D&D Campaign Session for October 15th, 2000

Played with 3rd Edition Rules

The Party:
Kari, Human Female Ranger/Cleric of Fharlanghn, 1st Level/2nd Level(Andy)
Reddof, Half-Elf Male Ranger, 3rd Level (Greg)
Azaki, Half-Orc Fighter, 3rd Level (Josh)
Glothe, Dwarf Fighter, 2nd Level (Caleb)
Mike, Human Male Fighter, 2nd Level (Patty)
Kessem, Female Elf Wizard, 2nd Level (Neil)
Selena, Human Female Monk of Ehlonna, 2nd Level (Scott)
Kobort, Male Half-Orc Cleric of Heironeous, 2nd Level (Bart, NPC)
Ithil, Elf Female Rogue/Fighter, 1st Level/1st Level (Dennis)
Odlits, Male Half-Orc Wizard, 1st Level (Bill)

The Heroes and the Giant

A tale of glory (as gathered by MoonWhisper and reported by Bill)

The heroes of the countryside entered the tavern, noticing the recent increase of adventuring parties heeding the call to arms. There were at least three noticible parties already there, preparing to go into the caves, where the heroes had already begun their exploration. I was in the corner trying to earn my wages, by singing a lovely song about the legendary Fosgenixous, Green Dragon of the Rieuwood, who was fallen, but not yet slain.

The heroes of the countryside seated themselves at one of the few open tables. One of the other groups, obviously priests of Heironeous, approached the band of adventurers. Their leader, a short, bald dwarf, with a high lilting voice (most unusual for a dwarf of his stature) inquired as to the happenings in Seblingham. You see, some members of their group had been involved in a skirmish there, which is better left to another story. He wished to ask permission of the survivors to exhume the bodies of their fallen friends, so that he may commune with them, to gain more knowledge about the misfortune which befell them, for he was, in fact Barendd, Judge of Heironeous. The need was great, according to the Judge, and most of the group decided to delay their training time to be done with this task. Yet Mike, and Glothe decided that they had time enough to spar a bit before their journey with Keogh, a dwarven adventurer from another party.

Cedasar, the leader of another adventuring party approached and inquired about the caves, having heard that the group of soon to be heroes had recently returned from there. They told of traps, hobgoglins, and an animated ogre.

Kessem and Ithil decided to remain at the keep, for their training needs were great, and they truly had no connection to the cause for which their allies quested. Then the most unlikely of adventurers arrived at the tavern, Odlits Burdfriend. Quite scrawny for a half orc (he claims to be only quarter orc, but the blood still flows in his veins). Twas his misfortune to arrive as the dwarven fighter and judge left the tavern, giving him a solid slap on the back, (as is the wont of dwarves). If not for Mike's steadying hand, he'd have landed face first in the doorway. Since Kessem had decided to remain at the keep, Glothe asked Reddof if they mightn't need another mage to help them along their way. Reddof asked Odlits what he wanted for travelling with them. Odlits showed his inexperience in the ways of the world, by actually trying to get a wage AND a share of the booty. He quickly settled for his fair share when he heard the snickering and bickering from the rest of the group.

The adventurers set out on their solemn journey. The first day of travel was mostly uneventful, until the evening. Selena decided to preach the path of inner emptiness to Glothe who had no wish to hear of these things Selena decided to prove a point, tumbling past Glothe , she pulled his battle-axe from its sheath. "You too, could fight with such precision and cunning, if you would only see the way." she said handing him the haft of his weapon. Obviously irritated, Glothe attacked the nearest tree, lopping off branches with his axe. This went against everything Selena believed in and she attacked Glothe from behind with one of the fallen branches, as he tried to pry his axe from the tree. These intra-party fisticuffs were quickly allayed by the other members of the group. Reddof took Glothe aside and counseled him on the hazards of infighting, while Barendd did the same with Selena.

After this fiasco was ended, the rangers found enough food to sustain the party and keep them fed, however Odlits was not satisfied with this, adding spices and other bits of flavoring, he made the small game animals fit to eat by the standards shown him by his mentor. He was proud of the job, though he felt he could have done better. "We have a cook?!?" Mike exclaimed. "We gotta protect this guy." From Reddof.

On the second day of their journey, they passed a guarded caravan, travelling with trade goods, probably headed for the keep.

Later, on that same fateful day, the party members heard a deep rumbling coming from the earth. All the wildlife in the area was running past them, apparently frightened by the crashing noises. Then, over the next hill, a head appeared. A hill giant, crested the next hill as the heroes tried to hide. Mike, however was unable to get under cover fast enough.

Selena felt that the animals must have known to run and followed suit. Discretion is, after all, the better part of valor.

With a snort, the giant reached into the bag tied about his waist and pulled two boulders lobbing them through the air. Both hit Mike directly, immediately knocking him unconscious. Then, as the three clerics rushed to Mike's aid, the inexperienced Odlits used a weaving of his magic to animate the rope holding his bag, ordering it to unravel. The rope also held the giants breeches which came tumbling down as well.

As the judge and his cohorts rushed to Mike's aid, Reddof was the next to make an attempt, loosing an arrow which fairly bounced off the giants thick hide. Kari cast a spell of doom. It failed once, but on her 2nd attempt the giant was weakened. Her part completed, she took to her feet and put a remarkable amount of distance between herself and the giant.

The Judge called upon his god, Heironeous to send him a Celestial Bear, which charged the giant swiping his legs. The two clerics called grand silver eagles to swoop and dive at the giants head.

Another wandering minstrel, Caleb, heard the confusion and ran to aid them the best he could.

Everybody decided running was their only chance of survival, cresting the next hill, they tried, once again to hide. Kobort jumped into a ditch which the giant had used as a urinal. As the giant topped the hill, he noticed Kobort in the ravine. Kari and Odlits decided that running was smarter than fighting, as the others jumped out of their spots knowing that the fight must go on.

Glothe hit the giant in the leg, then Barendd hit too. The giant attacked Kobort, knocking him unconscious. A summoned hound was the next to damage the angry giant. Reddof scored a good hit on the giant. After that Barendd virtually hamstrung him. Angry, the giant retaliated against him, but he was so visibly shaken he barely grazed him. The hound gnashed his teeth into the leg and held on. Reddof, muttering under his breath "I will NOT lose another party!" loosed another arrow, which sunk to the fletchings in this monstrous creature's thick skulled forehead. The giant, knowing he had been bested unleashed a wild swing with his club, missing everything in sight. One of the clerics thrust upward with his longsword, hitting the giant in the, shall we say, nether-regions. As he bent over, clutching his testicles, Mike slammed another arrow into the top of his skull, causing him to fall as a large oak, avoiding the fallen Kobort by mere inches.

Barendd began to attend to Kobort's wounds under the shadow of the giants corpse. After hacking off a large ear as proof of their conquest, the adventurers started for Seblingham. When they encountered Selena, having found and brought out the Paladin Marshal Burne to the aid of the party, they greeted her cheerfully. "What giant? Oh, *that* giant! We took care of him."

The adventurers made their way to Seblingham with the Paladin Marshal, who after hearing their story, thanked Heironeous for looking after the adventurers. After rejoining the remaining party members in town and resting for the night the priests exhumed the bodies of Nikka, Kort, Hiram, and a civilian witness. Of the four only Kort was still in good enough shape to be animated. Barendd had time for only two questions. "Please describe the people who did this to you." "darkness that moves in the night" he answered cryptically, "poison, burning, burning, aaaaaaaahhhhhhh." "Do you remember any names?" "Syrul takes me into the fire." The corpse then lapsed back into its never ending slumber.

With his newfound knowledge, Barendd swore "The followers of Syrul are not many, and once we find them they will be no more."

The adventurers began their journey back to the keep. On the 2nd day they encountered a guarded caravan who asked if they had seen any orcs in the region. That night, a group of mountain dwarves asked if they could share the heroes' campfire. Targ, their humourless, pessimistic leader broke out the ale. Glothe and Mike inquired as to any news from the Glorioles.

Targ told of Chelor raising an army and sending them into the mountains, which was really nothing new. He did however tell the tale of six dragons of blue, who had taken up residence along their trade routes and were extracting money from the gem traders.

Glothe asked how long and Targ replied,"two months"; Glothe asked why they were down there instead of defending their kin. "A call to arms has been issued, for all who feel worthy."

The next day, the company passed two more trade caravans, proof that commerce was picking up in the area.

Upon their return to the keep, the heroes noticed that many of the smaller tents were gone and a large medical tent had been erected to replace them.

Ithil told her returned friends that she had righted a wrong. A fighter named Keuby had been brushed by a hapless waitress, he grabbed her, hit her and told her never to touch him again. She approached his party's thief, Zatro, and told him she knew of him picking his party's pockets, and that he should probably leave a "big tip". Ithil watched as he dropped 5 gp on the table after his companions had made their way out of the tavern.

Then Caleb and I struck up a song chronicling these events, a song so beautiful that methinks Heironeous himself must have heard. It was so wonderful that I shall probably never repeat any of the lyrics, for fear of tarnishing the perfection of its lyrical beauty.

And yet, the adventures of this group of heroes is far from over; the following evening in the Tavern Ithil instigated a game of potatoes and funnels with the group, ending with a goodly mug of ale down a grumpy Glothe's trousers. Never pull the beard of a dwarf, they say. Luckily for Ithil, with the Cleansing of the Mountains soon to arrive, the dwarf's attentions should be on humanoids, not practical jokers.

Here endeth the session.