Linene Greywand, proprietor of the Lionshield Coster trading post in Phandelver, asks you to deliver a letter to her friend Alaestra Ulgar who lives in Triboar. There will be a small reward upon delivery.
The journey is uneventful and after four days you arrive in the mercantile town of Triboar, where the Long Road meets the Evermoor Way. You visit Alaestra at The Lion’s Share and on reading the letter she presents you with a grey bag of tricks. After discussion with her you decide to stay at an inn named Northshield House and retire for the evening.
The next day you are out and about stocking up on supplies when, around mid-day, the town is shaken from its peacefulness by the screams of women and children, followed by a man yelling, “Giants! Run!” Perplexed residents and shopkeepers emerge from their domiciles in time to see a large rock fall from the sky and crash onto an old cart, splintering it. As a cloud of dust erupts from the wreckage, a second rock hits the ground, tumbles through a fence, and slams against the wall of a building, startling a pair of mules tethered to a post nearby. All around you, people begin to shriek and scatter.
A group of orogs clad in heavy plate mail march – knocking down fences and clearing the way of rabble – ahead of two towering fire giants. A dozen flaming magmins and six orcs riding axe-beaks lead the attack, the magmins in two groups setting buildings on fire as directed by the giants and the orcs racing into town to engage the defenders.
A number of townsfolk are brave enough to stand with you against this threat:
Darathra Shendrel, Lord Protector of Triboar
Darz Helgar, campground caretaker
Narth Tezrin, Lionshield Coster representative
Urgala Meltimer, innkeeper and retired adventurer
Othovir, harness-maker
Ghelryn Foehammer, blacksmith
You adopt a strategy of dealing with the axe-beak riders first before moving on to the orogs; the magmins are attacked whenever they get too close. The fighting breaks out all over the place and at one point even wakes Enderman. Othovir is nearly killed and Fallan is hurt by the orogs.
The fire giants seem to be heading purposefully towards a particular spot, damaging Othovir’s Harness Shop and destroying Ransor’s Open Road on the way. The female seems to be carrying some sort of rod which she is using to direct her. When they reach the north campground she cries out in giantish “it’s here!” and they both start digging with their greatswords.
When most of the minions are dealt with Fallan tries to attack one of the giants, but a huge blow from its greatsword sends him flying. In any case the two are close to unearthing whatever it is they came for and with a cry of triumph one of them pulls it from the ground – a bent and broken 2-inch-thick band of what looks like adamantine, roughly 11 feet long and probably weighing close to 1,000 pounds.
Their prize in hand the pair start to march back the way they came. The fact that most of their entourage are dead does not seem to concern them at all; you pick off the last of the smaller creatures but are in no state to pursue two such huge and dangerous creatures. Enderman sends Wol to follow them but it is not long before they have gone beyond the range of his perception.
The people of Triboar are grateful for your assistance. Those who helped you in the fight share some information with you that might prove useful.
Darathra Shendrel, the Lord Protector of Triboar, gives you a platinum badge bearing the Triboar insignia (three boars charging forward). She urges you to travel east along the Evermoor Way, visit Danivarr’s House in Everlund, and give the badge to Dral Thelev, the one-eyed half-orc proprietor. It strikes her as odd that fire giants would make it this far into the Dessarin Valley without her receiving some kind of warning. She wants to make sure her organisation – The Harpers – is aware of the gravity of the situation.
Darz Helgar, the campground caretaker, tells you that he was recently visited by an old acquaintance, a merchant from Mirabar, with an interesting tale to tell. The merchant saw a dwarf cleaning stables in Xantharl’s Keep, a fortifed village on the Long Road, and later recognised him from a wanted poster he saw while travelling south through Longsaddle. The merchant was sure that the dwarf he saw was a wanted brigand known as the Weevil; according to the wanted poster, whoever delivers him alive to the authorities in Mirabar can collect a reward of 5,000 gp.
Darz briefly entertained the idea of going after the Weevil himself, but then admitted to himself that he’s too old for such things. Passing this information along to you is his way of thanking you for your help during the attack.
Narz Tezrin, the Lionshield Coster representative, tells you that a few months ago the Lionshield Coster received a payment from one Amrath Mulnobar, castellan of Noanar’s Hold, for five horse harnesses made by none other than Triboar’s finest harness-maker, Othovir. Othovir recently finished the last of the harnesses, and Narth needs to arrange for their deliver to Noanar’s Hold. Since the giant attack he has become worried about the safe arrival of the shipment. Narth has never been to Noanar’s Hold, but he describes it as a village near the High Forest that once attracted wealthy hunters. Narth has packed the harnesses in a large crate with the Lionshield Coster emblem painted on its sides and asks if you can to make the delivery for him.
Urgala Meltimer, keeper of the Northshield House inn, relates to you that one of her former adventuring companions, a wealthy knight named Harthos Zymorven, had a giant slayer greatsword. The last time Urgala spoke with him, Harthos was living in Zymorven Hall, his ancestral keep on the Rauvin Road northwest of Silverymoon. Urgala thinks Harthos might be willing to part with the weapon if you mention her name to him and explain your reason for needing it.
Othovir, the harness-maker, expresses his gratitude to you by sharing a secret: he knows the location of a stash of magic items that the Margaster family, his kin, keeps locked away for emergencies.
Ghelryn Foehammer, the blacksmith, writes you a letter of recommendation and suggests you present it to King Morinn or Queen Tithmel should you find yourselves in Citadel Felbarr.
You are now 6th level!