The Giant Attack

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Rise of the Runelords episode
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Episode no.	Episode 70
Date	2009
Game Master	Abbe
Characters	Honeypot Nathaniel Nell Velicia
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I woke earlier than I usually do when not woken up. After a steady breakfast with leftovers from yesterdays feast I went for a walk around town. It was still, as most were still sleeping after the late night before. Suddenly there was some commotion and Nathaniel rode past in a hurry, shouting "Giants!". I ran back to the Goblin Squash Stables next to the Rusty Dragon where I was staying and got Creampuff. I rode toward the Garrison where I guessed Nathaniel had been headed. Riding north on Main Street I met him as he mounted and set off east toward the Cathedral. I joined him and he told me he had seen fresh giant tracks just outside town on his morning ride. I gave him a look of disbelief and and asked
"You've been out riding this early? Why?"
I got a snide remark in return about Creampuff being fat. He wasn't fat. He was just preparing for winter early. As we rode down Tower Street we met Velicia who returned from her early morning walk. I wondered why these people do this. We all discussed what to do about a possible giant threat when we noted the cloven hooves of Honeypot sticking out of a bush. We woke her and she started her morning by casting the telepathy ritual. Then we spread out along the eastern edge of town to see if we could find where the giants were coming from. Nathaniel to the south next to the Two Knights Brewery, Honeypot a few houses north of there and I was near the lumber mill. I really didn't like that. The awful murders that had happened there came to mind as I waited and it distracted me. Velicia flew on her fly-thing east of us. She changed the appearance of it to that of the black dragon we met in Kaer Maga. That was at least better than usual. She thought that she saw trees moving in the woods just east of Sandpoint. Then we heard someone blowing a horn from there, and soon after I heard screams from the northern gate.

I rode north-west along High Street as fast as Creampuff could take me. Thankfully the streets were still mostly empty. I continued over the square in front of the cathedral and on up Church Street. Velicia who had started north too, told us that she saw something over the woods. It turned out to be a red dragon coming from the east heading for the center of the town. She turned south-east to intercept. Although I already saw the wall of the northern gate, I said
"I'll come to your aid, Velicia."
"I can handle it alone." she answered with pride in her voice.

File:Stone giant assault.png

Giants assaulting the northern gate.

A little surprised I continued on. I could see Velicia heading south-east, flying on her fake black dragon. I stood up on Creampuff's back and rode up to the wall. Riding along the wall I jumped up on it with a somersault and hid behind the crenelating. I could see three big stone giants throwing boulders at wall some hundred feet up along the Lost Coast Road. They had already damaged the gate and the few guards on duty, were reinforcing it with a wagon, a few carts, tables, and benches they had found nearby or took from the White Deer Inn. I took out my sling and a bullet preparing to attack. The bullet hit one of them in the head, bouncing off, but leaving a deep wound. I thought that three giants alone might be more than I could handle but at least I would try. I hoped the others had better odds and could come to my help.

I heard via the telepathy that Nathaniel and Honeypot engaged a pair of giants and some cave bears on the other side of Turandarok River just east of the brewery and I could see Velicia beeing charged by the red dragon. They clashed over the river and suddenly disappeared. The giants in front of me threw boulders at me, one missing completely, the next hitting the wall in front of me, razing part of it and leaving me unprotected from the third boulder that hit me hard, almost dislocating my left shoulder. They were on the move toward me. I hurried into the tower and with some work loaded my sling again. Swinging the sling I quickly somersaulted out and used the movement to fling a stone very hard at a giant causing another deep wound. I continued on and hid behind the crenelation again. Peeking over the wall I saw the giants looking for me and two of them spotted me and charged. One missed completely swinging wildly in the air while the other caught me out right with his club in a lucky swing, and cracked a rib. Lucky for him that was. My cape transported me away from the attackers. The third lumbered over to the gate and smashed the damaged wooden port to pieces. I summoned all strength I could and quickly threw my dagger at the giant who had hit me, twice. One hit well but the other throw went wild. I slid into the tower and continued out the other side and hid along the wall, above the gate. I drank a potion of healing power and my chest hurt less. The two giants attacked the tower destroying it. Over the rubble they spotted me, but before they could warn their friend I leaned over the crenelation and threw my dagger at the back of the gate crasher, who was breaking the barricade as easily as the gate. It stuck in his back, but returned magically to me, as usual. I turned and jumped down from the wall landing with a roll. Stumbling to my feet I rounded the last tower and hid, pressed to the wall. I breathed heavily and my chest hurt with every breath. I looked out over the sea. It was calm and a slow breeze soothed my hot body. I could hear one giant trying to sneak up on me from outside and another along the wall above me. The third in the gate walked over what was left of the barricade and came looking for me behind the tower. They were out for blood and wouldn't let me off their hook. I had known that it would be a bad idea to fight three giants alone, and I was alone. I hadn't seen any guards since the giants started to advance. The giant closest swung wildly trying to find me. Anger was welling up. Before it could see me I lunged out and stabbed it, quickly wheeling around it and using my magical shoes, I continued tumbling over the broken barricade and on in to the short tunnel through the wall. There I hid behind debris from the broken gate. It followed, trying to find me. Walking through the archway it almost stepped on me and revealing myself I quickly stabbed it hard, killing it outright. The other giants heard the death of their companion and moved away from the wall. I heard that now Nathaniel and Honeypot had joined Velicia, fighting the dragon.

I didn't want to let them throw boulder from a distance again, so I ran out of the gate along the road up to the one further away. It was bleeding from the many wounds I had given it. I did a handspring attack using the momentum to gain height and drove the dagger into its throat, making it fall over dying. Turning around I saw the last giant throwing a boulder at and I dodged it. It headed back towards the gate, but turned into the woods and hid. I followed it along the edge of the woods and looked for it. I soon spotted it and threw my dagger, hitting it again. It moved out of the woods and rounded me keeping its distance. With its long arms and club it swung wildly all around but still hit me. It was afraid to get too close so I moved in and stabbed its leg hard. It was heavily wounded, but so was I. It raised its club high above its head and brought it down hard. I almost passed out from the hit, but still managed to do a riposte, more from instinct than controlled action. Although missing it made it loose its balance. It crouched over and put a knee and a hand on the ground. That was what I needed. With my last strength I jumped up using its knee as a stepping stone, and stabbed it in an eye. As I landed I fell to my knees and looked up at the giant looming nearby. It groaned from the pain and froze as it died and fell over.

I breathed heavily and tried to ignore the pain in my chest. Slowly I rose to my feet and holding my hurting left side I returned through the gate, meeting the guards returning to the wall from the White Deer. They stared at me in silence. I didn't know if they feared me or if they were ashamed of hiding. I said nothing and steered my way over to Creampuff. He was standing next to the inn waiting for me. I had understood from the telepathy that the dragon had been killed. There were more giants but Nathaniel said they fled after looting the brewery. I mounted and rode back into town.