Into the Steading: 25 Nightal

The group drops down the chimney and rolls out into the enormous kitchen and food prep work room of the giant’s steading.  The scent of whiskey and fresh blood comes from the south, while boisterous voices can be heard from the north, and the east as well.

It is the wee hours of 25 Nightal, and whatever is keeping the giants awake sounds like a raucous time.
The storage area north of the kitchen doubles as an eating place for servants. It includes three tables, a long counter, stools, benches, and an assortment of kitchen gear. Numerous sacks, boxes, and barrels contain flour, dried meat, dried fruit, honey, and other foodstuffs. Various cheeses, smoked meats, and sausages hang from the rafters. Several casks and tuns hold a wide variety of potables—ale, beer, mead, and wine—all of giant strength. Loaves of bread, still warm from the ovens, are stacked on one table.

The northernmost room runs north south like an odd tetris piece.  Fresh hulks of elk, deer, moose and other game hang from hooks in the far northern alcove; and blocks of ice lay on the floor and piled up the walls.

Kailute searches the area for any available alcohol.  Finding several bottles of whiskey in the cabinets, he grabs four bottles and dons a serving apron.

After grabbing the spirits the half-orc explores the pantry to the south.   This room is stuffed full of sacks of flour, jars of spices and wooden barrels of various lards, fats, and cooking unguents.  The smell is of powerful pepper and pungent lipids.  Various dried herbs hang from the ceiling rafters, mostly out of humanoid reach.

Finding a passage below, Roughhewn out of the rock below is a large stone stairwell leading down.  Cold emanates from below, as does darkness and silence.  The acrid smell of tar-based torches lingers in the air.

While Kailute explores the basement DonBrapp drags the corpses from the south into the meat locker, and lugs them within a circle of poured salt.  He hears raucous noise to the north.

Kailute observes an enormous room opens before you, lit by a few smoky torches burning along the walls.  The air is thick with the scent of acrid tar and several benches and tables are pushed out of the way against the walls, revealing a floor of black stone, much worn by the tread of countless feet.  The ceiling rises 18’ above the floor and it is clouded in smoke.

A 10’ wide passageway exits directly to the east, flanked by two stout wooden door north and south along the eastern wall.  Another door lines the southern wall to the east, and a wide 20’ passageway exits to the south.  A 10’ passageway exits north.

Fyrnlocke and Kailute clean the drag marks and blood from the movement back upon the first floor kitchen, and an explosive cacophony of activity is heard from the east.

DonBrapp casts resist cold as Kailute details his plan to explore the activity in the northern room.  Acting as a server, he will move in and if things get aggressive will attack with the expectation that the rest of the party will enter and support his attack.  DonBrapp offers Vergadain’s aid to the barbarian as he attempts to cover his weapons with the serving apron.

The party leaps against the wall in front of the closed door as Kailute pushes open the door with his tray of beverages.  The room opens to a 60’x80’ common room cluttered cots, tables, stools and chairs.  There is an overwhelming scent of unwashed sweat and woodsmoke.  Various gaming accoutrements, steins of ale and wineskins lay strewn about as do sundry piles of silver and copper.  There are doors to the east and south.

Seven hill giants stop from their merrymaking and momentarily stare at the half-orc.

“Excuse me masters.  I heard the revels and I brought you more whiskey.”

There are no weapons save clubs, staves, and fire implements and a whip hanging over the door in the room.  After the half-orc offers his whiskey all of them go back to gaming and making merry.

Kailute makes rounds to varying response of the drunken hill giants.

“Gaoblinards.  Unwashed greenskins.  Taste good with hvar.  Eat your uncle; EAT YOU!” Several of the giants snarl at the half-orc.

Unsheathing his weapon from below his apron Kailute swings his sword into the neck of the largest giant.  The others break through their shock and reach for whatever weapons lay around.

DonBrapp charges into the room and attempts to invoke Vergadain’s favor by paralyzing two of the brutes but the god is silent as the dwarf goes through the semantic movements.

The enraged hill giant thrusts an amazing stab through the dwarf’s armor as Kailute spins through without making any contact.
“Fecking good donnybrook, eh.” Fyrnlocke states flatly stealthing in.

The lesser giants begin to surround the battle line.

Quilro casts a magical enhancement of speed, and one of the hill giant servants is also hasted.

Kailute recovers landing two wounding slashes against the opposing monsterkin.

With nearly blinding speed slices the giant twice with the Eldarym moonblade, it’s darky gems reflection the firelight.

Fyrnlocke misses again and DonBrapp hammers another blow into the enormous creature.

Another flurry of green limbs and swordblade as one of the servant giants screams “DWARFSES!  ELVES! “ in furious bewilderment.

One of the giant lands a club blow to the elf.  Diving deftly to the left he releases a lightning bolt that is totally absorbed by the far wall rather than bouncing off.

Fyrnlocke lifts his sword high above his head and nearly cleaves his opponent in half with a joyous yawp.
DonBrapp connects and the half-orc spins through the giants like a ferocious badger chewing through the bases of trees.

The magically hasted giant falls as Quilro lands another fantastic blow taking the giants ear off his head on the backswing.

All of the brutes miss their attacks the elf darts yet again loosing a lightning bolt down the line of them.
The sounds of wolves baying can be heard from the east.

DonBrapp sinks his hammer into the skull of the giant dropping the leviathan to its knees.

Elf and dwarf miss in their haste as Fyrnlocke fells yet another of the server giants.

Quilro pops the stone out of his pouch and it begins to circle his head.

Kailute lands two swings. Seeing the battle swaying the dwarf begins to relocate furniture toward the walls.

“Block the eastern door!’  Quilro yells missing with a sword swing.

The human thief lands another debilitating blow.  Kailute lands two swings.

Although clearly losing the combat the giantkin are ferocious in their resistance
.
As he is pushing furniture toward the wall the dwarf notices the southern door creep open and quickly shut.  Poking his head inside the hall is a messy and smelly place filled with pallets and junk.  The smell of urine, sweat and putrifying wounds assails the nostrils. Two orcs, emaciated and yellowed recline on filthy pallets.  Some of their hides display enormous purple lines of bruising.  There are pallets for at least eight more along the floor.

Moving to inform Kailute of what he has seen in the southern room DonBrapp drags the corpses to the center of the room while inspecting their pockets.  Examining the corpses he selects five and prepares a spell
“This is a bad way to entreat each other.” Kailute speaks to the orcs, who relay the subjugated tale of the red-ear tribe of orcs living below who are poorly treated by Snosra.

Both orcs beg for food and medical attention and Kailute earns the eternal gratitude of Ungar.

“I will do what I can to ensure the red-ears run among the valleys again.”  Kailute promises as the orc relate that the giants have been instructed not to mutilate the corpses.

“Eh, Kailute..  a word for a moment.”  Quilro states with murderous intent his desire to eliminate the orcs in the southern room.

“To end them, you must end me, elf.  I have given them the word of the Crashhawk.”

“These are nothing but beasts.”

“There are thousands of years of enmity between our people, and we cannot resolve that here.  But as a practical matter, there is a tribe of orcs that we can use to defeat these giants here.”

Oblivious to the argument Quilro hears a calling from his dagger with a bloody answer to all the problems in the steading.

DonBrapp attempts to listen without prejudgment to Kailute’s argument for taking control of the subjugated orc tribe below.

Fyrnlocke attempts to remind Quilro of Kailute’s value to the team and his responsibility for saving the group in Myth Drannor, which the elf frostily rebuffs.

DonBrapp stands atop some of the furniture and begins to cast for Vergadain’s favor through the animation of former foes, holding forth both his holy symbol and the artifact thighbone.

“Behold the glory of Vergadain!”  The dwarf crows as three of the servant giants climb into somnambulant obedience.

Kailute provides the wounded orcs to the south one potion of healing and Ungar reiterates his life-debt to the barbarian.

As the party creeps down the hallway Kailute signals for them to get back as two giants are moving from the main hallway.

“Plenty of refreshments to the north…”  Kailute lies, shunting the giants into an ambush before thrusting his blade through the head of one of them.

The party makes quick work of the remaining giant, although Fyrnlocke buried his blade in the opposite wall.

DonBrapp directs the zombie giants to pull the fresh corpses to the pile as the baying of wolves continues to the east.

Moving south the group cannot mistake the noise of revelry coming from the east, assumed to be the great hall.

The group moves back through the pantry and descends the wide stone steps to the basement of the steading.

An enormous room opens lit by a few smoky torches burning along the walls.  The air is thick with the scent of acrid tar and several benches and tables are pushed out of the way against the walls, revealing a floor of black stone, much worn by the tread of countless feet.  The ceiling rises 18’ above the floor and it is clouded in smoke.

A 10’ wide passageway exits directly to the east, flanked by two stout wooden door north and south along the eastern wall.  Another door lines the southern wall to the east, and a wide 20’ passageway exits to the south.  A 10’ passageway exits north.

The scent of goblinoid inhabitants is overpowering.

Kailute scans the room as Quilro listens intently, hearing something scamper across the room to the east, beyond the door.

Pressing his ear to the southern door the elf and heres pidgin goblinoid discussing unhappiness with the current state of affairs.

Kailute opens the door and there are eight alert bugbears in banded mail who look curiously at the new orc opening the door.

“What clan is this?”

“What clan are you?!”

The bugbears respond with violence as Kailute identifies himself as the warboar clan and leap to attack.
As their blades miss or slide off the barbarian’s armor Quilro leaps forward and jumps up on a table yelling in orcish “Throw down your weapons and you met yay live!  Do you not recognize a chieftain when you see one!?!”
“Lay down your arms and swear fealty to this beast!”  DonBrapp shouts and his entreaty appears to further enrage the confused scrum of monsters.

Quilro’s silken tongue soothes the bugbears with his command of guttural bugbear.

Kailute takes advantage of the confusion to slay two with a single strike each.

“Oppose me, and you will all die.”  The barbarian states plainly.

One of the bugbears backs away inviting an attack from the elf but makes it to a gong in the corner sounding an alarm.

The vicious snarls of monsters approaching from the southeast can be heard.

Quilro to the side to see what is approaching and observes a column of bugbears moving tentatively toward the party.  The elf releases a booming volley of magical fire down the hallway, blasting several of them back down the passage.
“You are fools to oppose us!  Those who lay down their arms may walk out of here… but those who do not will be slain!”  Kailute shouts slicing two more down.

Quilro is able to slide behind one and slips his blade into its shoulder through to its heart, dropping the monster.
“WHO SUMMONS KARGAR!” Yells a particularly muscular bugbear with mangy braided fur.  “WHO IS THIS THAT CHALLENGES KARGAR?  WHO SPEAKS FOR SNOSRA?”

“I speak as enemy of Snosra, and enemy of Zenghyi.  I provide you an opportunity to raise your honor and break the chains of your tribe from this vassalage.  Kailute of the Warboar tribe who seeks revenge upon the Zhents, and freedom from the hill giants.  Join me, and the Red-ears and we shall move against these vile overlords!”

The barbarian persuades in his attempt at the most charismatic goblin-common he can muster.  The group is momentarily suspended, considering what the half-orc has to say.  To the north the sound of a door opening and the scampering of large creatures can be heard.