked, indicating the large bedroom they believe to belong to the obese leader.

"And what of windows?"