1. The Wilderness

Dawn finds a group of people, horses, and a carriage assembled just outside of Nashkel. Aiwe, Stella, Dieter, Sheemish, and Runeson stand with Aldous and his guards.

Aldous hands a sack of coin to the guards. "Thank you for your service. You kept me, a foreign noble, safe and comfortable on the road. Lathander bless you and yours in whatever lies in your futures." The Amnian mercenaries accept the payment with professional nods, then head back to Nashkel and the long, mountainous path that will take them back to the heart of Amn.

One guard remains with the young Silvershield, an average-looking man busy donning a breastplate emblazoned with the Flaming Fist. Once he's properly armored, the guard's visage seems to change from nondescript to one with a touch more nobility. He introduces himself to the party with firm handshakes for all.

"I am Ajantis, personal bodyguard to Lord Aldous. We've made it this far on our journey without major incident, and I hope to continue that trend all the way back to Baldur's Gate. Welcome to the team."

Aldous grins at his bodyguard. "It's good to see you back in your formal attire, Captain."

With some help from Ajantis, Aldous climbs into the carriage. "I'm afraid I don't ride well, so I'll be here until boredom overcomes me. Any of you are welcome to come sit with me when on break, however!"

Seated on the carriage's front and with reins in hand, Ajantis gets the vehicle moving north on the road.

"Stella, get up on the back step of the carriage and keep your head on a swivel. Runeson, take the rear with your horse. Sheemish, have your friend scout out in front. The rest of us take the sides, stay close and watch your quarters" Dieter says organizing the party into what hopefully will be an efficient escort.

Aiwë suddenly realizes that having assassins on their trail could ruin the poor captain's trends. But Aldous knew about the assassins, and had hired them anyway.

"We've found the roads to be quite dangerous so far," she says. "We've made it this far without major harm, though. Incident or no, I'm sure we can handle it."

She looks up at the man. "What kind of music do you like?" She grins a tusky grin.

Captain Ajantis gives a grim nod at Dieter's orders. He obviously takes his job very seriously.
Ajantis' lips curl down into a frown and he gives Aiwe a hard stare. "Given that we're meant to be looking out for trouble on the road, the silent kind."

Aiwë grins even wider. "Sir, yes, sir." She beats out a roll on her drum as though there were an army behind her, waiting for it. "Have you ever worked with a bard? Not a musician, a bard?" Her militaristic beat is peppy and invigorating. "No matter. I can be quiet." She ends with two sharp beats and a salute, then takes her place to the side of the carriage. Her hands move against her sides in a rhythm, and the drum beat she played circles in Ajantis' head, keeping his mind active and alert.

Aiwë gives Ajantis bardic inspiration.

Stella grimaces. They had pattern to attracting trouble, she's reminded. He knew they had a bounty on their heads, though; Aldous was there when the dwarven assassins attacked and Shar-Teel pointed out the fact loud and clear. Even so, Aldous extended the offer, so he must feel their little band competent enough anyway. Aiwë seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Except two deaths... she adds silently. They got better, though, she supposed, glancing at Dieter.
Stella nods, grateful Dieter had placed her so she couldn't embarrass herself further in front of the young Lord Silvershield.

She strings her bow, then dons her buckler. Any kind of shield strapped to your arm made archery almost impossible, but she could still draw magical ammunition with relative ease.

She takes her position and her owl, Noctalia swoops down to perch on her shoulder. She smiles at the bird and they both starts looking around, enjoying the scenery while looking for signs of danger, with Noctalia flying off to scout about every now and again.

Stella's eyes widen. "Stop! Stop the wagon!" she hisses.

She jumps down from the wagon and runs alongside it so she can speak more quietly "Noctalia spotted two figures ahead...Huge...giants of some kind. Or treants maybe?" She describes their location to Ajantis, Dieter, and anyone else, careful not to point as to not completely alert the enemy they'd been discovered.

"What should we do?"

Ajantis quickly brings the carriage to a halt. His eyes are fixed on the road ahead, but his attention is fully on Stella and her description of the two figures.

Stella quickly comes to the realization herself, just as Ajantis guesses their nature. "Most likely hill giants. We don't get many true giants in this region, mostly just ogres and their ilk. Trolls in the Cloakwood, maybe. I hope this doesn't become a habit." He exhales sharply through his nose. "Hill giants are said to be dumb, hungry brutes, but I've never dealt with one myself."

The carriage door opens and Aldous leans out. "Why've we stopped? Trouble?" His eyes twinkle at the possibility of excitement.

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"What made you decide to study magic, Lady Stella?"

"Oh!" On the rear bench, Stella turns to the front of the wagon towards Aldous' voice. "I, uh, well it was my parents at first, really! Papa's an arcane archer, Mama's a druid, so they both have a bit of magical aptitude, and I grew up learning bits and pieces of it," she explains. "A bit" was a lot of an understatement. "As I started growing up, well...I ran away a lot to train with local archmage to avoid archery practice." She giggles, relaxing a bit, forgetting others might be listening.

She stands and rests her head on her arms on top of the carriage. "It's hard to learn both arcane and druidic magic, though, so I train just with some basic wizardry. It's remarkable how much fighting for one's own life and running from assassins attunes them to their primal magic, though..." She grimaces and pauses for a moment. "I think a bit of it is divine too? Lately I feel I'm just making it up as I go...and it just sort of...works! Probably a lot of training finally bearing fruit."

"Have you studied any magic?"

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"Your bird is fascinating! How does it know what you want it to do?"

Yes! I finally got to summon her! she exclaims leaning back on the carriage and looking up at the trees and sky, much more comfortable talking now. "She's called a 'familiar'. An awfully odd name for spirits drawn from another plane of existence...But 'Tis fascinating how much similarity there can be among wizardry and druidcraft. I've had the spell in my spellbook for quite some time, but never figured it out until I started drawing celestial spirits by making little constellations with stardust...At any rate or light's rate," she continues, "it's called telepathy. Our spirits are bound, so we can just...think and feel things to each other!"

She draws half of her mouth to a line, picking out shapes in the clouds, forgetting she was supposed to be keeping watch. "Papa has a flumph familiar. Have you heard of flumphs? They're strange little floating tentacled creatures. It only talks in feelings. Mama says it chose him because he forgets he has those half the time," she chuckles. "She also wonders if I somehow acquired how it changes color to match its mood—but in my eyes."

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"I've never seen eyes like yours... Do others in your family have similar traits?"

She purses her lips. "No, but the archmage thinks it's because Mama's a druid and Papa's an aasimar. He was born in a temple of Ilmater, and when he was born he was infused with some divine...blood? Soul? Something adjacent to that. So we think I have a bit of that, but it started to shape itself when I was a little girl to match my love for the stars, and shows in my eyes."

"I think they make some people uncomfortable, though...I'm not quite human, nor elf, nor even half-elf," she says, suddenly more self-conscious. She straightens and starts to keep watch again. "It makes it hard to keep my feelings private, sometimes too."

Aldous seems to listen intently to Stella's answers to his questions as the carriage wheels turn. Every so often he interjects with appropriate reactions, such as "I don't blame you, I never really cared for archery either!", "So it's called telepathy? Fascinating!", and "Of course your eyes have a touch of the divine! Truly, they are breathtaking."

When she asks about his own studies of magic, he's quiet for a long moment. "I've only had the most rudimentary of lessons, enough to use a wand or two. My father prefers not to put his trust in magic, and so I spent the majority of my time in other endeavors, such as reading, accounting, family history, and such. If he ever caught me or my sister with an arcane tome, he'd make sure to find other things for us to do."

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"I think they make some people uncomfortable, though...I'm not quite human, nor elf, nor even half-elf," she says, suddenly more self-conscious. She straightens and starts to keep watch again. "It makes it hard to keep my feelings private, sometimes too."

"There are worse things to be than genuine," Aldous comments after a moment. "Skie can't open her mouth without some sort of fib falling out of it. Erm, Skie's that sister I mentioned. Anyway, at least you can be sure you're unique. I swear, my father expects me to be an exact copy of him. Not that he's a bad man; he's one of the best! But I'd prefer to walk my own path, be my own person... Hells, I'd prefer to walk at all without this cane."

He clears his throat. "But we were talking about you! I think I can understand how it would be difficult, not being able to hide your feelings. I suppose you could try wearing some kind of a veil - it's done in some lands - but it seems like an awful lot of trouble to hide eyes so wondrous."

Dieter rides along the carriage and watches his quarters

seems like Aldous is on a mission too Dieter smiles to himself

"Isn't there a cleric or druid in Baldur's Gate that can restore your leg?" Aiwë interjects.

Stella flinches at the giant's booming voices, even at this distance.

200 gold? That was an awful lot, but they could pay that, Stella thought. It would be the easiest way to keep Aldous and everyone else safe, at least. She wondered if they knew how to count...could they be tricked into receiving a smaller amount? She didn't like lying, but she didn't like death threats and coercion either...

Aiwë looks to the boss. "Whats the Silvershield policy on bandit tolls?" she asks Ajantis.

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"Of course your eyes have a touch of the divine! Truly, they are breathtaking."

Stella blushes and grins, grateful he can't see her. She could swear her stomach was shapeshifting into a swarm of butterflies.

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"I've only had the most rudimentary of lessons, enough to use a wand or two. My father prefers not to put his trust in magic, and so I spent the majority of my time in other endeavors, such as reading, accounting, family history, and such. If he ever caught me or my sister with an arcane tome, he'd make sure to find other things for us to do."

"That's a shame..." Stella remarks. "I bet you'd be great at it. I suppose if there's a chance you'll take his place someday, that makes sense, but...that sounds like a lot of pressure."

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"There are worse things to be than genuine,"

She purses her lips. "True."

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Anyway, at least you can be sure you're unique. I swear, my father expects me to be an exact copy of him. Not that he's a bad man; he's one of the best! But I'd prefer to walk my own path, be my own person... Hells, I'd prefer to walk at all without this cane."

"Same! Be my own person, I mean..." she says. She opens her mouth to say more when Aiwë interjects.

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He clears his throat. "But we were talking about you! I think I can understand how it would be difficult, not being able to hide your feelings. I suppose you could try wearing some kind of a veil - it's done in some lands - but it seems like an awful lot of trouble to hide eyes so wondrous.

"Well, we were talking about you too," she grins, dangling her feet off the carriage, looking at her skirt. Her smile fades. Snapple gobs... Her leather armor and travel skirt were both burned and in shreds from all the fighting they had been doing, and from the strips she had cut from it. It looked terribly unkempt and revealed far more of her leggings than she would have liked...Aiwë, Imoen, and her own mother didn't usually care about such things, but the other women she worked with in Kulahar certainly did, and she had picked up on trying to dress modest and proper.

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...but it seems like an awful lot of trouble to hide eyes so wondrous.

She blinks a few times, realizing her thoughts had wandered. "Mmm? Ah, yes, that's a reasonable point." She could hide one of her obviously unique qualities, or she could continue to embrace it. And they did help her try to be genuine.

Dieter strings his longbow and adjusts his various throwing weapons. "Sire, you mentioned being proficient in archery earlier?" he says to the young noble through the window.
"it’s not our money that’ll be paying the fee, but it will be our blood that pays the iron price"

Aiwë brightens. "Oh! Great idea! I'll go see if we can pay them in song. If it doesn't work, I'll have stalled for your ambush."

Aiwë heads out to the giants.

"Hello! I hear that you require payment. I have come to offer you something more valuable than mere gold!"

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"That's a shame..." Stella remarks. "I bet you'd be great at it. I suppose if there's a chance you'll take his place someday, that makes sense, but...that sounds like a lot of pressure."

"Yes, he's quite demanding. But he's also one of the most respected members of the Council of Four, and that's saying something! I could do worse than to turn out like him." Stella hears a light thump from inside the carriage, and recognizes it as the sound Aldous' cane makes when it comes in contact with wood. "Much worse..."

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"Isn't there a cleric or druid in Baldur's Gate that can restore your leg?" Aiwë interjects.

Aldous gives a rueful chuckle. "You would think so. There are certainly high priests within the city that have managed to perform such feats. I'm afraid my malady was a rather persistent one, though. Not even Jalantha Mistmyr could heal me of it. Not that we wanted her help much anyway. Jalantha's the High Priestess of the Temple of Umberlee. Not someone you want to be in debt to. Anyway, that's why I was sent south to Amn, to see if any of their healers might know what to do." The young noble grunts. "At least they did what Father couldn't. If he'd let the healers in the Gate amputate when they suggested it, I might have more of this leg left." Aldous pauses a moment, apparently considering his words. "He hasn't been told about... this... yet. Hopefully he'll just be glad to see me alive, even if I'm not quite whole."

From her place on the carriage, Stella can hear him mutter the next words: "As if trying to live up to his standards wasn't hard enough already..."

Aldous chuckles. "Well, I learned the basics once. Unfortunately, when it comes to archery lately I'm afraid I... don't have a leg to stand on." He gestures to his stump his stump and winks.

The soldier grimaces. "The organized bandits are a growing problem, especially with this Iron Crisis. I'm not sure that I'd say these giants are with them though. Who would want to approach a pair of those brutes and ask for a portion of their loot?"
Ajantis hops down from the carriage. "Very well! We'll try to make the most of the advantage."

"It's best you stay with the carriage, Lord Aldous." The authority in his voice brings a frown to Aldous' face, but the noble stays put.

The soldier calls the other companions over as Aiwe heads off. "Should things go poorly for the bard, I recommend we be ready to charge in." He nods at Dieter's bow. "That'll be useful. You don't want to get too close to these monsters. I suggest leaving your horses behind, unless you're accustomed to fighting on horseback." A glance at Runeson. "A hurled boulder could mean the end of your mount's life, and possibly yours as well. That said, if you're confident in your horsemanship, it could be a great boon to us."

Ajantis looks Sheemish and Stella up and down. "I assume you two have some sort of magic at your disposal? I haven't worked much with spellcasters. You know your abilities better than I would, so I trust you to make yourselves useful. And not get yourselves killed." The last words are under his breath, but several of the companions are keen enough of ear to hear them.

"Let's see how your friend does avoiding a fight today, eh?"

"Amputation isn't the end of the matter though. My grandpa's knee was so bad, it couldn't be healed either. So my mom chopped it totally off and Stella's mom grew his leg back for him. Crazy, right?" Aiwë relayed the story with a wild grin, remembering their fathers' horror and their mothers' harsh practicality. "They got the idea from a cleric of Waukeen in Waterdeep who did the same thing to her foot. If no one in Baldur's gate can get you your foot back, maybe that cleric or Stella's mom can help." Aiwë winks at Stella.

"Something that gets you more gold!" Aiwë declares dramatically. "People will pay you more money if they think you're scarier! And the best way for people to know how scary you are, is if you have your own war song. I," she bows dramatically, "am the War Chanter of the Cagebreaker tribe. I can make you your own war song in exchange for safe passage for me and my friends." She looks up. "I bet no other bill giants have their own war song."

.

.

"I don't doubt that powerful magic can right or circumvent many a wrong!" Aldous sighs. "But as I said, even the mightiest clerics and sages in the Gate could accomplish nothing. Either my ailment was of some rare, formidable variety, or I've offended a handful of deities enough that they won't answer their servants' prayers concerning me." Another chuckle. "And I think I've managed to avoid blaspheming against the great majority of gods worshiped in the city!"

"Thats a shame," she commiserates. "I suppose it's not worth Stella having a look then?" she asks, her voice dejected. To Stella, outside the carriage and Aldous' eyesight, she throws a wink.

Stars...and I thought I had trouble with my father...

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"Yes, he's quite demanding. But he's also one of the most respected members of the Council of Four, and that's saying something! I could do worse than to turn out like him." Stella hears a light thump from inside the carriage, and recognizes it as the sound Aldous' cane makes when it comes in contact with wood. "Much worse..."

Stella frowns. What did turning out like his father have to do with his leg? she wondered.

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I'm afraid my malady was a rather persistent one, though. Not even Jalantha Mistmyr could heal me of it...I don't doubt that powerful magic can right or circumvent many a wrong!" Aldous sighs. "But as I said, even the mightiest clerics and sages in the Gate could accomplish nothing. Either my ailment was of some rare, formidable variety, or I've offended a handful of deities enough that they won't answer their servants' prayers concerning me."

Had he done something that caused him a deep curse?

Stella's grandmother had involved herself in dark deeds that marred her soul. Perhaps he had tried to take similar measures... It was only by the grace of Ilmater her father that could scourge the malady—and apparently only through agonizing experience.

Stella had taken to magic to avoid the pressure of living up to Zenithral's legendary reputation. It wouldn't be unreasonable if Aldous decided to turn to means of coping as well, whether through avoidance or acquiring some kind of skill or power. If magic was taboo in his house, it would probably sound especially appealing. Or perhaps it was taboo because of what he had done?

Merely conjecture, Stella reminds herself. She looks down at her boots, solemn.

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"Thats a shame," she commiserates. "I suppose it's not worth Stella having a look then?" she asks, her voice dejected. To Stella, outside the carriage and Aldous' eyesight, she throws a wink.

Shella glances quizzically at Aiwë, dark indigo eye-stars scattering distractedly. She shakes her head and looks to the forest behind them. "Well," Stella says finally. "If you've offended the gods, primal magic usually isn't so fickle. Mama had disavowed them most of her life." She shrugs. "Perhaps someday you'll at least narrow down what's preventing the healing."

She'd have to ask him more later.

Stella glowers at herself, some eye-stars flaring orange. There she was doing again! She didn't have to ask him. This wasn't any of her business. He was sharing, sure, but she didn't need to go around trying to fix people. She realized she had the same thought about Dieter.

Thoughts from Zenithral talking about Ilmater and what an "arcane archer" was started to enter her mind, but she shoved them down. "I'm not a 'watchman', watchwoman, or some martyr," she mumbles quietly to herself, eye-starts cooling to an icy dark blue. But she did want to be a hero...right? Where was the balance between helpful and intrusive?

Before her thoughts can wander more, a warning visage of giant figures ahead of them flash in her mind from Noctalia.

Stella's eyes widen. "Stop! Stop the wagon!" she hisses.

"Well I for one say we kill them, the next travellers through might not be so experienced or wealthy. We can lead them into the trees where we have the advantage." Dieter suggests

Aiwë prepares herself to begin a war song about the giants. At a sign from her friends, she shifts tactics.

"Oh?" She is visibly surprised. "You want a mom song? Okay!" She pauses. She has written many songs that feature her mother, but only one of them is a mom song.

It's a lullaby sort of song, a gentle slow sort of song. Aiwë doesn't really think it fits the giants' vibe, and it shows.

Aiwë freezes, then changes gears quickly, choosing a NOT-about-moms song that a mom might sing about food. Yeah. That feels right.

Dieter gets into position in the woods ready to back Aiwë up.

"Dieter, wait!" Stella hisses, running up towards the front of the wagon. She looks at Aiwë, then turns to Aldous. "Um...Lord Silvershield...since we're under your charge, how would you like us to proceed? Use the distraction to...take them out or get through safely?" She grimaces, not liking the consequences of either option.

Aldous doesn't seem taken aback at being asked for orders. His ginger eyebrows come together to form a 'V' as he considers the situation. "I can't in good conscience leave these giants here to continue terrorizing the road. No, by the laws of the land they have forfeited their lives."

Having reached a decision, he seems to relax. "We must fight. And against a pair of giants, I imagine you'll need all the help you can get." He grunts and reaches for his cane, then slides out of the carriage. His other hand grips a slender wand.

Stella nods. "Take cover behind a thick tree..." she recommends. "As Ajantis mentioned, giants are often surprisingly accurate with thrown boulders...and unsurprisingly deadly."

Stella takes the reigns of the horses of those untrained in mounted combat and leads them over to the trees to tie them in place. They'd be able to get behind the trees, hopefully, but wouldn't be able to run off when the fighting started.

They wouldn't have time to move the carriage without drawing the giant's attention, she reasoned.

Taking cover behind a tree, she pulls out her tome, whispers a few words and taps out a simplified constellation of the Lady of Mystery into the air. The stars shine, then swirl towards each other into nothingness. In a moment, a plume of misty fog, like a nebula, blossoms from just above the giants, consuming their heads, but leaving their lower bodies visible, the fog ending shortly above Aiwë's head.

(Stella casts Fog Cloud when combat begins)

Stella focuses and repeats the constellation. It swirls together and the fog expands, further and further, sparkling starlight glittering from within the undulating cloud. Hopefully it'd keep them bumbling about for at least a little while.

Stella is casting Fog Cloud as a 3rd-level spell, rather than 1st."Get the near one first!" She shouts. They'd have a better chance if they focused on taking one down at a time.

She moves from her tree to another, in case they hurl something at the sound of her voice. Stars stream from the fog and infuse her body, skin turning into the night sky, joints, eyes, mouth, and bow lighting up before she loses a radiant arrow.

Stary Form: Archer

She fires at the nearest giant's legs, but the shooting stardust arrow gets sucked into the fog like a fish in a whirlpool. Stella's confusion deepens when a tendril of fog shoots out from where the arrow was sucked in and streams towards her. When it hits her, she feels her spiritual connection to primal forces rejuvenate. (Spell Attack Fumble: Wild Magic Roll of 60. Stella regains her lowest-level expended spell slot, which happens to be her 3rd level slot she just expended.)

"That was...peculiar," she remarks to herself.

27 / 27 HP
14 AC (16 w/ Tree Cover
Concentrating on Fog Cloud

Dieter draws his bow back and unleashes a volley of arrows at the giant Runeson is harrasing

Dieter deals 42 damage to gnarl. Gnarl fails his disarm check and drops whatever he’s holding.

Ac 18

Hp 38
Hiding in between the trees.

Aiwë's song shift abruptly, the chords becoming jarring and harsh. At a swift bite to the inside of her mouth, blood marks her words and twists at the giants' minds.

Aiwë casts Bane on the giants. They both fail.

Stella is sickened by the shouts of the giants as they assault the giants.
She nods to herself, focusing on Aldous' words, still saddened, but continues firing a volley of radiant arrows at the giants.

(Guiding Bolt. Hairtooth takes 15 damage. Next round, one attack against Hairtooth will have advantage.)

27 / 27 HP
14 AC (16 w/ tree cover)
Concentrating on Fog Cloud

Dieter breathes deep and focuses on his technique. The world fades away and he is back home shooting apples off their trees in the orchard. Loosing two arrows in quick succession he empties his lungs settling into a resting position only to be startled by the small booming of fire arrows striking true. He quickly ducks before realizing what he had done. Maybe I relaxed a bit too much on that one. Stella must have snuck those in my quiver.

dieter deals 40 damage to the stinky poo poo giant.

Hp 38/38
Ac 18

Hiding in the trees

.

Dieter leans out from his hiding spot and looses more arrows at his foe

Dieter deals 29 points of damage to the last giant.

38/38
Ac 18

Hiding

Stella's eyes widen as she realizes what's happening. She dispels the fog, but it takes several seconds before the warbling mass of fog dissipates. "Look out!"

With a surge of adrenaline, she starts running and her dark, starry form shifts, the stars of her body rearranging, expanding into a form like Tulco. She couldn't tell if Aldous was in danger...but she wouldn't leave it to chance.

(Stella uses Wild Shape to transform into a warhorse and runs in front of Aldous, hoping to reduce the damage if he's a target.)

AC 11
HP 19 / 19 (warhorse) + 27 / 27 (regular)

Dieter jogs over to the giants. He using his Longsword he cuts each of their jugulars letting the life blood drain out. Giants are tough creatures and he wasn’t taking any chances. Standing on top of gnarl Dieter calls out "do you think we could catch that merchant that passed us earlier? They’d probably want their goods back"

Standing over Aldous, the starry horse shakes her head, dazed, then blinks her shining eyes a few times, focusing on the young noble.

Oh, thank the stars... Stella wasn't sure if she'd be able to get to him in time.

Stella takes a few steps back, one of her horse legs almost giving out as stardust leak from huge gashes from the tree. Stars, that hurt...

Her form shifts becoming stars that realign and shape themselves into a girl, then fade, leaving Stella standing there, unharmed. (Stella leaves Wild Shape and ends her Starry form.)

She huffs a breath, tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, then holds out a hand to help Aldous up. "Well!" she smiles, slightly disturbed. "That was...brutal."

Ajantis gives a curt shake of his head at Dieter. "That merchant and her guards didn't encounter these giants. Or if they did, perhaps they paid the toll. But I can't believe if it came to battle that the merchant caravan would have survived." He gestures to the two enormous corpses. "How much gold do they have on them?"

Aldous accepts Stella's hand and soon is back on his feet. His own hand is quite soft; the noble's obviously not done much hard labor or training with weapons.

"You... You just... That was incredible!" He runs fingers through his red hair, picking out bits of tree debris. "You saved my life! You might have been killed, and I... Well. I think this group has already earned their pay, wouldn't you say, Ajantis?" Aldous exhales slowly, then nods. "I will certainly see to it that you're all paid extra for what you've done. And you..." He meets Stella's eyes. "That was incredibly heroic. I've never had anyone turn into a horse for me before! I mean-" He mutters under his breath. "What I mean to say is: Thank you, Stella."

Dieter shakes the giants down for any belongings he also cuts a big toe from each of them on the same side so as not to be confused as being from the same giant. "Aiwë see if they have a camp nearby"

Aiwë, usually quick to follow requests or orders, does not move. "Why did you do that?" Her voice is uncharacteristically flat as she stares at the giants' toes.

"Well their heads are too heavy and their scalps are… well.. I don’t know I think scalping is gross and degenerative. It’s for the guards, I don’t like it either" Dieter responds quietly

Aiwë looks at him a long time. "Fine. We don't need trophies." She leaves to look for the camp.

"Agreed, you won’t see me taking ears or anything that’s…yeah." Dieter puts the toes in a scrap cloth and ties it up to his belt. He takes a moment looking at the two brothers lying still near each other before pivoting away. "Stella get our lord here back in the wagon and send your friend ahead, we need to be ready to move once their camp has been found." Dieter says returning to his usual self.

Using his adopted ancestry and knowledge of masonry Dieter examines the rocks

After pulling him to his feet, she smiles, forgetting to let go of his hand. "I think I would have been fine," she says, squinting and closing one eye trying to imagine the worst-case scenario. "At least with the druidic magic protecting me. I've felt it grow stronger recently. Though I certainly could have broken something!"
"I guess getting hit by giants and saving people from them runs in the family," she laughs, eye-stars turning yellow. She tils her head to the side briefly and bounces on her feet, trying to shake off the adrenaline. "Right after they met, Papa saved Mama were caught in an avalanche started by giants and he saved her by shooting her. Can you believe that?" she asks with a grin. "It was a banishing arrow, that made her disappear right when the avalanche hit, but still I—"

Stella's grin fades and her eyes suddenly widen, realizing how it might sound saying that her father saved his future wife from giants and how that might run in the family.

She releases his hand, clears her throat, and averts her eyes, suddenly now speckled pink.

She glances over to Aiwë and Dieter, then narrows her eyes a bit. There seemed to be a tense air between them. She notices the giant's bloody feet. Was it a respect-for-the-dead thing, or something else?
When Dieter calls out, Stella shakes her head to clear it, then nods curtly. She considers telling Aldous to return to the carriage, then considers offering Aldous help doing so, but decides against both. He had ears and could get around well enough with his cane. No need to make him think she thought him helpless or anything.

Great work!, she tells Noctalia. Please scout ahead continue to keep watch ahead of us. Do celestial or fey spirits...eat? I have to find you some snacks...

"I'm...going to fetch our other horses!" she tells Aldous, puts on a smile, nods, then heads towards where she had tied them.

Why did she feel ashamed of all things? Mostly, just embarrassed, she decided, but why should she? He continued to compliment and thank her, and he was so kind and encouraging! Would it be so bad for either of them to consider a future together? Except...well...Aldous' father sounded quite traditional, and from what she studied and heard from Caliope, the high-and-mighty type of nobles didn't court 'common folk'.

As Stella reached the horses, her mind started to spiral down that line of thought more. Why try if she didn't have a chance? "Whoa." she says, trying to calm both the spooked animals, and herself. Aldous didn't seem to like his father's ways either. At the very least, she should try to be a friend, instead of close herself up.

She unties the horses and grunts resolutely, leading them back to the carriage for Sheemish, Aiwë, or Dieter to take turns riding again.

Having found no camp, Shelur pulls the giants off the road and lays them respectfully near each other.

She rolls on her drum again, slow and deliberate. "A song for the road, anyone? I know one about a man who found a wife by shooting her with an arrow, and a woman who found a husband by breaking his ribs!"

Aiwë leans in to murmur to Stella. "You can't do worse..." She gives an encouraging wink to the pink speckles in Stella's eyes.

Stella puts a hand to her face, trying to suppress a grin behind a grimace. "I suppose that's true," she admits. Thanks, she says sarcastically. It would be no use asking Aiwë to stop teasing her, and if she suggested another song, Stella had no doubt it would inexplicably circle back around to some kind of romantic ballad.

"Can I ask what was bothering you with Dieter?" she asks quietly as they depart again. She was partially trying to distract Aiwë from singing, but was also curious, and concerned. Their group's differing views had already caused quite some strife—ideally, they'd be able to talk out such differences before future detrimental outbursts.

Luckily for Stella, Aiwë is easily diverted. She thumps darkly on her drum. "He cut off a couple of the giants' toes. I thought he was taking trophies." She smiles at Stella, the dark cloud passing quickly from her face. "He wasn't though. He wanted proof for the guards. I judged too quickly. Dieter has more honour than that."

"That he does," Stella nods, still talking quietly, leading the draft horses along. She draws her lips to a line, and shivers slightly, adrenaline still wearing off. "The fight was...rather brutal. I hope we've done good here...I'm glad it seems he's not doing it for sport, though. I've been a bit worried about him...he kept screaming death whenever we'd start a fight, and I couldn't tell whether it was for intimidation or thrill. But he didn't do that this time, huh?"

She's tempted to glance towards Dieter, but didn't want to let on that she was talking about him. "When we got back to Nashkel, he told me he learned to fight so he could be a hero, but that now he doesn't feel like one...and that getting to kill is a reward in itself. 'Blood money', he called it..." She falls silent, not sure what to make of it. The clopping of hooves fills the silence for a moment, then she continues. "I tried to press him more, but then he changed the subject and that's how we started making iced cream," she grins. "At any rate, thanks again for watching out for all of us."

Then she elbows Aiwë, still grinning and leans in closer and lowers her voice even more. "Also, if you're going to embarrass me to death, you had better be prepared to write me a ballad too."

Stella had been distracted by her own embarrassment, but after they started on the road again, she ran her conversation with Aldous back in her head, a bit of an involuntary habit, her mind trying to pick apart together all the things she said wrong.

Stella lets out involuntary snort and smile as she realizes what he had said.

When the wagon wheel breaks and Sheemish fixes it, she finds a moment to speak to Aldous briefly. "For the record: Sprouting wings? Yes. Naked? Noooo. Though you wouldn't be the first to compare Papa to a cherub..." She accentuates 'wouldn't' with a point of her finger.