Uktar 4, 1372 DR (5:00 PM) Deep Wastes: Lake of Shadows

Several sharp-eared people hear voices and laughter, deep and gutteral, from directly overhead, through the ceiling. The party stops, only the first two ranks having entered the larger cavern.

From a side passage emerge two twelve-foot tall gray-skinned giants. "Kill the drow!" they say in Undercommon. One moves towards Tebryn, and the other towards Veracity, who draws her swords and slashes her opponent as it comes within range. The giant attacking Tebryn hits him once with his huge club. The giant attacking Veracity similarly hits her once.

Veracity retaliates by striking the giant once with each of her swords. Kress moves up next to Tebryn, drawing his long sword, and swings at the giant, missing. Tebryn's stone giant swings twice at him, missing both times. Igor draws his weapon and swings at the giant attacking Veracity, hitting it handily. Yol waves her hand and incants. Black motes flicker around the two giants briefly. Tebryn looks up at the giant attacking him. He concentrates and casts defensively. "Stun!" he says. The giant stands still, stunned. A hitherto unseen giant throws two boulders at Veracity from the far end of the cavern. One strikes her shoulder. "Ouch!" Hazen moves into the room behind Tebryn's stunned giant, drawing his dagger. He stabs it once in a vital area, causing great pain. Brianna sings a song of healing and moves up to touch her partner, curing most of Veracity's injuries. Veracity's opponent swings twice at her, but his club swishes by without touching her. Yet another hitherto unseen giant throws two more rocks at Veracity. Both rocks crash harmlessly against the wall behind her.

Veracity hits her foe once again with each of her weapons. Igor takes the opportunity to swing at the giant, but misses. Kress hits the stunned giant twice. Igor swings three times at his and Veracity's foe, hitting twice. It falls over on its back, dead. Yol mutters and waves her fingers. Three missiles of force fly from her fingers and unerringly strike one of the boulder hurling giants. Tebryn looks at stunned giant towering over him, and then at Hazen and Kress attacking it. He turns his attention towards the distant boulder throwers and conjures, holding some silver pins in his hand. A huge bolt of lightning strikes one of the giants and then arcs to the other. The giant first struck by the bolt grunts and turns his attention to Tebryn. He throws two boulders at the wizard, striking with one, while the other bowls down the passage behind him. Hazen strikes the stunned giant twice, hitting a vital spot with each stab. Brianna cures her companion up to full health. The second scorched giant also turns his attention to the wizard and hurls two boulders at Tebryn, also striking him with only one.

Veracity sheathes her life stealer sword and incants, gesturing at one of the boulder throwing giants. Five missiles of force streak from her hand and plunge into her foe. Kress strikes the stunned giant twice with his longsword. It crashes to the ground, narrowly missing its slayer. Igor turns invisible. Yol incants again and sends three more missiles of force into the rightmost stone-hurling giant. Tebryn looks at the two giants. "Still standing? Taste this!" He incants and gestures, and a ball of fire blossoms around the distant giants. One falls and continues to smolder. Hazen turns invisible. Brianna cheers. The one remaining giant throws two more stones at Tebryn. One strikes him, while the other bounces down the corridor.

Veracity waves her hand and conjures, causing many large hail stones to rain down and pummel it. Yol and Tebryn watch the action. "Our invisible thieves should be about up to it, by now," observes Tebryn. "They'll finish him off, forthwith!" Yol nods in agreement. The unaware giant hurls a boulder at Tebryn, which misses. The two thieves, hovering right next to him, each strike at him. Only Hazen hits him. "Huh?" says the giant looking wildly from one to the other. He looks at the stone in his hand and then tosses it at Tebryn, hitting him this time. "Hey!" says Tebryn.

Veracity cheers. "Go, Igor and Hazen!" "What about me?" wonders Kress. He moves up next to the giant. Igor swings wildly with his greatsword, uncharacteristically missing three times in a row. Yol watches with interest, and then glances at Tebryn. "You are severely injured," she observes. "Indeed," says Tebryn. "Cure me? Brianna! Cures!" Hazen strikes the giant with his dagger, felling him. Brianna and Yol each cast several curing spells and heal Tebryn.

"Those giants sure had a chip on their shoulder against drow," observes Veracity.

"Yeah, and they tried to take a chip out of the drows' shoulders," responds Hazen. "We've gone far enough today. Let's go back and camp!"

Veracity disagrees. "They ambushed us. Why go away and give them a chance to prepare another ambush tomorrow? Let's press on and destroy them before they can regroup!"

"I want to go on," agrees Igor. "That last giant was a very unsatisfying opponent for me."