The Mountain Pass

[greyarea]

No encounters befall you as you sleep. The morning is sunless and cold. At least the Rod and Fortress help keep you warmer.

You remount your... mounts and continue on.



Getting to the intersection you find that the map was inaccurate. It seems there is a second path to the southeast (green line).

While you ponder this new development encounter [1d20] = 10 the ground begins quaking. Looking south, a group of three hill giants approach. They move quickly, as their strides take them, and look to engage your small adventuring party.



Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 46/46
--Furuk 59/59
Dieter 31/31 < magic missile x2, sleep, continual light, stinking cloud, fireball, lightning bolt, slow, Evard's black tentacles, arcane eye >
--Dandy 33/33 < CLW x6, Bless, Hold Person, Find Traps, Augury, Silence 15', Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Speak with the Dead, Glyph of Warding, Protection from evil 10', CSW, create food and water >
Castinus 34/34
--Acquaire

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

Grimes shakes his head and says "Oh no they don't." He leaps off his mount and holds Wave up shouting "We mean to continue on without trouble. You can let us be on our way, or you can harass us and meet your maker, just like the company of hobgoblins back that way did. Your choice. What's it gonna be?"

If they continue on, Grimes will toss a web at the lead one to trip him up, then it's on.

[Spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Always amazed by Grimes he arches his left brow watching the exchange. If anything goes even remotely wrong Dieter will drop a fireball into their rear ranks (making sure his comrades are out of range).

[Craigers07]

Furuk - Fighter

"I'm not sure they're willing to reason Grimes."

Furuk dismounts and reaches for his scimitar.

"Maybe we can slow them and escape."

[tumblingdice]

"No, says Castinus, "but they might be willing to leave us alone if we give them something to eat." He'll reach into his bag of tricks, hoping to produce some tasty livestock.

[merias]

Dandy stands ready to send a shockwave downrange with Whelm.

[greyarea]

Grimes being parlay with the giants. reaction [2d6-1] = 9-1 = 8 They growl and one of them says, Big talk for small man who fit under my foot!

Castinus reaches into the Bag of Tricks. He pulls out a ball of fur and flings it which grows into a bag of tricks [2d8] = 9 goat. The animal bleats twice and a hill giant picks it up. You give food? Castinus nods. reaction [2d6-4] = 10-4 = 6 He says to the other two, Them nice. We eat goat and let them pass. The other two nod.

The three giants and a sadly bleating goat wander back to the south.

Acquaire strokes Grimes head and says, I'm glad you are able to defeat them without fighting. It shows just how big your brain is. The others notice that she focuses her praise on the halfling...



There are three ways to go forward, northwest, northeast (to area marked 1 on the map you were given), or southeast which is not on your map.

Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 46/46
--Furuk 59/59
Dieter 31/31 < magic missile x2, sleep, continual light, stinking cloud, fireball, lightning bolt, slow, Evard's black tentacles, arcane eye >
--Dandy 33/33 < CLW x6, Bless, Hold Person, Find Traps, Augury, Silence 15', Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Speak with the Dead, Glyph of Warding, Protection from evil 10', CSW, create food and water >
Castinus 34/34
--Acquaire

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

Grimes blushes at Acquaire's praise and says "Thanks, but I've got a tiny brain. My friends have the brains here. I'm just the muscle." He smiles and glances back at the others as he mounts up again and says "Those guys were lucky they didn't get me riled. I haven't killed a giant in a long time."

He chuckles and says "Nice move, Casty. Where to now? Perhaps Northeast or Southeast?" (in that order)

[tumblingdice]

"Northeast," Castinus suggests, pleased with himself. "Southeast feels like we'd be backtracking. "

[Spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Since the map does not actually contain the location of the caves I feel we should be looking in area' s not on the map. I vote to the southeast.