| Session Date | July 8, 2023 |
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| Base XP Gained | Carry Over |
| Player Notes | ZZ's Notes |
The party found themselves surrounded by a sizable Elven patrol. Their leader signaled for a parley and advanced cautiously. He wished to know the party’s purposes in surreptitiously entering their kingdom, noting that the password they possessed did not give them leave to enter anywhere at will. The border crossing should have been used. However, the Elves were not overly hostile as they had noted the large number of Dwarves with them. As the Dwarves were allies, they were welcome enough in the Kingdom, though he pointedly noted that they should’ve known better and advised their “mercenaries.” The party, for their part, did not wish to generate ill will with the Elves so they were quite forthright in what they’d been up to and where they were going. The party learned that the Elves had been keeping a very strong watch in this region since the rise of the Giant King. They were aware of the Werewolves the party fought and were pleased to hear they’d been slaughtered.
However, when the party told the Elf captain their intention to kill the Giant King, he grew a great deal less enthusiastic. Doing so, he noted, while operating from the Elven wood could implicate his kingdom into this affair, and he had the strictest orders to avoid any such thing. If the Dwarf King wished to slay the Giant King that was his prerogative, though the Elf made it clear he thought the Elves should’ve at least been consulted. The party then explained they were not exactly operating on the Dwarf King’s orders, which made the elf even more unhappy. However, if the Dwarves wished to hire mercenaries to do dirty work he would not interfere, though he said he would certainly report all this to his seniors. In the end, the elf captain decided to let the party spend the night where they were if they promised to depart the forest in the morning, and he promised in turn they would rest undisturbed. The Elves then took their leave and faded into the woods. Floi then spoke up, saying that all the party had to do was let people know who he was and it would “open doors” for them.
The next day the party left the woodland and continued on. Later in the day, Sirius from his airborne scouting post noted a large party of humanoids, including giants, moving the opposite was they were, a few miles west of the forest edge. The wizard then cast hallucinatory terrain to create a forest to shield the party, and the patrol apparently did not note their presence. Finally, the party reached the shores of Lake Greensward and soon rendezvoused with Hans and his ship. The party now considered what to do with their horses. After some talk, they made their way to the edge of the Elf forest and hailed them. Sure enough, the elf captain appeared (clearly having been shadowing the party). When the party offered him all their horses, he seemed a bit exasperated, saying this contact was exactly what he was trying to avoid. However, he was left with little choice and accepted, saying his elves would be busy hiding horse tracks for a while. He did mention that such a large patrol was unusual, especially so close to the Elf Kingdom. Regardless, he sent the party on their way, still exasperated at the troubles he claimed the party had caused him. (To retcon, the Elf Captain’s name was Ingwe…I did not have a name in advance as that was a random encounter -patrol- as opposed to the other random encounter -raiding party, Giant King’s forces-).
The party now took ship and sailed into the fading day on a nearly moonless night. With the flying carpet aloft as a spotting platform, the ship (I forget the name if I knew it – no doubt the Centennial Hawk or some such thing) made its way towards Manston, arriving well after full dark had fallen. The aerial scouts noted that there were two patrol boats, fully darkened, sailing opposite north-south patterns not far from the city. They now decided not to attempt to run the ship into the Blueflood in the darkness and instead opted to shuttle the party invisibly and accompanying Dwarves on the flying carpet to the ruins. This was accomplished without difficulty, though while doing so the party noted numerous lights of patrols and checkpoints below them, and at one time they heard the beat of heavy wings above them. By the time the skies in the east began to lighten, the party was safely ensconced in the ruins above Manston.
The ruins proved to be just that, though safe and secure enough for their purposes. There were many signs that the ruins had been visited many times, probably by kids playing to judge by the debris and graffiti. None of it was recent, however. The Dwarves were put to work to begin fortifying interior, non-visible portions just in case. Meanwhile, the party proper decided they would spend the next three days thoroughly reconnoitering the area by land and air, which they did. They learned that there was a LOT of military activity going on, with a general flow of forces into Manston and even further north, all coming up the Dwarf Road. Enemy forces consisted primarily of humans, Bugbears, Hobgoblins and a smattering of stronger humanoids. Patrols were everywhere, as were semi-permanent watch posts on key terrain. The ruins along the Dwarf Road were under repair and fully occupied. From the city, work gangs of civilians were being taken under guard to work the fields, almost to the level of slave driving (the party speculated this was a result of the late planting because of the Fimubulwinter). Up north, they found the shipyards of Divin being used to house a sizable force. Beyond that, lone scouts and spies could be seen as far as the region of Far Andor. Overhead, trios of men mounted on Hippogriffs passed periodically before returning down the Dwarf Road. Following them, they were found to be part of a six flier squadron based in a hastily build shed near the wooden Giant Steading they’d invaded last year. Since then, a large force of troops had moved into the vicinity and a very sizable army was encamped here. It was clearly a key headquarters for the Giant King’s forces, but there was no sign that Gulliveg himself was present here.
We then retconned a bit that Hans had learned in Far Andor that the Giant King was literally starved for food for his army. However, the Priestess of Grimbold and the Priest of Maladominus had lost touch with Manston and thus received very little news. They had zero on the Thieves’ Guild nor on the status of Wellidar and its relations with the Giant King. They did not know anything specific about the Giant King’s arrival in Manston, either.
The party now scouted Alcibard’s residence by crystal ball and from the air and saw a handful of mercenary-guards on it, all from the Holy Tree company (the party’s former mercs). They did not seem particularly alert. Hans then became visible and passwalled into Alcibard’s room. He was surprised to see him, of course, but not displeased. It was safe to talk here as he trusted his guards (they liked him better than their former employers, he claimed). He was quick to answer questions. The Giant King was due to arrive in the city on the first day of Midsummer (the solstice) in about a week’s time. Much of the forces and patrols were all about security for that. He had little power or insight in all this, of course, but he’d gathered that there was some sort of dissension amongst the Giant King’s court about something. Supposedly, the Giant King was going to make a grand announcement at some point when he arrived in the city, though Alcibard had no idea what that meant. Alcibard was no longer permitted in the Citadel - only the Giant King’s folk were there now. When he came, the Giant King would probably come up the Dwarf Road and through the Lormyrr Gate. When asked about thief activity, he said there was none. There was no crime because the city was under such tight control. There’d even been public executions of those unwilling to work in the press gangs being constantly formed to work the farms and other projects. Oh, and the enemy was aware of the party’s presence to a degree, having found the horse tracks, though they lost them on the frontier of the Manston region. As for who was in charge, he was unsure. Glumnir, a fire giant, seemed to command the Giants and others, but the wizard Lammoch seemed to have a lot of power and was not beholden to the giant – this was the same Lammoch who’d come to Manston in the first place with others on orders to kill the party. Beware of his halfling! For his part, Alcibard offered the party the use of some of his mercenaries, saying their lieutenant was fond of the party, he thought. They could be useful for passing messages as they were free of the danger of being pressed into service.
With all this knowledge, the party now considered their next action, with the possibility of penetrating the citadel and assassinating Lammoch a strong possibility (Alcibard could provide a good map). Regardless, the Giant King was due to arrive in Manston in a week, barring other happenings…