Giant Troubles

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About the Saga

The leader of Obsidian Bay's covert forces, Jander Drachen, has recruited the Blackrazors for a scouting mission to Highport. On the way there they run into some trouble with a band of hill giants...

This adventure introduces the gnome Gnarth Binderstone to the guild. Even more importantly, they make a startling revelation about the fate of own of their own.

Timeframe

Cast of Characters


Notable Quotes

  • "I don’t have a problem untying you because you didn’t do anything to hurt us," Falgar said. "But I’m upset that you didn’t tell us."

What Has Come Before

Killian has returned from his imprisonment in Greyhawk carrying dire news about the rise of the pyromancer Weri through the ranks of the orcish army. At the same time, intelligence chief Jander Drachen has asked the Blackrazors to investigate the city of Highport, and assess whether the orcs there might be raising an army.

The Saga

19th of Planting C.Y. 587

The village of Mogelsville

The village of Mogelsville was named for the huge number of stone piles that make up the land surrounding it. It is a poor, occasionally miserable village were the humans grumble about poor crops, the gnomes grumble about poor ore, and both complain against the marauding humanoids – or worse – that they have been dealing with on and off for three hundred years.

When the Blackrazors arrived  in the town they were greeted by two human and two gnomish guards wearing chain mail and fairly-deadly looking weapons. As they were escorted into the tiny town, they received evil looks from those villagers who meet their eyes; the rest merely look away and return to their tasks.

The guards took them to Granth Binderstone, the old but still sharp leader of the village. When he learned that his friend Jander Drachen of Obsidian Bay sent the party, his natural dislike of strangers melted away. He warmed to them instantly and asked the town druid to provide with any healing they needed.

Drachen said the village would be able to provide a guide to the Blackrazors, and Granth instantly offers the services of his youngest son, Granth’s son, Gnarth. He also agreed to stable the party’s horses while they are away, and gave them two sturdy mules to carry their supplies through the mountains.

When asked about the giants they fought on their way to the village, Granth informed them that Mogelsville has been having problems with monsters attacking one of the village’s copper mines. Granth, his sons and the druidess Nightingale, along with a small number of the village militia, were able to drive off the giants during their last attack, killing one of creatures in the process.

"Gnarth thinks the giants are holing up in one of the old abandoned copper mines farther up in the hills, but so far I haven't had the time, the men, or the resources to send anyone to deal with it," Granth said. Eyeing the adventurers with a mischievous smile, he said "Now if you brave folks could some how deal with these creatures, I would greatly appreciate it."

The party -- eager to settle the score with the giants who ambushed them -- instantly agreed to fight the creatures. That night, as the farmers returned from the fields, the Blackrazor known as Killian cooked up a fine meal of mutton with wine sauce for the hungry and appreciative villagers.

20th of Planting, C.Y. 587

The Battle with the Giants

With Gnarth Binderstone, the chief's youngest son, acting as a guide, the Blackrazors were able to quickly find the abandoned copper mine the giants had claimed as their den.  Once there, Aaron Windstalker, the party's thief, became invisible and scouted out the situation.

It wasn't very good.

A large crater -- 100 feet in diameter and possibly the collapsed remains of a cave -- marked the entrance to the underground lair. The craters raised sides had only one entrance, and the center of it was filled with water which slowly seeped from the nearby cave. Two hill giants patrolled the top of the crater walls, while there were at least another half dozen scattered between three chambers on the inside.

Aaron retreated to the hill a quarter-mile away where the Blackrazors were waiting. Deciding to buck tradition, they formulated a plan -- they would hide one of the bags of holding which the still invisible Aaron would carry into the cave. They would then leap from the bag and attack the giants from the inside. Once the chief was dead, they would take the attacking giants down in a series of coordinated strikes. Adding to the element of surprise, they turned Gnarth invisible as well.

After a few more minutes, the party acted. They flew into the cave, where they erupted from the bag. Falgar slammed the giant chief with a lightning bolt and then Killian, Kannett and Kalib attacked. The giant fell in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile Falgar -- in true Blackrazor fashion -- decided to ad lib and throw up a wall of fire inside the cave in hopes that the giants would be stupid enough to run through it.

They weren't. Instead, they retreated to the safety of the crater.

The other Blackrazors looked in amazement at Falgar, who in turn was befuddled by the giants' withdrawal. Killian and Kalib gathered up the dead chief's treasure while the rest of the party waited for the wall of fire to die down enough to leave. Once it did they climbed back into the bag and Aaron flew them to the outside, where they launched a full-bore frontal attack. They nearly didn't survive it.

One by one the party's strongest warriors -- Killian, Kalib, Kannet -- fell in battle. Falgar also fell, leaving only Gnarth and Aaron. Fortunately, they were up to the task and drove the giants off. After the battle, Aaron and Gnarth staggered from fallen Blackrazor to Blackrazor checking on their wounds. That's when they made their shocking discovering: Kalib was not Kalib. Instead of the vengeful worshiper of Trithereon they had come to know and tolerate, they found the unconscious form of a pale gray alien-like creature. They roused Falgar, who was equally shocked by their discovery, and then tied the creature's limbs. That night, they arrived back at Mogelsville, were the druid healed them ... and the imposter.

The Blackrazors gathered around the stranger as it finally regained consciousness. Realizing his situation was dire, he immediately began to explain himself.

"I'm working for Jander and Justiceseeker. Your friend -- Kalib -- was taken down by someone shortly after the war games. We don't know who it did it but we know that they weren't successful. Somehow, Kalib managed to get away. Knowing that the assassination attempt against him failed, but not knowing where he had run to, Justiceseeker and Jander decided to have an "operative" replace the lost cleric. Their hope was that the assassins who had failed the first time would make a second attempt on his life.

And who was this replacement? He gave his name as Su-Quan -- he was what was known to the sages as a su-doppelganger. His race, similar to the more well known doppelgangers, was created centuries ago by the mighty Suel sorcerers. The Suel Empire fell, but its legacy lived on, as did its creations.

"Are you one of those things too?" Falgar asked, referring to Kalib's status as a cleric of Trithereon.

"No, I’m a fighter. Jander sent them out because, well, Kalib would have been a part of this expedition. They had to keep up appearances."

The party soaked up this information and stood in silence. Finally Falgar, stepping into the leadership vacuum left by Kalib, spoke.

"I don’t have a problem untying you because you didn’t do anything to hurt us," Falgar said. "But I’m upset that you didn’t tell us."

Su-Quan merely shrugged, which was the only thing he could do. The party accepted their new member, and began preparing for their trek through the Drachensgrabs to Highport.

Experience & Loot

  • No experience and/or loot is avalable for this saga.
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