Giant Refugee Camp
After a very good breakfast, we got directions to the giants. Me Fly told us to seek out I Sear, a storm giant that leads the camp.
We flew down. It was a pleasant enough day, to be sure. When we arrived, Pitter and I decided to go into the camp. The others were "guarding our retreat". Up a tree, no less. Nice.
I did have a plan in case things got bad. I had prepared my spell for me to be recalled to New Ardlord. The backup plan was then to meet back at the stone giant cave.
In any event, it was not necessary. The camp was huge and I got some strange looks, but Pitter was very helpful to have around. I had a swagger about me and that I think persuaded them that I was okay.
While I could tell there were some evil giants about, most were not evil. They just seemed to be in sad spirits and desperate conditions. Pitter asked around for I Sear and we eventually found him.
Pitter offered our services and asked why the giants had come here. I Sear looked him up and down and said, "You are not from around here, are you? We don't talk about such things in public. Come, join me in my tent."
And so we joined him. I Sear was a towering, massive giant of a giant. He was not evil. He even seemed patient and, perhaps, kind in a giant sort of way. We talked and he told us of the troubles of the lands to the east.
"The continent was on fire. It had been our home for millennia and now it burned. It was an army of great winged beasts and minotaurs. At its lead was a flaming minotaur, a monster that nearly took my life. I ran and I did not look back. I could hear it laughing as it tore the walls of my home apart, destruction everywhere."
"Tell me, have you heard of Baphamut? He is a flaming minotaur that we encountered some time ago to the west on this continent," I said and preceded to describe the beast.
"I know not his name, but what I encountered seems similar. It would be grave indeed if we fled just to encounter it again. My people, what shall become of them?"
We asked about the refugees, whether they needed anything. He told us that they were 1000 strong and that with winter approaching, he was worried about their food supplies. We told him that we could see what the others on this continent might be able to offer, but that it would be a hard sell. We also talked about the dwarf-giant war.
"The dwarves have already lost an entire clan. The dwarven nation is uniting in a wave of fear and anger. Who were these giants that attacked them?"
"Some that came here were not peaceful. They did not want to live in such conditions. I can hardly blame them. All we want to do is return to our homes, to be back as it was. These lands are harsh to us. But our last ships speak of the complete destruction of what was behind. And with that comes the realization to many of us that we need to make a new home. For some, that meant taking over the homes of others. So it was that High Low and Good No Here led a sizable faction of giants away to conquer the dwarves. I know not what happened to them."
"Ah, well, we have heard that High Low is no more. We do not know of this Good No Here. Well, thank you for this information. We will see what we can do to help your people."
And so Pitter and I left, pondering what to do. 1000 desperate giants. An army of rampaging giants whose purpose is conquest and genocide. Baphamut on the rise in the east, already present here. An army of terrors sweeping over this world.
Yes, these days are turning out to be quite interesting. Quite interesting, indeed.
Mords of Wisdom: The truth shall set you scared.