CAVES OF THE HILL GIANTS

 


Hook: The autumn day's noonday sun shines bright, overhead. You squint your eyes to watch a hawk as it screams high above you, searching for a meal. You're about to break the treeline to approach the narrow path the goblins use as a patrol route to the back of The Stronghold, but, a sound startles you. You wait long enough to see four of the creatures exit the trees about 40 feet from your current position, each laden with a badly-cared for shield and spear. They aren't particularly interested in anything, just walking, grunting and squealing wearily to one another in their porcine language as they go about their guard duty. One gestures with a spear to the high cliffs and shrugs as they all pass by a sharp spur jutting from the sheer limestone surface. You already drew your bow, instinctively, as did your companions. You know one another well enough, now... Ambush. If you can get the drop on them, these four should prove short work. But, just as you draw, hard, on your bow, and sight the rear goblin, a thunderous crashing from the other end of the clearing draws your attention, and almost causes you to loose your arrow, prematurely. As your eyes find the spot from which the sound emanated, the trees are pushed aside, forcefully, and a huge, fur-clad figure towering four or five times over the goblins erupts from the forest. A young tree snaps and goes down under his violence and weight, broken completely in half. The wild-eyed, greasy-haired giant man grips a near-tree-sized club in one hand, some bits of branches on it creating a spiked surface you're sure will do some damage... Indeed, the goblins squeal once, frozen in fear, as the giant meets them, roaring. Its tree-club finds its first target and connects, lifting the goblin leader up, and up, and up... His rag-doll frame sails through air for a moment before crashing to the earth near where you stand, landing upon the leaf-strewn hard earth with a loud, wet, broken thud. The surprised eyes of the boar-faced creature stare up at you, sightlessly, unable to implore you for help. Another goes down under the heavy club of the giant. The other two run up the path and escape, while the giant snatches up the second goblin by the leg, and begins dragging it across the earth, marching in your direction with a gutteral grunt to collect the other fallen creature...

Details: Outside The Stronghold to the northwest of the rear entry is a large giant cave. A small hill giant family lives there. Two parents and a young one. They regularly pick the goblins off the footpath for an easy meal. They will take live prisoners back, and often do, throw them into the prison, eat them later. There are supplies the giants have stolen stored up in the caves, as well. At times, they head south and terrorise caravans.

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