[] Smashing Hakkari: Try to negotiate for some of these ettin to join the fight against Hakkar. Their aid could quite possibly be invaluable when you call upon them.
GM NOTE: 6 Hour Moratorium.
Ettin Meeting 2 - 8834
"I be Jo Jo Headshrinke," you at first proclaim, then sigh when you watch the so-called Mountain King screw up both faces in confusion and lean in closer, one enormous shovel hand cupping an ear. "I SAID I BE JO JO HEADSHRINKE, CHIEFTAIN OF THE GURUBASHI!"
This is ridiculous. With a twitch of your hand and the rattling of some of the skulls on your staff, you take your voice and filter it through some twisting wind spirits to increase the volume. At least this way, you won't have to worry about your lungs giving out simply from having a single damn conversation.
"We're heading north to smash the Hakkari soon, and I wanted to see if any ettin would like to join us," you say at a much more normal volume, coughing slightly.
Your words flow through the small and nearly invisible tunnel that the wind spirits formed and thunder upwards. In return, the Mountain King, who doesn't seem to have a name beyond the title, rubs at one of his two head's chins thoughtfully. Or at least you hope it is thoughtfully.
"Yeah? Blood-sucking little 'uns, they are," one head spoke plainly while the other drooled. "But they don't come bother us none, not like the lizards that keep trying to burn us. What you offer to make us help you fight? Food, right?"
"It is certainly on the table, as it were, mon," you reply calmly, while the rest of your party keeps an eye on the other ettin around you.
Could you escape if they decided to try and eat you, right now? Possibly. With the spirits and the Loa, many things are possible. But you might not be able to get everyone, even if you could ensure your own safety by cloaking yourself in shadow and shifting forward with the aid of the wind. On the other hand, it feels a bit unworthy to be wielding the legendary blade on your back and only skulk around. The ettin are large, but their size is both boon and blessing, and you are reasonably sure that they're a bit clumsier and less dextrous than your trolls.
"Hrgnhg," the Mountain King exhales with both mouths, the action of doing so creating near gusts. "When you going? Now? Huh?"
"No, not yet," you shake your head quickly, "We still be preparing ourselves. Dem Hakkari've had a long time to build up their forces and defenses. When we go, I wanna be as strong as possible without lettin' them be too free to do whatever they want for too long."
Even as you are saying it, you regret it. It's clearly too long of a sentence. The Mountain King looks more and more confused as you continue speaking, to the point that by the end he looks what you could easily describe as 'mightily befuddled'. The fact that his second head does not weigh in whatsoever, merely drools and stares off into a middle distance, doesn't help your general assessment of the ettin's intelligence. On the one hand, perhaps one head being an utter simpleton means that the other has complete control over the body, which would surely be a boon rather than having to fight against another will for control, but on the other that other head is still an ettin's. The size of the head does not, it appears, to necessarily translate perfectly to actual brain power.
"…what?"
"Food for now, fight against the Hakkari later. You can eat dem too, if you want."
A vague light of understanding appears in those two luminous yellow eyes, and the Mountain King straightens.
"Food keep coming, yes? Until the fight?"
"Yes."
"And you not call us before the fight?"
"Correct," you nod before pausing, "But this ain't tribute or whatever, mon, it be a deal we be making. No hurting the trolls what bring the food, either!"
(The Deal: 65+Jo Jo Diplomacy(9)=74/100)
"Mmm…good deal, good deal," the Mountain King nods vigorously, as do many of the other ettin around.
You suppose it makes sense. After all, basically, until you call for them, you'll just be giving them food.
"Food for fighting later, yeah," the ettin leader continues to nod before stopping and rubbing his main head's chin with log-thick fingers again. "But how much?"
"What?"
"How much fighting," he gestures out towards the rest of his little village. "How much food," he rubs his fingers together. "Much food, much fighting," he concludes as if he has told you an incredible revelation.
Fair enough. The amount of ettin you could get to fight the Hakkari with you will depend on how much food you're willing to ship over. A few wagons every few weeks would likely get you a handful. The more you give out, the less for your people to use. While almost every settlement is somewhat able to procure food from their own surroundings, it would restrict certain things like trying to majorly grow your villages and cities for a time if you were giving enough to the ettin instead. Yet, the more ettin you are able to gain for your upcoming war, even if it is just a one-time thing, could be the thing that tips the scale. A group of ettin, working together, against the Hakkari? Could be a beautiful thing to see. Even if they only used their gigantic feet to stomp them into paste. Your people have had centuries of lean years, outright starvation in the case of the Darkspear, but still. Yet you can't quite know for absolute certain how effective each individual ettin will be other than their prodigious size and incredible strength.
Hmm.
"And your fighters would follow our orders?"
The Mountain King laughs.
"Hah, sure," he shrugs. "You say go smash, they smash what you say."
Right. You suspect that is about as advanced as ettin tactics get, generally.
Choose How Much Food To Give:
Reminder: 6 Hour Moratorium
[] Just A Bit: -500 Farming Income Per Turn Until Called (Gain the aid of a handful of ettin i.e. 3-5 when finally marching against the Hakkari) Food Situation Unaffected
[] A Good Amount: -1000 Farming Income Per Turn Until Called (Gain the aid of 5-8 ettin when finally marching against the Hakkari) Food Situation Becomes Surplus(-)
[] A Significant Amount: -1500 Farming Income Per Turn Until Called (Gain the aid of 8-11 ettin when finally marching against the Hakkar, including some of the best ettin fighters) Food Situation Becomes Small Surplus
[] A Really Significant Amount: -2000 Farming Income Per Turn Until Called (Gain the Aid of 11-14 ettin when finally marching against the Hakkari, including some of the best ettin fighters) Food Situation Becomes Stable
[] An Incredible Amount: -2500 Farming Income Per Turn Until Called (Gain the aid of 14-17 Ettin, including the mighty Mountain King himself, and all the best ettin fighters in the village) Food Situation Becomes Slight Deficit
