While the party waits, Aubric steps forward, placing a hand on Kriv's shoulder and uttering a few words to his diety, praying for Guidance in the upcoming conversation before stepping back. He will repeat this each minute until the interaction begins.
(OOC: 1d4 to one of Kriv's ability checks which can be rolled after the check to plus it up. Concentration, 1 minute.)
The wait was longer than one would like, perhaps several minutes but then those that are patient and attentive can hear the heavy footsteps of the castellan approach. Then there's the sound of the bar being raised and the door creaking open.
"Alright. Yer wanna speak to the lords? Follow me.
He leads you into the building waiting for all to enter before barring the door again. You've entered an unlit (40' x 30') vestibule. On the walls to either side of the 20' wide double doors are decorative shields that face two statues of cloaked figures that are on opposite sides of another set of 20' wide double doors. That set of doors is open allowing you to see that room too. From what you can see that is a larger room that is lit by two torch sconces. It's a 60' x 60' chamber fashioned like a cut diamond. In that room stand two sets of armor next to the two other doors, which are closed, in this room. Spider webs stretch between the suits of armor.
OOC: With Pande overwhelmed and Aquadyne off to Disney, I'm inclined to pause until one of them raises their hand and says that they're back. Thoughts?
The quartet follows the castellan past the first two rooms and then turning left into a torch-lit hallway of the keep. The four torches along the way barely brighten the hall which is over a hundred feet long. You pass several closed five foot wide doors to your right and one to the left and finally you stop before a very large, twenty foot wide, set of double doors.
Before he opens the door, Amrath stops and turns to the foursome. "D'ya want to leave weapons out here? Nobody's gonna touch them 'ere."
She shrugs. That means nothing to her as she rarely ever uses the weapons she carries, and she knows Kriv can call his weapon at need, so she takes off her sword and bow and leans there where indicated.
With a wordless nod, Kriv divests himself of his armaments, bonded items included. He noted the phrasing used, a request rather than an explicit requirement or obligation, but coupled with an assertion of trust.
Amrath notes that the foursome complied with the request and with that he pushes both ten foot wide doors open. Flickering torchlight spills into the chamber beyond and he ushers you inside.
The room is a very large dining hall (60' wide 90' long). You are entering what would be the north wall. A torch burns to either side of you on that north wall. You realize as you look around that the room is not perfectly rectangular. The west wall angles westward a bit starting 25 feet south of the northern wall making the length of the north wall actually 70' wide. In that nook lies a bearskin rug, the head of the bear faces inward to the room from the northeast corner. Further south on that western wall are two windows, both boarded up. The head of a buck is mounted between the windows. In the south wall is a set of double doors like the ones you entered through but they are not directly opposite you, they are several 10' further west. Like the doors you came through, these double doors are flanked by torches. Fire crackles to your left on the eastern wall from a stone fireplace. Another pair of large, closed, double doors is in the south of that eastern wall. There is another, smaller door north of the fireplace.
In floor of the room is criss-crossed by two long rugs. You are standing at the northernmost edge of one rug. It leads towards a large oak dining table that has three high-backed chairs on either side of it. The table is set with dinnerware that sits atop an earthen colored woven table cloth.
This room would resemble a Lord's opulent dining hall, were it not for the inches of dust coating the floor and table, and the cobwebs stretching from the northwest and southwest corners, draping the china and silverware.
Sitting at the table are two middle aged men. They are dressed finely, both wearing robes. They are both sitting on the west side of the table as the dwarven castellan leads you to the other side of the table. The men neither rise to greet you nor offer you a seat at the table.
The man to the left starts speaking softly to you, "Are you here for a hunt?"
Last edited by Neptune; Sun 02/11/202522:24 UTC. Reason: Added a visual aid
As she'd agreed this was Kriv's show for now, she follows quietly observing closely what she can see. She notes the dust and cobwebs on the table and place settings, indicating they are for show and have not been used in many years. More support for the undead theory.
The Dragonborn observed courtly protocol in how he conducted himself, conforming to the established etiquette of the nobility in his comportment, demeanour and action, in particular in relation to the seating. Likewise, as he answered the direct question.
"In a wider sense, perhaps. As you may well be aware, the giants have been making significant moves of late, and we find ourselves in opposition to them. Lord Erto Grym's prior associations are known to me, with a common thread in seeking to prevent what the giants are trying to achieve. As a matter of potential mutual interest, I thought it prudent to seek counsel here."
The two men listened to the spokesperson and glanced at each other with the name drop but kept their attention on Kriv.
As Kriv was talking, the three others made note of these two men and the surroundings. They were cleaner than the room, each wearing expensive clothing, bejeweled rings and necklaces. The footprints in the dust were numerous and led in and out of every door. While the torches and fireplaces were lit, there was no flint boxes or other mundane means of lighting a torch. But of course, they might simply have been put away.
"Ah, that," said the other man, the one to the right. "Yes. We've seen more giants. It has afforded us the opportunity to offer new forms of hunt. It's been a welcome change of pace, would you not say, Algar?"
The other man cracks a grin but lets the speaker continue.
"So you know of us... and perhaps you have made some assumptions and some of them are likely correct ... but let me first easy your minds. You've noticed that the townsfolk are alive and well. But, if you know of our friend Lord Erto, you might also guess that he, and we, are atypical. I don't care to elaborate but we are not interested in conflict - aside from the hunts. But I am glad, Kriv Norixius, that you approached us with honor and seek our advice and not conflict. We will do our part to help keep the giants at bay."
The other man then chimes in. "We can give them more than that Cryx," he says to the man to his right.
"Yes. We have seen more and more of the giants recently. We have made them the prey for our more recent hunts. We do that to protect the villagers. We understand that you had a run-in with Gorog yesterday and that he is no longer a problem. But there will be others. We learned from him that Guh has ordered her husbands to bring her as much food as they can. She must be under the assumption that being the largest giant is going to make her the most powerful giant. In any case, that is why the hill giants are venturing far from Grudd Haug."
"But some of the hunters we have met with say that all of the giant races are riled up. We have never seen this but perhaps now that humans have taken care of the dragon problem, their greatest nemesis, the giants, are taking advantage of their opportunity."
The current spokesperson listened intently, the identity of the giant that attacked them and the name of its associates flagged for later use. Though the undead nature of the giant meant who it was truly aligned with at the time might not be taken at face value. Kriv didn't press them on the question of 'atypicality', it was as good a euphemism as any, and at present they were respecting civility and providing potentially useful information. The gluttonous hill giant chieftain tied in with the food-raiding behaviour they had witnessed at the attack on the caravan on the much earlier leg of their travels, filling in the broader puzzle with names and places, mission and motive. With an eye on seeing what else may be shared, Kriv ventured his own testimony against their common foe.
"I can confirm many different giant clades are sharply increasing their activity. Ogres, Hills, Fires, even Clouds have been reliably witnessed. Towns and trade roads have been raided, and those in authority are taking notice accordingly. So, it is principally hill giants in this vicinity, overspill from Grudd Haug? Gorog seemed somewhat atypical himself when we encountered it."
She nods at the content of the conversation. Though diplomacy is not her preferred means, as long as the content is fruitful she can leave things be. She does add a thought, "Perhaps the added food is not solely for Guh?"
"That is not entirely true, or at least is does not make sense" said Algar. "The giants are one thing. Ogres and other giantkin are a different story. If that were not the case, then the woodsman that calls himself Bern and the dwarf he was working with are working under false assumptions. They are arming the lesser giantkin who are desperate for weaponry to stave off the greater giants."
And then the one called Cryx replies to Zindra, "If you say that then you do not know much about hill giants. They would rip each other's arms out if it meant getting an extra bite of meat. No. It's definitely all for Guh."
Now that was unexpectedly useful. Their specific quarries as well?
“I’m afraid the one calling itself Bern and that dwarf are themselves false assumptions. The actual Bern is a hero who has done many great and beneficial things, but generally travels with a larger group of like-minded adventurers. A doppelgänger he fought in the Wave Echo cave has taken on his identity and visage with malicious intent, and travels in the company of that dwarven criminal. Would you be willing to share the nature of your interactions with that duo, given the potential for the abuse of any trust you may have given them?”
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