Respar rolls his eyes. Then he recalls there are more large clubs on board the ship. He turns to the others. "We can give him one from the shipment." He grins and looks to Eya adding sardonically, "And if the recipients squawk and demand a gold or two, since this was your idea, it can come out of your share."
Eya studies the scene carefully as the two giants negotiate. She worries a bit when the situation appears to escalate. However, when Grumblejack returns and gives his report, Eya's worries melt away completely and she can't help but enter a small fit of laughter. As her laughter dies down, she says to Grumblejack, "Good job, big guy. I'm so proud that you stuck up for yourself."
Still wearing a huge grin, she replies to Respar and speaks to the larger group, "It will be worth it. Now, let us go and retrieve this..."lesser" club." At those last two words, she can't help but snicker a bit as she returns with the party to bring back a club for the giant.
Odenkirk frowns as the situation is explained to him. "Are ye sure that one won't try to sink us anyways? Or heck, just start beating us to paste with that weapon your giving him?"
Jesla shakes her head after watching Grumblejack negotiate with the giabt. " That was interestimg. i never expected to witness an ogre negotiating with a giant.
As they make their way back to retrieve the club, Eya holds up three fingers as she replies to Odenkirk, "We have three hours. He sees us as friendlies until then. If you're really worried about it captain, then move faster."
Odenkirk twitches but says nothing when Kiven makes his remarks. A long handled maul with a big brass head is quickly retrieved from the stockpile, two of the sailors grunting as they carry it ashore. Its a relatively crude piece of work compared to Grumblejack's weapon, but is still likely much nicer than anything the hill giant has had before.
The big creature certainly seems to appreciate it, whirling it overhead to smash a tree stump to splinters. He then grunts and goes back to sit by his fire, ripping an arm off of the centaur and nibbling on it.
The sailors unmoor the ship, and man the poles to push it upriver, past the Giant's camp. All eyes are on the giant as the relatively vulnerable craft slides on by, but the giant doesn't seem to care anymore, just enjoying his meal while rubbing the head of his new weapon with a bare foot.
Respar keeps a weather eye on the giant as the ship slowly moves upstream. Once they round the next bend he finally exhales. Once more he turns to Eya and smiles. "Nicely done. Much less fuss than I had feared."
Eya smiles and nods back to Respar, "Thank you. I had prepared that spell in case we met any other Mitran patrols or other similarly difficult individuals. I'm glad it paid off. In hindsight however, it was probably still too risky." She shakes her head at that last bit, then continues, "If he had noticed me, I would've had to rely on you all to bail me out. Though I suppose it wouldn't have been the first time, huh?"
To Kiven, she smirks and folds her arms as she replies in a sarcastic tone, "Believe me Master Aloro, the thought definitely crossed my mind." Then, still addressing the young Prince, she looks to Grumblejack with a smile, "Today, this "oddity" helped us avoid a potentially dangerous encounter. He's a good boy."
Respar listened to Kiven complain once again, and suddenly a look of understanding appeared on the rogue's face. "I may have pegged you wrong, Kiven. I'm sorry." His tone took on as sunny a tone as possible as he continued. "I had thought the reason for your sour disposition was you were continually disappointed your life was not being handed to you the way you expected. But now I have a new theory. I'm sure you all have heard the adage, 'You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.' I think Kiven has misheard the corollary. I bet you think it says, 'You catch even more with shit.' But the actual quote is, 'You catch even more with bullshit.' So maybe try being a little nicer. You might find things going your way more often." Respar then moves off to help with the ship, whistling a cheerful air...
Kiven feigns greater offense than is actually taken to Respar's words. "Be nicer to get your way? This is the advice of a thief, or whatever it is that you are? Is that what you did with that woman at the orphanage, or whatever your story was about? I wasn't really listening, but you got what you wanted with nothing but kindness? That wasn't the impression I got. It's a shame, really, I thought you might at least be the type to use any power you had to take what you wanted, which I could respect. Now you reveal your philosophy to be 'ask nicely and hope for the best.' I will be taking what I want when the time comes, kindness and the opinions of others having nothing to do with it."
Kiven adds "ah well, at least the demon, the tiger and even the ogre still have some potential."
It is a tense few minutes, but soon enough the Frosthamar sails past the Giant's camp, and rendezvous with the group west of there. Odenkirk reboards his ship, still grumbling about having been made to leave her in the first place. With a few more minute of work, the ship gets on the move once more.
Respat shrugs. "Being nice just greases the wheels. Makes it easier to get what you want. I prefer to rely on force only when necessary. But whatever floats your boat."
Jesla studies her companions as they discuss ways to achieve power. She grins a little at this. Its always useful to learn about those around you. " I believe that only the strong are worthy to rule. The difficulty is not in taking lands or power. It lies with holding onto them. " She shrugs and helps the crew get the ship moving.
Kiven hears Respar and looks around at his surroundings for a moment before replying "aboat, indeed." He shakes his head a little. To Jesla, Kiven says "having the conviction to do what needs to be done is just as important as more tangible types of strength. It is what Father and ...Brother.... lacked." Looking to Eya he adds "even your precious Cardinal has more of it, by far. I'll admit that much about my dear Thorny, for now..."
Eya listens to the discussions intently, then adds her own thoughts on the matter, "I would go even further than that, Master Aloro. Without conviction, strength is utterly meaningless. For even with all the strength and armies in the world, what matters most is what one does with it. Destroying all of your enemies is one path, that much is true, and it is certainly attainable with enough strength. But there is no victory to be gained in such things. When I win, I want it to be because I was right."
Then, her serious tone changes to one that is more lighthearted as she continues, "Of course, there's still going to be a lot of violence and conflict either way. Focusing on gaining more strength should certainly be one of our top priorities if we wish to succeed in our goals."
---
Eya goes to find Snowflake and squats down next to him, "Hey, what happened while we were away? Did you overhear anything interesting? Did anyone tamper with the chest or our items?"
"Perhaps YOU should talk to my Father then, and perhaps the other nobles too. He won't listen to me, which is ultimately why I'm here." Kiven smirks. "They will see. They will all see."
'Snowflake' shakes his strangely angled head, "No mistress, they didn't tamper with anything that I saw. You were right to be suspicious though. They had wanted to leave you here and go, but they didn't want to abandon their captain."
The next few days are a little tense, but the frosthamar manages to avoid another direct confrontation. On one occasion a band of goblins start shooting arrows at you from the shore, making strange warcries and hurling insults along with projectiles, but the crew just takes cover as best they can while working, and the diminutive creatures are soon enough left behind. The only thing hurt seems to have been Odenkirk's pride, given that he mutters and curses over every notch the goblins put into his precious ship.
The next day, the ship turns a bend, and in the distance a camp can be seen. It sprawls over nearly a mile of terrain, a motly collection of huts and tents. Amongst them can be seen powerful bugbears, their more martially inclined cousins the hobgoblins, and many other bestial races. Upon seeing this, Odenkirk immediately calls the ship to a halt and to start the laborious process of turning the ship in place to retreat back downriver.
Respar steps over to Odenkirk. "Belay that, Captain. That," he says gesturing to the camp, "is the destination for our cargo. Once we unload it, you'll get paid and can be on your way."
Respar rolls his eyes. Then he recalls there are more large clubs on board the ship. He turns to the others. "We can give him one from the shipment." He grins and looks to Eya adding sardonically, "And if the recipients squawk and demand a gold or two, since this was your idea, it can come out of your share."
Eya studies the scene carefully as the two giants negotiate. She worries a bit when the situation appears to escalate. However, when Grumblejack returns and gives his report, Eya's worries melt away completely and she can't help but enter a small fit of laughter. As her laughter dies down, she says to Grumblejack, "Good job, big guy. I'm so proud that you stuck up for yourself."
Still wearing a huge grin, she replies to Respar and speaks to the larger group, "It will be worth it. Now, let us go and retrieve this..."lesser" club." At those last two words, she can't help but snicker a bit as she returns with the party to bring back a club for the giant.
Odenkirk frowns as the situation is explained to him. "Are ye sure that one won't try to sink us anyways? Or heck, just start beating us to paste with that weapon your giving him?"
Kiven glances sideways at Odenkirk and says snidely "perhaps there is more honor amongst ogres than the company you are accustomed to, ...my Captain."
"Tell the ship to pass while we deliver his prize. If he gets out of hand we'll deal with it, and meet the ship downstream either way."
The Prince keeps a close eye on the captain for the entirety of their time away from the ship.
Jesla shakes her head after watching Grumblejack negotiate with the giabt. " That was interestimg. i never expected to witness an ogre negotiating with a giant.
As they make their way back to retrieve the club, Eya holds up three fingers as she replies to Odenkirk, "We have three hours. He sees us as friendlies until then. If you're really worried about it captain, then move faster."
Odenkirk twitches but says nothing when Kiven makes his remarks. A long handled maul with a big brass head is quickly retrieved from the stockpile, two of the sailors grunting as they carry it ashore. Its a relatively crude piece of work compared to Grumblejack's weapon, but is still likely much nicer than anything the hill giant has had before.
The big creature certainly seems to appreciate it, whirling it overhead to smash a tree stump to splinters. He then grunts and goes back to sit by his fire, ripping an arm off of the centaur and nibbling on it.
The sailors unmoor the ship, and man the poles to push it upriver, past the Giant's camp. All eyes are on the giant as the relatively vulnerable craft slides on by, but the giant doesn't seem to care anymore, just enjoying his meal while rubbing the head of his new weapon with a bare foot.
Respar keeps a weather eye on the giant as the ship slowly moves upstream. Once they round the next bend he finally exhales. Once more he turns to Eya and smiles. "Nicely done. Much less fuss than I had feared."
"Well that was a costly excursion. How will we ever recover from the loss of such a valuable item?"
"I'm a bit surprised you didn't try to add that giant to your menagerie of oddities, devil woman."
Eya smiles and nods back to Respar, "Thank you. I had prepared that spell in case we met any other Mitran patrols or other similarly difficult individuals. I'm glad it paid off. In hindsight however, it was probably still too risky." She shakes her head at that last bit, then continues, "If he had noticed me, I would've had to rely on you all to bail me out. Though I suppose it wouldn't have been the first time, huh?"
To Kiven, she smirks and folds her arms as she replies in a sarcastic tone, "Believe me Master Aloro, the thought definitely crossed my mind." Then, still addressing the young Prince, she looks to Grumblejack with a smile, "Today, this "oddity" helped us avoid a potentially dangerous encounter. He's a good boy."
Respar listened to Kiven complain once again, and suddenly a look of understanding appeared on the rogue's face. "I may have pegged you wrong, Kiven. I'm sorry." His tone took on as sunny a tone as possible as he continued. "I had thought the reason for your sour disposition was you were continually disappointed your life was not being handed to you the way you expected. But now I have a new theory. I'm sure you all have heard the adage, 'You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.' I think Kiven has misheard the corollary. I bet you think it says, 'You catch even more with shit.' But the actual quote is, 'You catch even more with bullshit.' So maybe try being a little nicer. You might find things going your way more often." Respar then moves off to help with the ship, whistling a cheerful air...
Kiven feigns greater offense than is actually taken to Respar's words. "Be nicer to get your way? This is the advice of a thief, or whatever it is that you are? Is that what you did with that woman at the orphanage, or whatever your story was about? I wasn't really listening, but you got what you wanted with nothing but kindness? That wasn't the impression I got. It's a shame, really, I thought you might at least be the type to use any power you had to take what you wanted, which I could respect. Now you reveal your philosophy to be 'ask nicely and hope for the best.' I will be taking what I want when the time comes, kindness and the opinions of others having nothing to do with it."
Kiven adds "ah well, at least the demon, the tiger and even the ogre still have some potential."
It is a tense few minutes, but soon enough the Frosthamar sails past the Giant's camp, and rendezvous with the group west of there. Odenkirk reboards his ship, still grumbling about having been made to leave her in the first place. With a few more minute of work, the ship gets on the move once more.
Respat shrugs. "Being nice just greases the wheels. Makes it easier to get what you want. I prefer to rely on force only when necessary. But whatever floats your boat."
Jesla studies her companions as they discuss ways to achieve power. She grins a little at this. Its always useful to learn about those around you. " I believe that only the strong are worthy to rule. The difficulty is not in taking lands or power. It lies with holding onto them. " She shrugs and helps the crew get the ship moving.
Kiven hears Respar and looks around at his surroundings for a moment before replying "a boat, indeed." He shakes his head a little. To Jesla, Kiven says "having the conviction to do what needs to be done is just as important as more tangible types of strength. It is what Father and ...Brother.... lacked." Looking to Eya he adds "even your precious Cardinal has more of it, by far. I'll admit that much about my dear Thorny, for now..."
Eya listens to the discussions intently, then adds her own thoughts on the matter, "I would go even further than that, Master Aloro. Without conviction, strength is utterly meaningless. For even with all the strength and armies in the world, what matters most is what one does with it. Destroying all of your enemies is one path, that much is true, and it is certainly attainable with enough strength. But there is no victory to be gained in such things. When I win, I want it to be because I was right."
Then, her serious tone changes to one that is more lighthearted as she continues, "Of course, there's still going to be a lot of violence and conflict either way. Focusing on gaining more strength should certainly be one of our top priorities if we wish to succeed in our goals."
---
Eya goes to find Snowflake and squats down next to him, "Hey, what happened while we were away? Did you overhear anything interesting? Did anyone tamper with the chest or our items?"
"Perhaps YOU should talk to my Father then, and perhaps the other nobles too. He won't listen to me, which is ultimately why I'm here." Kiven smirks. "They will see. They will all see."
'Snowflake' shakes his strangely angled head, "No mistress, they didn't tamper with anything that I saw. You were right to be suspicious though. They had wanted to leave you here and go, but they didn't want to abandon their captain."
The next few days are a little tense, but the frosthamar manages to avoid another direct confrontation. On one occasion a band of goblins start shooting arrows at you from the shore, making strange warcries and hurling insults along with projectiles, but the crew just takes cover as best they can while working, and the diminutive creatures are soon enough left behind. The only thing hurt seems to have been Odenkirk's pride, given that he mutters and curses over every notch the goblins put into his precious ship.
The next day, the ship turns a bend, and in the distance a camp can be seen. It sprawls over nearly a mile of terrain, a motly collection of huts and tents. Amongst them can be seen powerful bugbears, their more martially inclined cousins the hobgoblins, and many other bestial races. Upon seeing this, Odenkirk immediately calls the ship to a halt and to start the laborious process of turning the ship in place to retreat back downriver.
Respar steps over to Odenkirk. "Belay that, Captain. That," he says gesturing to the camp, "is the destination for our cargo. Once we unload it, you'll get paid and can be on your way."