[A Night Below] plot help - Shepherd of Fire (Giants)

[Keld Denar]

So, as some of you may or may not know, I'm still running "A Night Below", the old 2nd ed box set. The party is really making headway on the City of the Glass Pool, so I want to make sure I'm planning well ahead of time. There are a few factions around Great Sheborath. One of them is the rift of fire giants. I was thinking of changing the fire giant jarl to a druid referred to only as the S. Probably about level 12 or so, depending on the party (there are a lot of non-associated levels there, but I don't want him to be TOO strong).

He will definitely be NE. Despite this, he doesn't have any love for the Aboleths (Abolii?). In fact, he sees them as "aberrant". I want him to be willing to work with the PCs, but I don't want him to be outwardly friendly. What kind of goals and motivations would a powerful NE fire giant jarl have? What help would he consider providing, and at what cost? How would one even get to be on speaking terms with the jarl, especially since it's likely that the PCs will greet any giants met with hostilities. It is not likely that the PCs will parley with the giants, but it is possible, and I'd like a little more flesh on my outlines than I have.

My party is fairly morally neutral. A mix of mostly LN, NN, CN, and NG, with no evil, but no really strong ties to good (no Pally, no clerics of gods with the [Good] domain, etc). I've got a Star Elven Sorcereress, a Whisper Gnome Beguiler, a Dwarf Duskblade, a Dwarf Fighter/Barb mutt, and a Human Unseen Seer.

So, anyone? Thoughts?

[afroakuma]

What kind of goals and motivations would a powerful NE fire giant jarl have? What help would he consider providing, and at what cost? How would one even get to be on speaking terms with the jarl, especially since it's likely that the PCs will greet any giants met with hostilities. It is not likely that the PCs will parley with the giants, but it is possible, and I'd like a little more flesh on my outlines than I have.

It's been a long time since I last cracked open that module, so I don't recall the particulars of the fire giants. However, fire giants in general are ruthless, proud and militaristic; I can't imagine they appreciate being subjugated or marginalized in any fashion by the aboleths. Displaying any signs that you oppose the enemies of the fire giants is a sure method of getting them to at least talk.

You see, fire giants are big (pardon the pun) fans of taking captives. They also have access to casters who may be capable of casting detect thoughts or zone of truth to verify the intentions of any intruders. If the fire giants reside within the aboleths' sphere of influence, it's likely that at the very least they have a "deal" in place to send slaves to the deep masters on a routine basis, so the whole tribe should be in a capture mindset from the outset.

How do you get an audience? Just demonstrate that you're on their side and that your help would be of real value. They'll still capture you (they really like that) but you'll be taken to the king. Any hint that the deep masters are planning a still larger scheme that threatens the already onerous and frustrating status quo will motivate the king to take action, and your competence plus whatever circumstances got them into their current "relationship" with the deep masters will convince him to employ you as an asset.

Now, the actual negotiation will be a bit trickier. Fire giants are motivated by simple things, but above all else they love conquest and they have an almost inane desire to take captives. First thing to get around will be the part where he wants a hostage to keep. That's just a thing he's got to ask for - it's a knee-jerk reaction for a fire giant leader trying to assert a bit of normalcy in his kingdom. Next is the fact that he will still see himself as the more powerful party in the negotiation. Fire giants have a lawful bent, so he's used to making deals - however, as he himself is neutral evil, he's also used to weaseling out of them when it's his turn to deliver. Therefore, since his end of this deal is almost certain to be delivered first, he's already in a position he doesn't want to be. He'll make high and outrageous demands about right of conquest over territories the party "represents" aboveground. He'll want the loot of the aboleths, perhaps including magical or at least ceremonially valuable relics of the fire giants seized by the deep masters.

The best thing to offer would be (alongside the return of said relics, if applicable) food. Not food now; food as in "permanent access to a food supply." Fire giants love meat and bread, but they rarely have access to fields and neither understand nor have the patience for serious agricultural work. Promising the spoils of a stretch of farmland in perpetuity to the kingdom is commensurate with offering the king a great deal of wealth, prestige and luxury - admit it, life's better with bread - and lets him frame it as conquest, no less. Skilled negotiators will be able to talk him down to a preferential trade relationship, but only if they can frame it in a way such that the king doesn't lose face or seem to be bargaining with his lessers.

What help he can or will provide depends on how convincing you are; if he doesn't think you can remove the threat to his kingdom, he'll still provide food, lodgings and the aid of his clerics - at least until you go provoke the aboleths. If he's convinced there's a chance, a loan of magical items from the capture pile would not be out of the question. If he can be persuaded that there is a substantial chance of victory, expect him to offer warriors and even casters - he'll want a piece of the action so that he can claim the triumph was his.

Bellicose arrogance and discomfited pragmatism, that's what you've got here, unless I'm misreading the relationship between the giants and the aboleths. The fact that he's a druid makes it likely he really wants to see the aboleths purged and their blight on the world destroyed, which only adds to the motivations that can be preyed on.

Hope that helps!