[D&D 5e] There Might Be Giants G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief Session: 014 We're Rich!

PCs
DCI Bawg Race: Unknown Class: Rogue Level: 11 Background: City Watch Investigator
Phreakalus Nevrospastos Race: Human Class: Artificer Level: 11 Background: Courtier
Thrunorus "Thugg" Garn Race: Half-Orc Class: Barbarian Zealot of Bradlust & Fighter Level: 8 & 3 Background: Mercenary Veteran
Yen Stonefist Race: Stout Halfling Class: Monk Level: 11 Background: Hermit

NPCs
Piniccarus, Phreakalus' animated puppet 'son'. Just weird.

Session 013: In Search of a Payday.
Mission Time: 04:50 to 10:50.

Here we go some more...

The PCs have searched the upper level of the steading- there's nothing they can find, although... whisper this (so the players can't hear it) they've not done a great job of searching, it's all a bit hit and miss. Keep in mind the giant's chambers are massive, and so the PCs wander in and state- ' we'll do a thorough search of this place, looking for hidden and concealed treasure/doors etc.', the DM says this will take an hour game time to achieve, and the checks to go with it. The PCs decide on the five minute quick search option. Rinse and repeat. Also, a lot of the time the PCs are not looking for secret/concealed things- only treasure. As I say, hit and miss.

And so, the PCs head down below-


And a pair of stone giants saunter into view, a conversation- strained, at times, ensues- the stone giant pair are builders, Nosnra was employing them to increase the size of the area down here. The giants have a big sack of gold to prove this, but now they're shipping out. Nosnra's dead, or so they've been told. The PCs can confirm this, and after a little more chatter- the stone giants just want to leave- the PCs let them.

Thugg is not happy to wave goodbye to a big bag of gold, and for the next few hours (actually for next 2-3 sessions) continues to harangue his colleagues about the loss.


Like they said, the stone giants have been busy building. There's nothing interesting to be found here however.

Eventually to a store room with a well-maintained, and very hefty door, which is locked, and with a quality lock.


Now we're getting some where, the treasure is bound to be in here.

But no...


It's the cellar, where the hard booze is kept.

And so, in a genius master stroke Thugg runs around the entirety of the lower level, basically he puts his hand on the left hand wall and just keeps it there- while he jogs a circuit, in short he goes everywhere- and on Fantasy Grounds, by doing so, he illuminates the whole level and... nothing.

Well, nothing obvious, the PCs have been everywhere.

Everywhere they can find.

And so, back upstairs.

Thugg repeats his circuit, he goes everywhere- opens every door, enters every room, illuminates the map- the thinking is the PCs will spot an area on the map that hasn't been illuminated.

It doesn't work.

Actually, it does, but the PCs don't spot where the secret door is this way because the area that is not illuminated (still hidden) is tiny, and the map is just massive.

And so the PCs are now into the grouchy phase of the search, and keep in mind these guys are committed, they are not leaving the steading until they have figured who is behind all of the giant raids (the management) or else they find some better clues as to where they need to go/head next, and... they've found some treasure, but not a treasure room- not a giant-sized haul, and they've been told that Nosnra was a hoarder.

There are frustrations.

Then, various chambers of interest- Nosnra's bedroom, Grutha's bedroom, etc. are selected for thorough searches- the one hour tap every wall and piece of floor (and ceiling) etc. special, and...

We eventually get there.


Bottom left, that's an on screen ping- bingo, behind the skins on the wall is a massive (giant-sized) secret door, opening requires a good shove- easy as. This place is Nosnra's meeting room, and the fourth chamber to be given the one hour search.

And...


A set of stairs going down.

And...


This is the corridor that Phreakalus saw while reading Nosnra's mind/surface-thoughts.

Bingo!

The treasure chamber cannot be far, and sure enough here it is-


The PCs entered the above chamber top right, the room is simply enormous- and with a giant-sized pile of gold (etc.) over in the far corner, however growling and screaming insults is a manticore (at least one) behind a huge portcullis to the south. The manticore sprays a few tail spikes, but the portcullis makes it difficult to hi the PCs, not so much for DCI Bawg alas.

The rogue sharpshooter (& Phreakalus) are having a great time.


But then Pinnicarrus gets a little too close.

And...

The portcullis clangs up into a recess in the ceiling, and the manticores come flying out.


Manticores- plural, there are four or five of them (from memory). Very soon after almost everyone has been shot/tail-spiked at least once. Thugg soaks up a lot of hits.


But it's a very one-sided affair.


The manticores are slaughtered, and the treasure is there's for the taking. Thugg dives in and...


What treasure? The illusion flickers and is gone.

There is swearing- mega-swearing in fact.

And more than a little laughter, Thugg is so annoyed he strikes comedy gold.

Thugg has no doubt the stone giants with the big bag of gold have stolen Nosnra's treasure. He's not a happy bunny and so everyone else must suffer.


But, there's another door to be tried- DCI Bawg locates it, hidden over the other side of the ten foot high bone and rotten flesh pile, the remains of the manticore's victims, or else meals.

And within...


The treasure chamber of chief Nosnra, hurrah!

Note Piniccarus is used to check for traps. It's an odd relationship- Phreakalus and his trap-finding 'son'.

Thugg is not waiting for the chests to be checked for traps however.

Thugg has to get paid.


Another learning opportunity claimed by Thugg, the blade almost severs his hand.

Thugg learns to be patient, the others can deal with the chests/traps etc.


Some of the chest are so large (giant giant-sized chests) that Thugg has to perch on Pinnicarus' shoulders to see inside the massive storage containers, he even clambers inside a few of them to check through the contents.

Because, well, here's the thing- there's a bunch of very nice looking ivory (valuable-ish), but the rest is coppers and silvers- a lot of both but, there's no gold, no platinum, no gems, no jewelry, no...

There's a bit of back and forth- there's something the PCs are missing here.

And then...


The PCs figure out that they are trapped in here, a second portcullis has blocked the entrance/exit- although Yen (& possibly Pinicarrus) could squeeze through the bars if they tried.

But that's not it, the PCs are still not certain that they have found, well... the 'real' treasure.


And so there's a little more joy to be had when Phreakalus finds another giant-sized secret door, and in the corridor within are a pair of giant-sized levers, which when manipulated raise and lower the two portcullises.

Now we are getting somewhere, although...

That's the end of the session.

That was three-and-a-half hours, can you believe it. I'd say a third of it was spent with the PCs 'discussing' things amongst themselves (arguing and bickering- 99% in character I'd like to add).

Book of the Dead.
Five manticores.

Until next time.

Cheers goonalan.

PCs
DCI Bawg Race: Unknown Class: Rogue Level: 11 Background: City Watch Investigator
Phreakalus Nevrospastos Race: Human Class: Artificer Level: 11 Background: Courtier
Thrunorus "Thugg" Garn Race: Half-Orc Class: Barbarian Zealot of Bradlust & Fighter Level: 8 & 3 Background: Mercenary Veteran
Yen Stonefist Race: Stout Halfling Class: Monk Level: 11 Background: Hermit

NPCs
Piniccarus, Phreakalus' animated puppet 'son'. Just weird.

Session 014: We're Rich!
Mission Time: 10:50 to 27:30.

Here we go some more...

The passage beyond the secret door however, this one-


Just leads to another secret door that exits into the great marshalling yard on the lower level.

We're only minutes in to the 14th session and already the frustration is mounting.

Until, and it takes a while to get to this- believe me, I was there...


Yet another secret door is found.

And there are more chests in here.


Can you see the green square just inside the secret door, that's the pit trap that Piniccarus has just fallen into- it's thirty feet deep, filled with spikes (which are poisoned) and the lid flips shut straight after it is tripped.

Phreakalus, for a short while, bemoans the loss of his son.

That is until his colleagues manage to lever the pit back open and rescue the lad.

So, there's a few giant-sized chests in here, a desk (with coffers upon) a broken barrel in one corner, and... the walls and ceiling in the north east corner are covered with a peeling flapping skein of... mold, as are the crates there?

The PCs are very wary.

Some of them.

Almost all of them.

In fact all of them except one.

Can you guess?

We get to this.


Which is Thugg trying to cut down Piniccarus with his greataxe. Now the mold on the walls and ceiling here is part of an illusion, and so when Thugg attempts to attack the mold (with his greataxe, natch) or else scrape away the mold, I get him to make a save. Really, just to prolong the reveal.

Thugg rolls a '1', and so I explain that the mold- when scraped away- goes airborne, and before he can react Thugg sucks in a lungful of the yellowish dust- and suddenly feels like his head is going to explode.

Thugg (played by Bear) reacts to this news by instantly blaming Piniccarus, and then attempts to take the weird puppet's head off with his greataxe.

If you are asking 'Why?" at this point then apologies but you really should be paying more attention.

Thugg is... I don't really know how to finish that sentence- his own man, a one off (although see Newt in our main game), an idiot, a massive liability- mix and match, and add a few of your own.

I think the best way of explaining it is... Thugg will be the one that gets them all killed, or else someone killed- most likely not himself.

But let's get back to it-

And then, the DM further explains- Thugg sneezes and the exploding head sensation is all gone. Like the mold from the wall, the illusion fades to reveal a trio of magical weapons (from memory) hanging in their scabbards/slings on the wall.

The broken barrel over in the corner also proves to be an illusion, here the PCs find a box containing a black metal chain- like a bike chain without the oil, but there's a lot of it (chain, that is) the whole thing is about fifteen or so feet long- but all joined up, like a massive necklace. Or something.

With the chain, and after translation a little later, are the instructions. The chain is a teleportation device, it should be laid out in a figure of 8 shape, the magic words get said and the inhabitants of the two loops of the figure-8 are transported too...

Well, according to the instructions- the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl.

The chain can teleport two hill giant at a time, or else 18 medium sized creatures, nine in each circle.

Bingo! The Giantkillers now know who's next on their to-do list.

And the chests- trapped some of them, locked most of them, and stuffed to the gunnels full of shiny things. Nosnra, as it turns out, was loaded.

So, much coin is there here that after the counting the PCs work out that the only way they can get the loot back home (back to the teleport cave) is to take two trips to get it done, and they have the charges on their teleport rings to do this, and so that's what they do.

And what they don't take with them goes to the orcs.

There is rejoicing.

And then levelling up, which takes a whole lot longer than you think, certainly over an hour.

But also...


Welcome to Krispy's (in conjunction with Otherby's) the premium auction house in, let's say Waterdeep, or else one of them big cities on the coast.

The Giantkiller's employers have guaranteed the PCs a minimum of 55% return on the value of the treasure they have found, which is sold in lots, and in the order it was collected in the steading (the DM has access to this kind of info).

The PCs have five IPs each (just for the auction) and can spend one IP to muscle in and attempt to make a persuasion check to up the sale price of each lot, and on it goes.

Just a bit of fun.

I forget the total but I'm fairly certain that the PCs were in the region of 30-40,000gp richer at the end of this one, which everybody enjoyed.

And that's the end of the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, next stop the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, although some woolly kecks for Thugg before he departs.

That's the end of the session.

Book of the Dead.
Piniccarus, nearly.

Until next time.

Cheers goonalan.