As time resumed, our heroes woke up in the Sleeping Dragon Inn. A couple of them nursing a hangover, but still, it was a good night’s sleep. Our heroes had breakfast before leaving town again to meet Harshnag and heading out on the road again. The next stop wasn’t far away, only a single day’s travel, and they reached Amphail. As they approached, they heard music playing and laughter. As soon as Mitsui heard this, she rushed forward, hoping to see what was going on.
Arriving at the town square, the center of the music, Mitsui saw lots of people partying and having a good time. She asked around and was told they were celebrating Tylandar Roaringhorn’s sixty-third birthday. Everyone was welcome to join in. Mitsui of course joined in, eating and dancing and having an overall good time.
Meanwhile, Harshnag once again told our heroes he’d meet them on the other side of the town as they entered. They headed towards the inn. Walking through the town, they didn’t run into a soul. Arriving at the inn, they found the doors were locked. Xeric headed off to do his own thing. Seraphina looked around and found the stables. She got the horses set for the night, and Jayr offered to take care of the horses.
Mitsui was still at the party, as an older man approached her; she wished him a happy birthday. Guessing correctly that this was Tylandar, he thanked her. He asked whether she was enjoying the party and informed her that he had already covered the fees for any travelers to stay the night at the inn. Xeric approached shortly after, having just finished breaking into a few houses and robbing them. When he approached Mitsui, he shoved an ale down her throat. Mitsui jumped on the defensive, and upon realizing it was Xeric, she tried shoving food into him but having a mask there made it a bit more difficult.
Back at the horse stables, Seraphina was taking Jayr up on his offer to watch the horses. In reality though, he was playing a nice game of Three-Dragon Ante with them. He somehow managed to lose the game to them too. Seraphina, meanwhile, turned into a bat and went flying with Lola. They noticed 3 ugly, big, fat, tan coloured giants, known as Hill Giants, coming towards town, following their noses. She signaled to Lola to warn Jayr and Kida and, as quickly as she could, headed toward Harshnag. Lola went back to town and alerted Jayr and Kida that there was a problem north of town. They got up and headed north, with Jayr leaving a gold coin for the horses since they won the game. Once they reached the town exit and saw nothing, they headed right. Seraphina rushed towards Harshnag, reverted back into her Halfling self, told him the story, and rode on his shoulder as he started running along the side of the town, hoping to reach the giants before they entered the town.
As the giants followed their noses, they arrived at the city square, causing chaos and havoc as the villagers ran in fear. Mitsui and Xeric engaged in combat. Mitsui managed to scare off one of the giants while drawing her sword, as Xeric set fire to some stalls, trying to create a barrier. Luckily, the scared giant ran into Kida and Jayr, who engaged it in combat. The two remaining giants tried squashing Mitsui and Xeric. They managed to squash poor Xeric, but Mitsui was unharmed. Mitsui flailed her sword trying to scare the remaining giants a second time, succeeding. They also fled toward Kida and Jayr. Meanwhile, Seraphina noticed the giants and flew off to engage in combat as Harshnag started heading into the town as well. Our heroes managed to finish off 2 of the giants, but the third one was allowed to flee. As some of the townsfolk saw Harshnag, they ran off screaming in terror again. Harshnag hurried out of the town at this.
The townsfolk thanked the heroes and started working with them to put out the fires Xeric had started. Xeric, while assisting, kept on throwing alcohol on the fires, making them worse, before disappearing. The fires were eventually put out, as Mitsui went to talk with Tylandar, passing Xeric, she commanded him to ‘grovel’ as she was mad he started the fire in the town square. She was not happy with how the people treated Harshnag, and convinced Tylandar to come out and speak with him.
As this was happening, Xeric had started lighting more fires through the town, also unhappy with how the townsfolk had treated Harshnag.
Mitsui, Tylander, and Harshnag all spoke, as Harshnag agreed to try coming into town and they would try to talk to the townsfolk and help them understand that Harshnag meant them no harm and was trying to help them. As they were returning to town, they noticed some more fies, and Harshnag bellowed out at the top of his lungs “FIRE!”
Harshnag, the townsfolk, and our heroes, minus Xeric and Seraphina, worked together to put the fires out. Unfortunately, a large part of the town was burned down, including the inn. Tylandar offered our heroes to stay at his place, and said Harshnag could sleep in the town square and help himself to the food. Harsnag, Kida, Mitsui, and Jayr took him up on his offer.
Seraphina had enough with these “goddamn fires in these goddamn towns” and left with the horses to make camp outside town, well before the inn burned down.
When Xeric heard that Harsnag had now been invited in the town, and the townsfolk had a new respect for him and learned that his companions were staying at Tylandar’s, his mood changed, and he headed over to spend the night there as well.
In the morning, our heroes gathered outside the town. Xeric was being awfully…cheerful…creepy…suspicious…possessed. While our heroes don’t know how to describe it, they knew they didn’t trust him. They tied him up and headed north. Xeric’s new attitude remained through the night and the next day. They eventually untied him, and they all hugged new Xeric, who was receptive to this.
While travelling, they noticed a horse, with an armored man heading in their direction,a lance pointed out. It was aimed at Harshnag. Gripping her sword in preparation, Mitsui commanded the horse to grovel, and the man was flung off. They could now see that he was beat up, his armor falling apart, bloodied. There was also a dead body tied to the horse. The man explained he was a knight and had just killed a giant, although his squire hadn’t been so lucky. He said he would help protect them from this giant who had taken them captive. While the group tried to convince him otherwise, he wouldn’t hear it. In the end, our heroes knocked him out, put him on his horse, and set it back in the direction it had been going.
Our heroes then continued on the path until they reached Red Larch. Time slowed down as the world took a nap, awaiting the continuation of our heroes’ adventure.
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