Episode Fifty-three - Against the Hill Giants
General Summary
Arion stepped onward, past the blood red snow of the splattered remnants of those that failed to make a peaceful landing. As the snow set down upon him, he was once more forced to face the day. Picking a direction without a compass bearing, he walked between two hills where Omin had last seen a giant. Arion then walked with Omin and Tokin through that valley through early morning. As the snow fell faster he lost the large footprints with a drag mark along side them but just a little further on he saw the morning sun fully dawn over the treetops of a massive forest ahead. As the sun lit the hilled climb to the forest edge, he saw none other then a giant humanoid in the distance as it stoked a fire and took a seat. Behind the smoke and to the right, a band of orc-ish creatures marched off toward the treeline a day's walk onward as they carried off a few squirming sacks. Behind the giant and to the left another giant off in the distance was heading down toward the lone giant by the fire. At the lumbering giants slow pace, Arion surmised that he could reach the walking giant before it reached the lone giant by the fire. Stood at the snow covered roadside, Omin pointed out the net of people laid at the lone giant's knee; as Arion squinted his eyes to spot them, he saw that there were likely two people within.
Upon the giant and all at once, Omin summoned the will of his god of luck and paralyzed the giant just as Arion sank his sword into the beast. Breaking free from the net and jumping up to give a heave, Aldrich sank the head of his axe deep into the belly of the giant and opened his guts to the world. As the weakened creature teetered, Arion lunged high and stabbed the giant right through the heart.
Aldrich had awoken to the sound of jovial singing in a language he didn't understand. As he came to the realization that he was in fact not dead, he also realized that he was somewhat tightly ensnared in a net laid to the side of a half-naked giant. The fur-bottomed giant had lit himself a very large fire and was warming himself by it as Aldrich felt the heat on his face. Looking around, he'd found himself on a large hillside in a net with none other then the famous magician Jim Darkmagic, who was unconscious. Despite his movement as he gathered himself, nothing seemed to wake Jim. As he struggled for his blade, Aldrich saw Arion walking toward him in the distance.
Aldrich, Arion, Jim, Omin, and Tokin met the Hill Giant that was then charging toward them. As the giant ran up, a large wolf ran out from behind her and Jim set the stage with a fireball. The Dire Wolf then leapt out toward the party and then charged the party down with singed legs. Aldrich met the Dire Wolf first and slapped the face of the wolf with his shield and buried his battle axe in neck of the beast. Arion then ran up to the cut the arm off of the giant and killed the monster as she and her wolf crashed onto the ground.
Taking no time to rest, the party ran down the the band of orcs but it took the better part of a day. Arion, in his anger induced by the flight of the orcs, charged into the fray headlong. Two orcs charged him from their forming battleline as arrows sailed his direction. As an arrow snapped off of Arion's armor, he cleaved through two orcs with a single blow and removed their heads as another set upon him. Aldrich met that strong orc just as he reached Arion and was given attention as they clashed. As arrows assailed them all, the strong orc gave a swing instead to Arion but as his axe bounced off of Aldrich's green Shield of Faith, cast on Arion, Aldrich gave his axe to the orc's forehead.
Arion charged the formation and swept the blade of his sword through the legs of an orc and then cut one leg off of the next orc whilst dicing its arm off in mid-air. As Aldrich clased with the battle line and Omin and Jim cast into it, Arion cut the head off of the biggest orc that seemed to be in charge. One orc surrendered in response as Aldrich smashed his axe into another only to kick a corpse off. Aldrich and Arion charged the last, one-eyed orc, but it was Arion blade that pierced it through the back of the throat.
With a tied orc the party, now joined by a child wizard from the ship, the cook, and the dwarf that had joined with Aldrich, rested for the night. In the morning, the morning of the 13th of Alturiak, the group split as Omin lead his company's surviving members back to civilization; offering to send horses come roughly a tenday. Those that were left were lead by the orc to a supposed Hill Giant stronghold. Lead first, accidently, to a nasty Hill Giant that had just finished eating people, they moved around it and intercepted some orcs.
In their interdiction, they charged the orcs and were met with a rain of arrows. As an arrow lodged in Arion's armor he pulled it and gave jest as a javelin was tossed at Aldrich, scraping his armor. Upon them, Arion slice one's chest open and drive the pommel of his sword into its head and to its death. Aldrich set to battle and Thorum, the dwarf with a pike, drove his weapon through an orc with a critical, killing blow and nailed it to the ground. Killing another orc each, Thorum nail the last to the ground with righteous fury and the area was cleared. It was then that Calaeriel and Varis were found sleeping on the sleds pulled by the orcs and the group was unable to wake them as a purple aura engulfed them.
As the group walked onward to Grung Hung, they learned that their Iceshield Orc captive's name was Jornok. Upon the Hill Giant stronghold they offered to pay him to find out if people were inside, captive. Once he returned he informed them that he'd learned two things, that it was now called Grudd Haug after a leadership dispute and that the wife of the new leader was very fat. He also learned that there were three women inside and it was then that Aldrich and Arion worked very delicately to get Jornok's help rescuing the women. After careful explanation and planning, a rescue was made and three women were saved. There was a human woman named Andler, a broken woman in a who'd been within for a few years, and a halfling woman who recognized Arion's armor named Autumn. Given two gold from Arion, one silver from Aldrich, and 200 gold worth of thug junk; they sent Jornok on his way joking that he could found his own group.
Rewards Granted
1425xp
Missions/Quests Completed
Encounter Against the Hill Giants Completed
Character(s) interacted with
Met Jornok and Autumn.
Created Content
Autumn [Roll20]
Notes
Notable Party Damage:
- Aldrich has a scrape on the right arm of his armor from a javelin.
Noted Effects: None - Arion came from Arda with a scar that won't seem to heal. He has several faint scuffs on his shield from the tail of a horned devil. He also has a small hole from from an arrow on his forward facing, left pauldron.
Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Head). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. - Calaeriel is pristine.
Noted Effects: None - Varis is pristine.
Noted Effects: None
Report Date
05 Oct 2020
Primary Location
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