Diplomatic Mission to the Giant King

[Wolfgar]

I agree we should immediately head down. I suggest that Winthrop either come down with us using Foebreaker and the bone wand as needed or hiding and memorizing spells for a couple of hours. I don't think we should leave anyone behind to protect him if that is what he decides to do - the four main fighters are deadly while their strength remains so we need them below and the others wouldn't be useful against an assault from the giants if they were guarding Winthrop. He can levitate to the roof and hide up there while memorizing. Of course I would rather he was along. You never know when we might be able to get back to the first floor or how he would find us below. And there might be a break in the action when he could memorize a first or second level spell.

[Mr. Trommer]

I had no intention of taking the time to memorize spells. I made that comment baseed on Dell's true desire to loot. I'm all for moving down stairs. I still have a Wand I could use. Hmm, Dell even has a Wand I could use...

[Ginger]

With all of his magical items and HP, Winthrop makes a better melee fighter than Diego. He can easily fight a bugbear or something like that.

[Dell]

arrowguy said:

With all of his magical items and HP, Winthrop makes a better melee fighter than Diego.

Good point. Winthrop goes in front. The key thing is we have to hurry. If we take too long, people will come back and clear out the top level, taking all the magical trinkets and goodies.

[Mr. Trommer]

Yeah, right...in front behind Otto and Al. I assume that since I'm only five feet tall that Raven or Diego will what to shoot over my head like they do with Al?

[Dell]

We're fighting giants - aiming over anyone's head shouldn't be a problem. Or you can levitate and they can shoot under you.

[Mr. Trommer]

I was thinking more about Bugbears, Ogres, Orcs and such. I figure if I were in a melee with a giant it would throw a rock over my head at the archers once it realized how little damage I do in comparison.

[Dell]

winthrop said:

I was thinking more about Bugbears, Ogres, Orcs and such. I figure if I were in a melee with a giant it would throw a rock over my head at the archers once it realized how little damage I do in comparison.

Really, the main reason you'd be in melee is to be an additional target. Then again, you could just stand in back and wave your arms around like you were spellcasting - you'd draw fire away from the people doing all the killing.

This is a great plan.

[Mr. Trommer]

That's essentially what I did last time with that first Wall of Ice spell then the fatal one where I caught all those rocks. So I've tried that plan and don't want to repeat it.

[Wolfgar]

It's the stone giants we want to be careful of. They do something like 3-30 with thrown rocks. Luckily they are partially injured by the wall of ice so might not want to take part in any fight.

[Mr. Trommer]

Very good point. I will try and stay out of their way and let the Ottomizer take care of them.

[Wolfgar]

So should we try a frontal assault and go down the stairs in the kitchen where they went or should we try to flank them? There is the other staircase we know about. And I bet if we checked Nosnra chambers we would find a trap door leading down. If this is anything like the slavers' stockade the leader will want his own access to the lower levels. The double doors at the end of the passage probably lead to his chamber - leaders seem to like to be near the kitchens. Of course we did pretty well with the frontal assault in the main hall so this might not be necessary.

[Dell]

We should do a frontal assault from here. We don't know where the passages go downstairs, so if we try flanking them from the other starcase there's no telling where we'll end up. We should be able to survive a frontal assault and mop up any stragglers that run away.

[Ginger]

Yeah, let's not waste time. Charge and attack under a cloud of fog.

[Mr. Trommer]

Stone Giant Sweat Collection - Before going upstairs Hugh has five empty flasks from the Holy Water used to resurrect Winthrop available to collect from the five stone giants that were scalded. Dell also has a flask.

[Dell]

Get it from the armpit - it's extra strong there.

[Mr. Trommer]

Good point. Maybe we can find a bucket in the kitchen to collect more of it.

[Dell]

Should we place the dead bodies in... compromising positions? It might enrage the enemy such that they would make a tactical error.

As for continuing our explorations, we've got two possible plans for reconnaissance. We can enlarge Pavel, and he can go around looking like a giant, scouting out the unexplored areas. Or, Dell can turn invisible and do likewise. Dell prefers to have Pavel doing recon, while Dell - or some other person that wants to be invisible - stands guard in the room downstairs where the battle took place.

[Mr. Trommer]

I think we need to check the other stairway to see if the giants can escape that way. If not then I think we can rest longer at the top of the stairs. The fighters should be able to easily hold them off if they try to come up the stairs. Then I could get more speels backs Cedrus could use my ring to get two hours rest so he could get back some heals. Meanwhile the rest of the main floor can be looted. I really don't want to get in boulder range with only seven hit points.

[Wolfgar]

Since the giants don't see in the dark we could extinguish all of lights in the room below the kitchen, close the door at the top of the stairs and leave Al, Diego (wearing the ring of infravision), Mungo and the elf (what is he proficient in?) to guard in dark. If the giants try to make a break for it Diego and Al would be able to pick them off. Then the rest of us can go scout the other staircase. Once that is secure we can set up a base for the spell casters to rest.

[Mr. Trommer]

That's a good idea with the infravision. It might be better to leave the door open with one of those heavy table across it to give cover from rocks. That way the giants can be shot one at a time as they come up they stairs with cover and prevent them all rushing in the room. If the door is closed the could then burst in and several can get into the room to melee (not that it would matter in the end).

[Ginger]

Removing the lights would also confuse and dishearten the giants. They'd assume that it's either prelude to an assualt on their hiding place or a sign that we're going to wait them out.

[Dell]

What do we think the giants are up to down there?

Well, they've taken massive losses. Most of their primary fighters, including their leader, are dead. By now they certainly realize that they are outmatched. If they have an escape route down there, they'll try to grab their goodies and run - the remaining fighters will defend the corridors while the women and children make their escape through the emergency tunnel, or whatever. If there's not an escape route, then they'll try and set up either a good defensible position where they have good line of sight for missile fire, or an ambush where they can surround us.

In either case, we don't want to give them too much time - but we're all too weak to continue right now. How long should we rest for before we continue? I'm thinking no longer than three hours.

[Mr. Trommer]

In three hours I can get:
2 Lightning Bolts
2 Strength
2 Magic Missile


If Cedrus uses my ring and sleeps for two hours he can get back four Cure Light Wounds.

[Dell]

Okay. Winthrop and Cedrus can rest and study. Raven and Al stand guard by the kitchen stairway. Diego and Otto stand guard by the hidden stairway. The released prisoners dine on the leftovers and scrounge weaponry so they can fight with us if they choose.

Everyone else loots the upper level.

[Ginger]

Remember that Otto regains 6 HP per hour also. I like Otto's plan of leaving some people with infravision downstairs because they're all NPCs, which allows us to check out the other staircase down that we haven't explored. If we can quickly estlabish that it does not provide an alternate escape route, I think we can rest for 3 hours. If we can't, I say we go after 1.

[Dell]

arrowguy said:

I like Otto's plan of leaving some people with infravision downstairs...

According to my analysis, they shouldn't be moving around down there. They're too beaten up to try a frontal attack, and it's doubtful that anything in the bugbear barracks or the area where the orc servants lived will be of any great value to them, so they won't send anyone to scout that area out. I think we're better off waiting upstairs, with a pre-initiative shot on anyone bold enough to poke his head out of the door.

They're either defending or retreating, I don't think they'll be attacking.

[Ginger]

Before we decide what to do, let's have a list of everyone's HP and spell situation. Raven has 25 (out of 45) and Jasper is full at 16 (not like it matters).

[Mr. Trommer]

We should get one of the tables to give some cover in case they do come up the stairs while we rest. Do we want to deploy some caltrops?

Wasn't the other stairway behind a concealed door so maybe only Nosra kew about it.

[Wolfgar]

Otto is at 16 (out of 37) and counting.

Nosnra's wife escaped so she may know about the concealed door.

A rough count of the remaining giants: 2 stone giants both heavily wounded, 1 fire giant also heavily wounded, a fog/cloud giant unwounded, at least 6 female hill giants none wounded. There was one other giant waiting around the corner with the fog/cloud giant - maybe a hill giant. There were a number of hill giants that fled the initial fight around 6 to 8 almost all of which were wounded. They may mount an attack, though hopefully once they see all of the orcs have fled they will decide it is better not to try.