5e: Violations of Etiquette

From: Sir Fulhoff of Clan Balderk, Knight of Hawk’s Nest, Battle Mage
To: Helja and Adrik of Clan Balderk

Mother and Father:

While the pigs were probably going to get the job done, Bran makes sure to put Gua out of her misery. We summon Moog & Plak back to the village, free some prisoners who’d been captured by the giants, and take them all back to Goldenfields. With Moog installed as the new queen we’re hoping that things will quiet down.

We spend a couple of days in Goldenfields recovering, and then head to just outside the town to activate the teleportation spell embedded in the conch. The magic of the shell is beyond old, and feels different from any other teleport spell I’ve ever encountered. It deposited us far out under the trackless sea in a coral palace lit from within by bioluminescent life in a myriad of forms. The air was rich with the smell of salt water and the sounds of pipe music and singing from above.

Following the music, which Aramil began to accompany on his lute, we found ourselves witness to a spectacle that is difficult to fully express. A pair of storm giant princesses were performing before an assortment of giant nobility. One was singing, while the other was playing a giant crab, the shell encrusted with coral growths. The whale bone mallets she tapped the crab with caused it to emit the organ sounds, along with tiny sprays of water. It was hauntingly beautiful, and the way the sound carried in the chamber was impossible to put into words. Aramil was in tears.

As the music ended, the princesses addressed us, and the rest of the giants turned their attention our way. They were haughty, and insulting, and dismissed our concerns. Neither was the princess we’d come to see, and we were guarded in what we’d say. While deciding what to do with us, we were sent to a guest room. The guard outside the door was… perhaps more receptive to our words, especially when we mentioned the oricle, and explained that we absolutely had to speak with Princess Seresa. One guard went off with our message...

Princess, Mirin, having intercepted the message, came to escort us to her sister. Or so she said. We found ourselves back in the portal chamber where we’d first materialized, and there were the giant nobles. She left us with them, and ascended the stairs back toward the music room.

“We came to talk, it doesn’t have to come to blows” I cautioned them. They were unreceptive to my words, so I tapped the ground in front of me with the Astorian Gavel of the Venn Rune (aka my Hammer of Justice). A shockwave of power washed over the room, and the giants recognized the danger of attacking, knowing they’d receive a backlash of power. The Jarl Hellenhild the frost giant was impressed at our moxy and cunning, and convinced the rest of the giants to hear us out… at least until the effect of the artifact ended.

We told them a condensed version of what happened with the Eye of the Alfather, Imryth the Blue, and our adventures. The Frost Giant Jarl, in spite of not being a fan of Harshnag, and the Stone Giant Thane Braxal were convinced that we should talk to Princess Seresa. The cloud giant Count Va’Al was on the fence, and Duchess Tartha the fire giantess wanted nothing more than to squish us under her steel clad heel, and she egged on the cloud giant to help her.

Joda took the initiative, lit up, and charged toward the fire giantess. Each step she took pushed her a little higher up in the air with a flash of divine fire from her feet. Her first strike, in the center of the giantess’ breastplate, caved in the armor and knocked the breath out of her. 3 more solid strikes followed that up, concluding with a fiery kick to the giantess’ jaw.

I conjured ropes of ethereal shadow at the Fire Giantess’ feet that coiled around her legs, her weapons, and hands, tightening with the strength of my arcane power.

Hilda charged over to the cloud giant, and knocked him to his knees with 2 clean blows from her sword. Aramil and Bran shot the fire giant. Joda continued to lay into her with fists and feet, divine fire flashing against the flames of the giantess. I tossed a lightning bolt at the cloud giant, who’d stood up and landed a painful blow on Hilda. I envy her ability to take a hit like that and shrug it off. Hilda again knocked the cloud giant down, and threatened to take his family jewels if he got back up.



A couple more arrows, and the squeezing of the ethereal ropes finished off the fire giantess. She didn’t even get off a scream as the ropes had coiled around her neck. The cloud giant, still on his knees, yielded. The frost and storm giants gloated. “We told you not to underestimate them. Come, let’s go see if we can’t get you an audience with the Princess.”