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As related by Raco Milgo to the temple scribe:

His Eminence requested that I visit the temple as soon as possible. I arrived in Trazara two days later and immediately reported to the high priest. During my audience with him, he requested I undertake a minor task concerning a raiding party of hill giants that had ransacked several small communities south of Trazara. Apparently the spring thaws had sufficiently cleared the mountain passes and the raiding party had decided to take advantage of the benign weather to pillage and terrorize the locality. The local lord had lost a number of his knights in a previous encounter with them and he had no wish to suffer further losses. Reports indicated between 10 and 20 members in the raiding party.

I accepted the assignment, of course, and inquired of any constraints or political sensitivities concerning this mission. His Eminence told me to "Just solve the problem." Excellent! I queried an acolyte to determine if Zolana was in residence and he informed me "Yes. She's here and attending to her children."

I went to Zolana's apartment and knocked. After a minute the door was opened by a skeleton servant that bowed and waved me to enter. Ahhh. Quiet servants are a blessing. Zolana appeared, quite literally, and curtly asked, "What do you want?" I explained the mission and requested that she accompany me for the week or two necessary to accomplish it. She agreed and asked when/where she should meet me. We arranged the time and place and I took my leave.

I then visit the Wild Geese Inn and left word with the barkeep that a couple weeks work was available for a small group of professionals. I didn't need or want to waste time with amateurs as Hill giants will crush your scull & suck out your brains if you weren't careful. Not that such issues concern me excessively, as long as it wasn't my brains.

Two days later, in the early evening around 7:00, I returned to the Inn to interview and contract with possible personnel. The meeting room I'd requested was prepared and within minutes of my arrival others individuals began drifting in. I was somewhat disappointed in what appeared to be a motley collection of drifters, youngsters, and others of questionable talents. There was a ranger named Shade who promised potential and I did recognize a priest I had met previously, if only briefly, as John, of the heretical faith of Helm, although he didn't appear to recognize or remember me. Well, so be it. If this were what I had to work with, I would do the best that I could.

Over the dinner meal and after introductions, I explained the mission, the pay, and the approximate time frame. I was somewhat surprised that they all accepted and contracted to participate. A rendezvous date/place was established and I took my leave. As my dinner guests departed later they were surreptitiously shadowed by Zolana to verify/ensure their safety and trustworthiness.

Four days later I met the party a ½ days ride southwest of Trazarra. It was at this juncture that John, the priest, with some apparent concern, appeared to recognize me. I had previously made my assertion that the second element of this mission was the safe return of participants. As long as John fulfilled his part of the bargain there would be no reason for conflict.

With Shade, and Kalthorn, another ranger who I had not met at the dinner, arrayed out before us, and my hellhounds providing heft to the reconnaissance element, we proceeded. Turning southwest along the coast road we rode for several hours before Zolana joined us with her pack train. We found a good site, well defendable, and made cold camp the first night. Moving on the second day, Zolana succeeded in calling down a bird, a hawk I think, and was able to ascertain that "large peoples" had passed by, moving to the southwest, only 2 days ago. We altered our course accordingly and picked up the pace. It was at this point that the dwarf started to question Zolana about her ability to speak with animals. I know that dwarfs can be abrasive, but she acted before I could say anything. After the third or forth comment from the dwarf, Zolana calmly walked back to where he sat astride his horse, grabbed him by his jerkin, and yanked him off of the animal. While he was still airborne, she extracted her stiletto, and by the time he hit the dirt it was in his left nostril. Nothing fatal, just enough to let him know that he was close to experiencing his concept of the afterlife. That ended comments from the dwarf, and the rest of the party became somewhat more attentive.

We made cold camp a second night. By dawn the hawk had left but we persevered in a southwesterly direction. That day we finally found the giants tracks and picked up our pace. Zolana unrolled a bundle of arrows with waxed tips and distributed. That afternoon we came across a small battlefield with 3 dead giants and about 26 humans/humanoids, similarly deceased. We found a couple of horses, one survivor, a woman, who I healed, and indications that about 6 t 8 individuals had run from the conflict. From the survivor, named Alley, we verified that there were 11 remaining giants.

We pressed our march the rest of the day and into the evening. I told my hounds to stick close to the rangers and to return to me if anything is awry. With the moon at ¼, and little clouds, we could see sufficiently to press on. Several hours into the night my hounds came back to me when they found that the giants trail had split, as if they had sent out scouts. While discussing possible courses of action, we became aware of a dull glow on the horizon, in the direction of a small nearby village. Breaking into three fire teams, we mounted up and rode with all haste toward the village.

Coming up on the village, Zolana took her fire team #1 and broke left to enter from the south, I took my fire team #2 and broke right to enter from the northeast, while John the priest took his fire team #3, as the reserve element, and drove straight into town along the main road. Immediately we ran into three giants who were attacking the village keep, two with huge clubs the size of tree trunks, while a third one stood back some distance and was hurling large rocks at the defenders. Zolana wheeled her house and was dismounted, already nocking an arrow in her bow, before he came to a complete stop. The other members of her team followed suit and the first indication the giants had that we were present was a volley of arrows.

Upon impact from the first volley of arrows the giants turned their attention in our direction, including the one with rocks. Pulling up at my maximum range, I jumped off, placing my mount between my self and the giants, and steeled my mind to prepare a spell of darkness. Fortune was with us as my darkness enveloped him, removing his vision and the ability to target us, before he could get off another shot. Zolana sent her team's hellhound into the darkness to finish the job while our combined bow fire made short work of the other two giants.

Moving fast, we remounted and turned toward our left flank to address two more giants two blocks away across a small bridge. We charged through the urban maze with giants seemingly at every turn. One giant raised his spear, the size of a small tree trunk, and hurled it at Zolana, who was still mounted on her horse. She twisted in the saddle but it came to fast, slamming into her left shoulder and knocking her off of the horse, knocking the breath from her and tearing her shirt. That pissed her off.

Coming upon two between a stable and another structure, we loosed a blizzard of arrows, forcing one to take cover behind one building while the other ran behind a second building to flank us. As he rounded the corner he was met by my hellhound as, simultaneously, John the priest released a ball of darkness on his head. Unfortunately, I had committed to a full charge with my lance toward his back, and Alley was charging to his front, with sword drawn, when the darkness appeared. She turned to her left and I to my right and we impacted in the periphery of the darkness. Several of my horses spikes cut Alleys horse, although not fatally. It took us a couple of moments to recover and manage our mounts before I could turn and readdress the other giant. Lowering my lance, I barely had time to come up to full charge before impacting, but my aim was good as the lance drove into his chest and was torn from my grip as he slammed into the adjacent building.

I yelled for team # 1 to finish the darkened giant with bows and for teams # 2 and 3 to reform. A rock came whistling out of the darkness and knocked one of the party off of his horse. John the priest saw the giant who had thrown it and, acting quickly, delivered a ball of darkness between the giant and us to prevent further missiles. Closing on the darkness, we readied our bows, and upon our signal John dispelled it. The giant was surprised as, suddenly, he was faced with a party of archers, all firing at him. He charged and I lunged forward on my horse, my holy sword drawn, to meet him. He swung at me as I swung at him, each missing the other. I reared my horse who kicked and struck but before I could wheel and reattack, he stumbled and fell, feathered by numerous arrow shafts.

As the cacophony of battle subsided, we heard distant screams from a field outside the village. Turning and riding toward the sounds we found 2 more, slaughtering a couple of villagers. Spells of darkness, 2 hellhounds, a blizzard of arrows, and my heavy lance dispatched the remaining duo.

Before returning to the village, Zolana collected giant parts to serve as saddlebags. Not everyone in the party enjoyed the humor in this.

Rangers performed reconnaissance and determined that we had completed the mission against the giants. Although there were indications, and testimony from the village priest, that a werewolf (or pair) prowls the region, they weren't on our mission list. After assisting in dousing some of the burning buildings, we request and were provided lodging and food for the night.

The next day we departed for Trazara.

This report respectfully submitted,

Your humble servant, Raco Milgo.

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