With Gruulsh, Ballyhoo, Mudgol and Neddyn left behind at the ruins of Ettenhead, Baro reports the PCs' success in taking the old stronghold to Captain Banghorn at Floivin Keep. He makes an unusual request for some jars of salt, which he plans to use on members of the Score once catching up with them. Banghorn complies, but asks a favor of the evoker, to take a few men and break up a disruption at the Dirty Dagger Alehouse. He is assigned a pair of privates who seem a bit too ready for a fight. Once arriving at the seedy basement drinking hole, bedlam has broken out, with a pair of raggedy, rough soldiers in a feud with a number of the regulars. The obscenely obese barkeep Jek is in a sour mood, barking orders at Baro and the privates to deal with the situation, whilst bodies fly everywhere. One scarred customer seems unphased by the brawl, staring intently at Baro and the other parties involved. The wizard decides to use a web spell to diffuse the situation, and manages to clear out the establishment without anyone getting killed (at least not that he knows of).
Turns out, the two soldiers are Nobbish regulars, brothers, both private rank, sent to Floivin to seek out Major Doorjamb Grizzlebeard and sign up with his men. All Baro knows is that the Major went missing and possible is presumed dead, so he figures to bring the pair to Banghorn and get the bigger brute (Ox) a decent meal. After speaking with the Captain, he welcomes them aboard, assigning them private rank in the Last Eidolorn and putting them under Baro's continued supervision. At the Fiery Rat, they get to meet Odd Jon Stuckle and Flake Falloway, some leftovers and drink. The two privates previously aiding Baro manage to convince the wizard to let them drink on duty...just one. Odd Jon expresses interest in the Ettenhead conquest and says he'd like to join Baro the next day when he teleports back to the other PCs.
Speaking of whom, Mudgol spends the evening identifying a handful of their spoils and then starts kicking over whatever wooden structures remain in the stronghold. Infuriated by this, Neddyn Starkweather begins ranting about how the half-orc's behavior is just about the last straw, thanking Mudgol for helping him make a decision to travel back home to Melethesz to be with his family once more. Lord Ballyhoo is upset by the news, but not surprised, since the eccentric diviner has alienated many others in the past. After having sorted through the loot, he summons forth his shadowy steed to scout the area, while Gruulsh climbs one of the crumbled towers to examine the two eggs Mudgol mentioned earlier. Eventually, they all get some shuteye, Gruulsh taking watch for most of the night. At Floivin Keep, Baro retires to his nearly empty barracks with the two Nobbish warriors.
Varony, Martenin 28th, 838 ID
The next morning, with his jars gathered, Baro teleports Captain Banghorn, Ox and Badger to Ettenhead, where he is reunited with the other PCs. Neddyn says his final goodbyes after using stone shape to further seal the underground tunnel giving the fomorian giants access to the ruin. Introductions are made before the evoker returns quickly (with Neddyn) to Floivin Keep for Odd Jon and another pair of dwarves. One of these is Scuff the engineer, who will take on the task of redesigning and rebuilding the stronghold, and the other a surveyor who can map out the project and the surrounding region. After analyzing the area, Scuff estimates it will take around 175,000 gold worth of repairs for the walls, towers and a small stone inner keep. And that's before special armaments, anti siege weaponry and civilian businesses. Banghorn and Scuff urge the PCs to begin either recruitment drives or to hire on soldiers and tradesmen during their travels, who can likely bring their own supplies and pay a land tax to establish themselves in the Frail Forest. The dwarf goes over a long list of needs they'll have if they want to get this place up and running as a bastion of military defense with some commerce. The party cannot settle on a new name for the place, though 'Giantsfall' is recommended by Baro, and some might wish to keep Ettenhead.
Baro determines the giant eggs to be those of giant eagles, and so the party decides they might try to sell them as soon as possible. Ox and Badger are assigned to patrol the ruins, but get seen drinking a cask of ale the half-orc purchased from the Fiery Rat the prior evening. Once caught, the brute chucks the barrel over a hill, bursting it and ruining the rest, much to the dismay of his smarter brother Badger. The brothers decide to make themselves useful after learning they cannot eat the giant eagle eggs, and to find some others that Odd Jon might make a great breakfast the following morning. Instead, they come back with pine cones and smooth shaped ovular stones that they mistake for eggs, and Ox drags along an entire tree, which Badger promptly cuts up into small wooden benches to seat around the fire. Mudgol later ports with Ballyhoo back to Floivin Keep in order to use Swyft the Tailor's mirror for a scrying spell. Ballyhoo has to pay off the old dandy mightily to have him close shop, and Mudgol decides to determine the fate of Doorjamb...he is saddened (or not) to discover the dwarf's head on a spit overlooking the Pinewater at Cedarway. Ballyhoo is dismayed, and rides out of Floivin Keep on his steed to blow off some anger.
Mudgol goes to the Fiery Rat to pick up some casks of ale, and then has them delivered to front doors of the Cathedral of Blades thinking this might score him an acolyte to bring back to Ettenhead. Bishop Conniff is infuriated enough that he and his fellow clergymen all draw swords on the half-orc, asking him never to return without a desperate (and good reason), and so the diviner teleports with his drink back to Ettenhead where the party is once again rejoined to get some bed rest. After a hard day laboring (for Gruulsh and Ox at least), it is well deserved....
Verne, Martenin 29th, 838 ID
Banghorn confers with the players about what their next move might be, while they begin the process of hiring on staff and soldiers to man the new castle. Scuff and his surveyor take off to get a work crew from Floivin, while the PCs decide what they wish to follow-up on. Ultimately, they decide to take a brief jaunt over to where Mudgol found Major Grizzlebeard's decapitated head, at Cedarway. Mudgol, Ballyhoo, Gruulsh, Ox and Badger teleport to the village and find the gruesome, amputated and decapitated remains of both Captain Lesper and Doorjamb, and analyze the Skunkside Tower where most of the fighting took place. They found no trace of his murderers, but a half dozen vicious game animals also strewn up on trees which had been carved out for their meat. Also, signs of dog or wolf spoor everywhere. After a thorough examination of the scene, they return to Ettenhead and plot out their next mission, which will be to scout out and possible attempt to defeat the Blooded Lash (and Score) occupying the Hud and Haunted Horrns.
PCs: Badger, Ballyhoo, Baro, Gruulsh, Mudgol, Ox
NPCs
Scuff Gnarlbottom (dwarf male): Sooty faced, with a brown beard full o' snot, Scuff traces his legacy back to the ancient builders and engineers of the Gnarlbottom clan in Floivin Province. Recently he has been tasked with the re-fortification of Ettenhead after the PCs cleared it out of the giant occupants, and he will take charge of a work force sent up from the Keep.
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