Storm King's Thunder: Session 10. The Battle for Triboar

In the morning they awoke to find that Kade and Amadeous had caught up with them. Maganose managed to sneak past the Tolmara (the owner of 6 windows) and repair the damage to the attic door with the Mending spell. Tolmara then caught them and asked if they had seen what was happening outside. Rushing to the window, a lone rider on horseback was approaching the town. They appeared slumped to one side - possibly injured? The horseman reached the town square in front of the Lord Protectors Tower and then slumped out of his saddle, collapsing to the ground.

A crowd gathered around him and gasps were heard - it was Callum Southwell! Darius gently pushed his way to the front and healed him. Though better than before, Callum was still injured. In halting breaths he explained that the incursion was no mere orc raid - they were being led by Fire Giants. They had ambushed the militia and the Twelve and slaughtered them. Callum was the only one left and revealed shocking news: they would be in Triboar tomorrow!

Several merchants and travellers instantly starting packing to leave. Darathra called a meeting in the taproom of the Triboar Arms. The party attended and found a hubbub of frightened and panicking people. Darathra explained that the rumours (as far as she understood) were true: fire giants and orcs would arrive tomorrow. While their purpose was unknown, it was unlikely to be peaceful. Several townspeople called out: a gruff dwarf bellowed that he would be dead before his forge would fall in the hands of orcs. A wizard brushed this off as typical dwarf stubbornness “it’s not worth dying over bricks and wood and we don’t have town walls. We don’t even have ditches!”

Two other townspeople called out: A man’s wife was heavily pregnant and due to deliver any day now: she couldn’t travel. A woman also called out that her elderly father was sick and would die on the road. Darathra commented that she wasn’t going to leave anyone to die. She looked to the Legends of Tomorrow (as Korrak kept introducing themselves) and stated that they had told her they had fought giants before: what did they think? Darius roused the room and told them they could win this and that they would help. The Legends of Tomorrow then set out a plan: counting their allies, preparing defences and training the townspeople.

They realised they needed more help: 18 townspeople, Darathra and Ghelryn Foehammer (dwarf blacksmith) would not be enough. They recruited Daran Edermath and Callum Southwell as well. Darathra suggested speaking to Silvanus (drunken priest of Helm) as he was a great warrior in his day: maybe this could be enough to rouse him to follow the path of Helm once more. They approached him: he had not been drinking that day and he sat, contemplating the room. When asked if he could fight, he was reluctant as he was not that person anymore and was not worthy of the path of his god. The Legends spent some time reasoning with him, convincing him that he could be a hero once more and he had once vowed to protect the weak. He agreed. He needed to face his demons and stand in battle once more.

The Legends then set out defences: barricades, caltrops and bags of flour soaked in oil were placed along the road as traps and defences. Carlan sought to cast magic upon the plants in the road on the northern approach to the town but realised there was little plantlife there. She convinced a local gardener to dig in plants running down the road to the town. He was very confused as he didn’t understand how his best beetroots could defend the town. She reassured him and once he was done she cast he spell and the whole area became overgrown with binding vines and vegetation: it became apparent that the fire giants and orcs would be advancing into a mess of vegetation, caltrops and explosive material. Darius and Amadeous set to training the townspeople in archery and how to use their spears.

The next day Daran called out from the top of the tower: riders were approaching. Goblin wolfriders came first, howling and firing arrows. The orcs arrived next: a horde of marauders shouting warcries. Finally, the fire giants stormed towards the town: living siege engines born of fire. They immediately ran into the difficult terrain of the defences but ground forward inexorably, hurling javelins and gigantic hammers. Hails of arrows flew from the defences, causing damage but making only minimal wounds on the fire giants. Callum Southwell was slain by a barrage of orcish javelins. Korrak was enchanted with Haste by Maganose and then and charged into melee with Darius. Unfortunately Darius’ spectral wolf steed misjudged the height of the walls and crashed to the ground. Korrak hacked away at the goblins before turning to face the first fire giant: a warrioress 20 feet tall with eyes and hair like fire. Slashing with his axe he wounded her but she hit back, maiming him with a massive maul.

Orcs were gradually being whittled away under the townspeople’s arrows but then they heard more howls from the west: another fire giant and more goblins had circled the town and had flanked them! Darathra rushed to fight the giant while Maganose, Amadeous and Carlan blasted at them with magic and crossbow bolts, causing terrible damage. Two townspeople died, crushed by a thrown fire giant hammer the size of an anvil.

Hacking and slashing, Korrak and Darius killed the fire giant woman - a huge crash sounded as her enormous body hit the ground. However another fire giant and the orcs continued to push forward. Korrak and Darius fell under a hail of javelins and a thrown fire giant hammer. Hearing them fall, Silvanus and Carlan managed to heal them and keep them from death. Under further storms of arrows, magical blasts and crossbow bolts the other two giants eventually fell. Korrak pulled himself up, drew his greataxe and hacked through the remaining orcs in a bloody swathe.

As the last Orc fell, the battlefield was then silent, before erupting in a massive cheer. The Legends of Tomorrow had saved Triboar.