Episode Fourteen - Be Very, Very Quiet. We are Hunting Giants.

Borkum and company take on a new job, and set out hunting a group of Hill Giants that have been raiding farms and homes along the frontier.

The Arcane Isles

Dive into the enchanting world of Eric J. Wynn with the "Arcane Isles: Borkum the Battler" podcast, a Dungeons & Dragons inspired audio adventure available at ArcaneIsles.com. Join us on a first-person journey through a richly imagined realm where magic and mystery meet. Each episode, narrated by characters from the Arcane Isles, brings to life thrilling tales of valor, sorcery, and intrigue. Whether you're a seasoned D&D enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of fantasy role-playing, Borkum the Battler offers an immersive experience into a fantastical narrative. Tune in and become part of the adventure that unfolds within the Arcane Isles, where every corner holds a new challenge, and the fate of the world rests in the hands of heroes like never before. 

https://arcaneisles.com/

X: Follow me on X where I am noted under the company name, Lonely Mountain Mining Company. Yep, I named my company for that mountain. If you know you know! I discuss the world of Arcane Isles, cryptocurrency and occasionally a current event or two. 

@ericwynnus

YOUTUBE: Follow me on Youtube where I mix music with my Arcane Isles artwork, to make something interesting.

@ArcaneIsles101

Fiction: I will be releasing other fiction of my own creation. Watch my spaces for those upcoming materials.

Transcript

Borkum Season #2

Episode 2

The mayor was laughing at me. I offered the services of my party to him, and he scoffed at me. 

“What is so funny?" I queried the mayor.

“That axe of your is not so big that it can slay a giant.” The mayor laughed.

“It is not the size of the axe that matters,” I replied, “but how you wield it.”

The mayor laughed at me but beckoned to come with him to his office. It was a small office in the heart of the market. Full of books and scrolls and other mundane items of accounting and record keeping. Here in this office the mayor was in the heartbeat of the town and could be close to trouble if needed. He took me over to a large map hanging on the wall, “Here my axe bearing new best friend is our cattle and outlying farm country. The finest grazing land in the Arcane Isles. Every one of those red X’s that you see represents an attack by giants.  We suspect these accursed hill giants are in these hills here. The mayor was pointing to a circled area of hills on the map. When they are ready, they sneak down and attack at night. Then they cart off the victims and cattle to who knows where. We sent some town militia members a month ago to dispatch the giants; they never came back. I suspect they were killed or worse.”

“What is worse than being killed” I asked.

“Eaten my boy. Eaten. Giants have a taste for man flesh. They like to skin us and stuff us into pies. But, when not in a pie, roasted on a spit works simply fine for them also. I think they would rather eat man flesh than cattle any day. More fat on the bone and not as chewy.”

I swallowed hard.

“How far away is that area,” I asked.

“You can be there in three days by horseback. We can loan the horses for your party, and I can provide a guide to get you to the general area. But he won’t go further than this lake here and will return. If the giants hear the horses, you will lose all hope of surprise. Then you will be in a pickle and that axe you carry will need to be plenty sharp.  It is best to sneak into that hill country. But, be warned, they will be on the lookout. Hill giants may be slow and dimwitted, but they are crafty when in their element. And, they know we are looking for them as well.”

I scratched my chin, deep in thought.

“If you are interested, be here tomorrow with your friends. five hundred gold pieces to fix my giant problem. You can keep whatever you find as your bonus. But you only get paid when you come back. And I want a giants head in a sack.”

The mayor offered me his hand. I thought for a moment and then shook his hand. 

The deal was made.

I wandered back to the market and found my party relaxing at a table of an outdoor tavern.  Lykxnzzl, my Drow thief friend saw me and handed me an ale; a cold ale that I swallowed in one long gulp.

“Well friend, what have you learned,” he asked with a smile.

“We got a job. A giant job,” I laughed.

Brindle Lightfoot leaned over, “Go on.”

“Here is the deal, these folks have a giant problem. Hill Giants have moved into the hills, due east of the town; three days ride from here. The mayor is offering us five hundred gold pieces to take these giants out, and we get to keep whatever we find. I offered the mayor our services.” I said as I waved for another ale.

Hawk Tuah drew a deep breath. “Giants huh?”

Elaria, who I began to suspect was the smartest of my little group, asked “do we know how many giants there are?

“Uh no.” I replied.

“Guys, I am not really giant fighting material,” Brindle Lightfoot offered up, not so sure of what I had gotten us into.

“The mayor is offering us horses and a guide to get us close to where the attacks have occurred. Then we dismount, sneak into the hills and scope it out. The mayor offered us five hundred gold pieces for a giants head. I say we go in, find the first  giant that we can and relief him of his head. Seems simple enough.”

Hawk Tuah leaned forward. “You do know that giants travel in groups. Right? You find one giant; you can be pretty confident that you are going to find a whole bunch more giants nearby.” 

Lykxnzzl leaned forward, "I think we could do this. We can move under cover of darkness, just like a dungeon, and when we find the camp, we can assess the situation and then make a decision. Hill giants are slow from what I understand. Almost dim witted. If we are careful, and don’t get into a fight with all of them at once, I think we can pull this off."

I nodded at Lykxnzzl. He had my back and my trust.

Brindle Lightfoot, ever happy, laughed, “well I do have those new spells I have been wanting to try out. I am game.”

Elaria looked at Hawk Tuah and nodded. “Okay, I am in.”

Hawk Tuah took a deep breath. “Well, at least we won’t be in a dungeon this time. Okay, let’s do this.”

I smiled at everyone and put my hand into the center of the group. They each put their hand on top of mine and then we yelled out in unison, “for glory!” The other patrons looking at us confused. 

The next morning, we met up with the mayor and his escort; A young kid maybe about 10 years old.

‘Good morning my brave adventurers!” The mayor bellowed when he saw me and the party. “Great to see you all this fine day.” The mayor was delighted. I suspected he thought we were going to skip out this adventure. 

“Morning mayor. This is my party here. Let me introduce you to everyone. My right-hand man, a excuse me, elf, is Lykxnzzl.  Representing the ladies here, I have Hawk Tuah and her falcon, Skyclaw. I also have Elaria, a cleric of an ancient order, just in case we need some higher help. And, representing the halflings, I have the esteemed Mr. Brindle Lightfoot – halfling magician and always full of surprises."

"Thank you all, thank you all. The mayor replied as he shook everyone’s hand. “I cannot tell you how much we appreciate you undertaking this adventure. Exceptionally fine of you; very brave. These giants have become quite annoying, and I need the best adventurers I can find to address this problem, and I seem to have found the best. Let us get to the stables and get you horsed and on your way.”

We walked the short distance to the town stables. The mayor invoked some official privilege and very shortly the stable hands found us each a horse and had us mounted and ready for departure. The young escort, Edward was his name, also mounted a horse, and within the hour we said our goodbyes to the mayor and set out to the east along a very lightly used trail.

If it was not for the nature of the adventure, our adventure was off to a fine start. The weather was most delightful. The countryside was grassy with low hills. Just a wonderful environment for farming. Edward had said nothing as we traveled. And, eventually I rode along side of him to ask a few questions.

“Do you know where we are headed,” I asked.

The young boy nodded and pointed in the direction we were going.

“How do you know where to go,” I asked.

The boy said nothing. But pointed a second time in the direction we were heading.

“Do you talk much?” I asked, hoping to get a reply.

“We are heading to my farm. We were raided two weeks ago, and my family was taken away. It was the most recent attack of the giants, so we should be able to pick up their trail from there. Yes, I know the way to my home very well.” The boy replied nonchalantly.

“I am very sorry to hear this, Edward.”  I reacted with true empathy. 

We rode the rest of the day and stopped only at dusk near a small creek. I said nothing more to Edward and instead engaged in light talk with the group.

 “The horses need to rest and water and this is a good spot,” Edward offered up.

“Can we camp here?” I asked.

“The giants have not come past this stream. But there could always be a first time. I would not set a fire. And definitely posts guards. The giants mostly come at night. Mostly.” He offered up; far wiser than his years let on.

We broke out our rations and had a cold meal of bread, cheese and dried meats. The water in the stream was sweet to the mouth and we drank till we were full.  I told everyone to get some sleep as the sun set, and offered to take first watch. I was on edge, and despite riding all day, I was uneasy about the adventure ahead. I walked the perimeter and kept staring out into the darkness. 

By the moon’s zenith, I was still wide awake. I could hear wolves in the distance, and the horses were becoming uneasy. The moon was in its first quarter this night and the few clouds aloft kept the night darker than I cared for. I still could see, but it reminded me of the dungeon we had just recently explored. Shadows in the distance flirted in my mind. I thought I saw movement. But I would stare in that direction and then see nothing. Was I imagining things? I walked over to the stream and splashed water on my face trying to get the cobwebs out. I needed sleep. I walked over to where Lykxnzzl was sleeping and shook him gently. He immediately popped up wide awake. 

“I need to sleep, can you take watch?” I asked.

Lykxnzzl looked up at the moon and realized the night was half over. “You should have woken me sooner old boy. Get some rest. I got this.”

I wrapped myself in my blanket and laid down on the grass. I looked up at the stars and watched in amazement as a star fell from the heavens and streaked across the sky. lighting the sky for a brief second in a emerald green brightness, before evaporating back into the black void. I closed my eyes and remembered nothing else.