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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(contact)" data-source="post: 341272" data-attributes="member: 41">40--Blood and blood, fire and fire.The group is made invisible, and moves toward the end of the long hall.  As they near the L-shaped turn, the sounds of giant voices become more audible.  A pack of trolls, led on a leash by a fur-draped fire giant emerge from around the corner and begin searching the hallway, sniffing the ground like bloodhounds.Taran is in the forward position, and before the trolls can pinpoint his scent, he charges into them, slicing rubbery flesh from bone.Juron and Glim open fire with arrows on the fire giant troll-handler, and force it back around the bend.A chorus of shouts and yells come from the great hall, but no fire giants expose themselves.After the trolls are dealt with, Taran creeps ahead stealthily, and reports that the giants have taken defensive positions throughout the hall, and refuse to be drawn out.  In his opinion, their position is unassailable.But victory can be measured by many conditions, and the group determines to exhaust Thelbar's spell cache before retreating.  Taran, Juron and Glim hold to the hallway and exchange missile fire with the main giant force while Thelbar singles out King Kovas for a feeblemind spell.The fighting drags on, with the giants committing their forces slowly, unwilling to draw together in groups vulnerable to spell attack.  Eventually, however, the coal-skinned giant King signals a general advance, and moves to within spell range.In an instant, the Ravager of the North is reduced to a squalling mental infancy, an event that has a ripple effect across his forces.  The giant's morale breaks with an almost audible sound, and if the Champions of the Risen goddess had more fight in them, a full fledged retreat would have ensued.But the heroes are themselves weakened, and determine that they must leave, to live and fight another day.  One teleport later, and they are in their base camp two days march from the giant's lair, a full day and a half ahead of Stinky's retreat."Hey, look, Juron-your whetstone," Taran says."I thought I left it here," Juron says."You dumb drunk bastard," Glim says.  "You'd forget your dick if you weren't holding it all the time.  Who's wounded?" The next morning, Thelbar scrys Kovas.  The fire giant king is curled up on the floor of a great stone room, while a massive female giant feeds him soup, depositing more on her king's beard than in his mouth.Thelbar rises from his scrying.  "Taran, come with me.  Juron and Glim, you will wait here.  If we do not return in one day's time, you are to assume that we are lost."And with that pronouncement still hanging in the air, Thelbar teleports himself and Taran into the chamber of the fire giant king.His nursemaid looks up quizzically at the pop of air signaling the heroes arrival.  Her expression turns to rage, then a slack-jawed confusion as Thelbar removes her intellect from her possession with a practiced ease.The two infantile giants scurry away from their diminutive attackers, and make easy prey for a pair of hold monster spells.  With their struggles ceased, Taran makes quick and bloody work of the two formerly ferocious terrors of the Crystalmist mountains.True to form, the room contains a secret chamber, and within the chamber are the fire giant king's wealth and valuable possessions.  The duo quickly sorts through the mess, taking everything of note, and within ten minutes of their arrival are back at their camp, dumping piles of treasure at the feet of the astounded men-at-arms."Well, fellas," Taran says.  "You're rich again.  What do you know about that?"--------------------The next morning, Thelbar scrys one of the giants who survived the party's first assault, and discovers that Kovas' "Kingdom" is in dissaray.  The fire giants have scattered, and are in full flight, either alone or in small groups.  Thelbar watches, satisfied, for a few moments before teleporting himself and the fighters directly before one of the fleeing giants."You there!" Thelbar shouts at him in his best Giantish.  Thelbar looks into the eyes of the startled coal-skinned terror.  The brute is fully fifteen feet tall, his braid hastily wound around a wire latticework, and his armor is half-buckled.  Thelbar speaks softly, almost cooing to the giant as his eyes hold the creature's attention.  "Attend me."The giant pauses, and furrows its brow as it slowly realizes what (and who) stands in front of it."What is your name?"  Thelbar asks softly."Axhell," the giant says, then adds "Scourge of the Mountain Pass, and Terror of the . . ." before he has a chance to think about it.  The giant looks from Thelbar cool expression to Taran's scowling glare, and grows silent.I will call you Axhell," Thelbar says.  "Why do your people flee?""Because you have stolen the sun from our eyes, Terrible One.  Your curse killed the greatest among us, our King, and we tremble before you."  The giant casts its eyes to the ground, and bends a knee."Feh," Taran says, and spits on the ground as he walks away from the giant."Axhell, we require a guide through your mountain home.  We intend to pass through and make for the crystal mountain.  You may guide us, or you may join your King.""I will serve, Terrible One," Axhell says.  "I ask only that my service, once rendered, is sufficient to keep your gaze far from me.""Ishlok's Holy Name, Thel," Taran says, "Just put the poor son of a bitch in the front of the marching order, and be done with it!"  Taran turns to Juron and Glim.  "He does this to chafe my hide.  He knows I can't stand it when giants grovel."</blockquote>

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