June 5, East of Treborg

The DM: As you pull out of Treborg, the sky is clear, there is little wind at all and the temperature is cool. You travel along the familiar route again, past the forest and into the tundra, bouncing over rocks in lieu of a pathway. You won't reach your destination by the ship for the full day of the 5th. The weather is warm in the morning and cools a bit in the afternoon, but nothing uncomfortable. It is very plain that you're in summer now, as you haven't seen a cloud in two days.

—: After arriving at the ship, do you intend to do anything else that evening before turning in to sleep?

Vafrandir: [composed this on the thread for the 4th, posting here for clarity] Before setting out, I'll ensure that we've packed our remaining 47 lb of food, 5 tents (Odds, are you coming with us?), and 10 torches. What does the tripod weigh?

The DM: Oddsdrakken's presence depends on Pandred's orders.

Vafrandir: I don't think there's anything we can do in the dark besides set a watch. 2 lbs of food each for traveling?

The DM: Correct on food.

Vafrandir: Great, accounted for. I'll start to set up the tents and gather wood for a fire.

The DM: Aren't you glad that at present I haven't chosen to employ my nutrition rules?

Vafrandir: Part of me can't wait...most of me is relieved!

The DM: Before moving on, I'd like to get a confirmation from someone else that there's nothing else to do until the morning of the 6th.

Pandred: Confirmed from me. Also Odds is staying behind. I don't think I have need of him for this errand. Embla Strand Seconded.

After Sunset, June 6th

The DM: Having no indication of who is on guard at one time, I'll randomly determine that it is just before midnight, with Pandred awake and feeding bits of dry peat onto a smoldering fire. Unexpectedly, she hears a resounding THUD, as something tremendously heavy striking the ground a goodly distance away. The full moon was only three days ago, so the landscape is well revealed by moonlight, but there is no hint of what it might have been. It could not have been a meteorite, or else Pandred would have seen the trail of light as it hit; but there was no light at all accompanying the sound.

Marcule: Do i wake up?

The DM: Good question. Yes, it's loud enough. Everyone wakes up.

Vafrandir: "Shall we investigate?" I'll take the time to buckle on my shield...just in case.

The DM: You may do so.

Marcule: "Lead the way Vafrandir"

Vafrandir: Once I'm strapped, I'll draw my sword and head cautiously towards the noise. "Pandred, from where did you hear it?"

The DM: I'll presume Pandred gives you the general direction. As you move off Vafrandir, take note that you've already spent at least a full day here, and that the landscape is fairly regular. After searching for about five minutes, however, you can't help noticing a large, grey stone, about nine feet in length and about three feet high, where you cannot remember a stone of that size having been here before. The stone is about 70 or 80 feet away when you notice it.

—: for the sake of clarity I'll just add that I am taking your elven infravision into account in describing what you can see at this distance (it is somewhat better than moonlight and not spoiled by it, as per my rules).

Pandred: I'll tag along. Oh boy!

The DM: Pandred is human and does not have infravision, so she cannot see it as well. I did, incidentally, add the sage abilities for pocket timepiece and infravision goggles to Marcule's sage ability of Steam & Gasgear. Marcule has yet to choose his two pre-existing items from his sage study.

Vafrandir: I'll describe what I see. Can I tell if the earth around it has been disturbed? As would be the case if the stone had fallen from a great height. If I can't at this distance, I'll cautiously approach.

The DM: There doesn't look to be a pit surrounding it. You don't see any sign of the hit you describe.

Embla Strand I approach, axe in hand.

The DM: How close do you approach, in feet?

Embla Strand I keep pace with Vafrandir. I keep about 10 feet away from it.

Vafrandir: I'll get about 10 ft away. What does the surface of the stone look like? Smooth or rough, etc

Gnarled and uneven. From this angle, one end appears to be the shoulders and back of a humanoid, but there is no heat being emitted.

Marcule: (out of game: i will take pocket timepiece and Infravision Goggles.) Handing Pandred my goggles "these should help" i back Vafrandir staying out of the way but close enough to jump in.

[OOC-DM: I'm going to be afk for about 45 minutes] - I'm back.

Vafrandir: I'll circle around it. I have my suspicious as to its nature (for obvious reasons) but I'm not sure Vafrandir would suspect a golem.

Embla Strand I take out a javelin and tap it on the shoulder-y part.

The DM: Vafrandir, as you circle around it, you see Embla use her javelin as described. To Embla, if feels as though the javelin were touching stone ... but as you come around, Vafrandir, you can see that it is a humanoid shape. There IS heat coming from it, but only from a series of gashes and wounds covering its chest, arms and thighs. You can see a brightening pulse from a heart beat. It is a living humanoid, probably about 9½ feet tall, one that has suffered from some fight that it has had.

Vafrandir: Do the wounds look recent? I'm wary to meet the other guy.

The DM: It's hard to judge, because this is a sort of humanoid you're not familiar with, but yes, they do look fresh.

Vafrandir: Is there any intelligence in the "face"?

The DM: Because it is night, and because the face does not betray any color for your infravision (as if it is made of stone), it isn't possible for you to know the answer to that.

Vafrandir: Understandable. As it is, I'm not sure this thing represents an immediate threat (possibly a future one). There's also the possibility of whatever wounded it still lurking about. My suggestion is to head back to our camp, have the watchman keep an ear pointed this way, and re-investigate in the morning. What say you all?

Pandred: I don't know how I feel about leaving this thing to lick it's wounds, nevermind whatever caused them, but I don't have a better idea. Let's do it.

The DM: Accepted.

Morning, June 7th

The DM: After midnight, a thin bank of clouds roll in and it begins to drizzle. As the cool morning breaks, you find the land covered in a fog, but not so thick that you cannot see the figure still laying out there. A very light breeze suggests the fog is not going to last long. Your actions?

Marcule:: I make my way over to the figure can I make out what it is?

The DM: In the daylight, you can see that it is a large, wounded humanoid, with stone-like skin and facial features. It is very slightly breathing, which could not be witnessed at night. You would put its height at about 9½ feet tall, making it clearly a giant.

[OOC-DM: no issue with it being slow today, but I'm going to call it until tomorrow. Take care all]

Vafrandir: I put on my shield and join Marcule. "Can it understand us, I wonder?"

The DM: Action?

Vafrandir: I bring my hand close to its shoulder - testing for heat, if it doesn't appear hot I will touch it - and say "Hello, can you understand me?"

The DM: The shoulder is hard and cold as stone; and damp from the fog. You get no reaction; but being closer, you can see a slight breath emerging from the creature's mouth.

Vafrandir: Are there any tracks around? I don't have any relevant sage abilities - someone else might - but there may be obvious broken branches or footprints about from a wounded creature this size staggering through the forest.

The DM: There's no forest; only the open tundra from side to side of the valley; and the ground is mixed lichen and bare-faced stone, so unless you had tracking ability, there wouldn't be any sign of the creature's walking across the terrain.

Pandred: It's a new day. Executive decision says Vafrandir will manage. I'd like to attempt to apply my potion to the creature. 2 if it works.

The DM: That seems to be the solution. It was unconscious because it was in negative hit points; curing two damage causes it to cough and become animated. At the same time, some of the cuts to its body close up. To your eyes, the giant is very strange; but once it shifts its body to look at you, there's a definite characteristic of it being human. It looks around at you, clearly in pain and with concern.

Vafrandir: I repeat my question, just in case: "Can you understand me?"

The DM: It nods.

Vafrandir: "We mean you no harm. Can you tell us what happened to you?"

The DM: It looks around itself, somewhat fearfully.

The Giant: "Kullander."

Embla Strand Who, or what, is Kullander?

The Giant: "I'm cold. And I'm hungry. I see a fire over there; will you help me get to it?"

Marcule: I would like to cast warm on the giant.

The DM: The cantrip can only affect non-living material.

Vafrandir: Helping him (?) to the fire will cost us nothing. But he is quite large. "Do you think you can walk with our assistance?"

Marcule: If (he?) is wearing clothes I would still like to cast it

The DM: I'm afraid he isn't.

The Giant: "I ... I think if you'll help me, I can get over there."

The DM: Presuming you do so, we can avoid the details and cut to where he has exhaustively made his way over to the fire, and laid down next to it. He'll thank you, and catch his breath.

Vafrandir: While he is doing that, I'll begin breaking camp. "Is your name Kullander?"

The Giant: "No. I am Dilhak. Kullander is a bear." He stretches, expresses a moan of pain. "A very large bear."