Encounter with Fire Giants

Year: 1491, Month: Mirtul, Date:5th - 11th

The next morning we get our traveling gear together and set off with Harshnag towards the Spine of the World so that we can visit the Eye of the Allfather.  Harshnag says it can be reached by going through a mountain pass that starts at the Valley of Khedrun, east of Mirabar.  Legend has it that Khedrun, a dwarf prospector, discovered the "greatest cache of gems the world has ever seen" and then built a home for himself and his fellows using only his axe. The valley became known as Valley of Khedrun.  As we set off Harshnag says I hope you have brought cold weather clothing!  The journey may take us a week as our legs are a lot shorter than Harshnag's, and it is very cold at the Spine of the World.

Each day we rise at dawn, and travel until the sun is almost below the horizon.  I have my faithful Steed Hildebrand to ride upon, although everyone else is on foot.  Why did my companions abandon their poor mounts?  As I match my pace to those on foot, I have plenty of time to relax in the saddle.

We make our way north to Neverwinter keeping to the main roads.  At Neverwinter, I take a short diversion to visit the Temple of Tyr, but ever since the attack the Temple feels odd and not home at all.  Hlam is not there, and so I don't stay very long.  I arrange for the gold Gundrun had sent me to be returned to Phandalin.  I feel I will be able to do more good than here in Neverwinter.

On leaving Neverwinter we decide to travel through the wilderness in an attempt to speed up the journey.  We enter Neverwinter Wood and head North East.  Its around midday on the third day since leaving Phandalin.   The sun is reaching its peak, and I am regaling Harshnag with the true story of when I had the magical Axe Hew.  Harshnag grunts occassionally during my story telling, but otherwise says few words.  "I didn't know it at the time, but Hew made my frightened of woods when I carried it.  I would break out into sweats, and panic whenever I became surrounded by trees.  I felt their anger towards me ...".  We are just entering a clearing in the forest when we spot two Fire Giants, accompanied by three Fire Elementals.  The Giants are bickering loudly between each other, and both look angry.  Harshnag makes quite a lot of noise as he travels through the forest and the Giants notice us as we enter the clearing.  Their argument is forgotten for the time being as they stare at us.

Leo quietly recites some magical words and lightly touches my armour as he finishes his incantation with the word 'Fire'.  A small nimbus of fiery light circles my arm at the point of Leo's touch.  He then walks off perpendicular to the Giants and takes cover behind a large oak tree, watching the Giants and Elementals every move.

I leap from Hildebrand's back, and utter a short prayer to Tyr.  A shimmering field of light blooms and covers me from head to foot.  As I move forward towards the danger, I tighten the buckles on my shield arm, and slowly draw my sword.  One of the Giants takes a couple of steps towards me, bends down and lifts a boulder from the floor of the clearing, and hurls it in my direction.  His aim is poor, and it flies over my head and into the forest behind me.  An elemental rushes in front of the Giant and, as it reaches towards me with its fiery arm, I attack swinging my sword through its burning body.  I can't tell what damage if any I do, but I feel my skin burn under my gauntlets.  The elemental's hand touches my chest, but although it warms my armour a little, I feel no other effects.

The second Giant also bends down and scoops up another large boulder.  It raises over its head, before flinging it with almighty force in my direction.  This one also sails over my head and a smile comes to my lips as I think how poor these Giants are at rock throwing.  The smile doesn't last long however, as I hear a loud roar of pain from Harshnag behind me who is hit squarely on the head by the rock.  He is lucky he is wearing that steel helmet, or things could have been much worse.

Harshnag looks enraged and strides past me, picking up from the floor the same rock that just a moment before had hit him.  He hurls the rock at the Giants, but it flies between them both and bounces several times before smashing into a tree.  Meanwhile, a second of the elementals closes the distance to me.

I hear Celery move up close behind me.  Hundreds of bright balls of light materialise in a 15' sphere centred on her.  The balls wizz back and forth randomly.  Those surrounding the two elementals engaging me sizzle each time one of the balls impact an elemental. 

A hail of rock-hard ice pounds to the ground in a Cylinder that surrounds both of the Giants.  The Giants cannot avoid the ice and waving there arms and weapons to try and ward off the painful ice balls.

I continue the sword forms I have been taught, flowing smoothly from one move to the next, slashing at the elemental.  As my sword travels through the creature, I call upon the divine power of Tyr to smite the creature and am rewarded with pulses of radiance which seem to be draining the elemental's fire.  The second elemental engulfs me in fire.  I feel my armour heating up, and begin to feel small burns bursting all over my body, and my cloak is on fire.

A Fire Giant crashes into Harshnag with a flurry of blows with it's oversized sword.  Harshnag parries one attack with his huge Axe, but he's not quick enough to deflect the counter thrust.  Harshnag grimaces in pain as sparks fly where the sword strikes his plate armour.

The Elemental side steps around me and tries to strike Celery, all the while being struck continuously  by the small balls of bright light.  As the elemental reaches towards Celery there is a flash of bright light, and the elemental gropes around but doesn't make any contact with her.

The other Giant picks up another boulder, and throws once more at me, but again its aim is awry and it sails harmlessly over my head into the trees beyond.

As Harshnag strikes the Giant with his two-handed Axe, the last Elemental glides over to where Leo is hiding behind a tree and sets fire to his robes.

Celery lifts her shield in the air, and the bright sunlight above the clearing is momentarily sucked towards the shield, before radiant light explodes out in a circle around her immolating the Elemental that had engulfed me.  The familiar spectral Mace of Lathandar appears and smites the Elemental trying to reach Celery.

Leo disappears, and reappears some thirty feet away from the Elemental.

The boulder throwing Giant is still stood in the cylinder of hail and ice.  Leo teleports 30' from the elemental, and then casts ray of frost at elemental 3, and continues moving away.  His clothes are still on fire.

The smell of burning cloth grows stronger, as I rotate to attack the Elemental by me that has decided Celery is a better target than I.  It is still being struck by the bright darting balls that surround both of us, but seems oblivious to them, as it again reaches towards Celery.  There is another bright flash of light, but this time the Elemental manages to set Celery on fire.

The Giant and Harshnag continue their fight, but Harshnag seems the better trained, or more controlled fighter, and is easily parrying and deflecting the Giant's attacks.  Harshnag then goes on the offensive, and breaches the Giants defences with a two handed strike to its leg. 

The boulder wielding Giant finally realises the ice storm isn't moving, and comes at me with it's greatsword.  As it gets close, it enters Celery's sphere of balls, and they begin to dart in and out at the creature, sizzling as they come into contact with it.  Possibly distracted by the balls, it's attacks are a bit clumsy, and I use my shield to good effect to block the strikes. 

The Elemental looks confused for a moment, as one second Leo was right infront of it, and the next he had disappeared.  It's head moves quickly from side to side scanning for where Leo is.  It spots him in his new position in the trees and chases after, running through Celery's bright wizzing balls, before reaching Leo who dodges clear.

Celery pats down her clothes, putting out the fire whilst the spiritual Mace strikes through the Elemental whose fire goes out.

Leo lifts his wand, and five missiles streak into the Elemental that was chasing him, before he once again disappears, reappearing across the clearing and steps behind a tree.

Harshnag and I continue our personal battles with each of the Giants.  We trade blows back abd forth, my shield arm going numb from the power of his strikes that I block.  There will be a fair number of dents to work out of the metal once I am the victor!  Each time I breach his defences, I call upon the power of Tyr to infuse my attacks with divine power.  Harshnag seems to be foundering, his opponent seems to be getting the upper hand.  As I am distracted worrying whether Harshnag will prevail, the Giant beats my shield and my sword is out of position and unable to parry.  He knocks me to the ground and I black out, unconscious.

I don't know how much later I feel magic coursing through my body.  As I open my eyes and look around, I see that Harshnag is wiping blood from his Axe, having dispatched his opponent, who is slumped on the ground.  Celery is kneeling beside me with a worried frown on her face.  The Giant that struck me down is still alive and is bearing down upon Celery. 

There is a loud sound of tolling bells around the Giant, who seems confused, and is holding his head in his hands as if to ward off the sounds, his Greatsword dangling behind his back.  I gingerly get back on my feet, and whilst the Giant is distracted, thrust my longsword through his armour into his chest whilst calling down the wrath of Tyr.  The Giant loses his grip on his Greatsword, which drops to the floor, soon to be followed by a large thud as the Giant lands atop of it.  My sword is stuck in his chest, and I need to pull with all my strength to release the sword.

The battle is ended.  We pause a few moments to catch our breath, before tending to our wounds, and cleaning our weapons.  After a little rest, we are ready to continue on towards the Spine of the World. 

Nothing else of note happens that day, and we eventually come out of the forest, and continue heading North East.  In fact, nothing momentous happens any of the other days as we cross the Valley of Khedrun and near our destination.