Road to Kiev, Chapter Five

Dragons!, part I
Sunday, September 18, 987 AD

After crossing the river, Reynaldo asks Ielanthe where the tailed-people are. She says they're north of the Crimea in a city by a river. That sounds like Kiev to me. We decide to go north for an hour and then rest. During the second watch, the party hears a shriek and a large shadow passes overhead. Reynaldo goes up a tree to see what is going on and sees a gray dragon heading away from them. He turns around in time to see another grey dragon heading straight for him. He lets go of the tree and falls spectacularly to the ground, and is unconscious. We rest again and the rest of the night passes uneventfully.

Giants! and Another Crazy Woman
Monday, September 19, 987 AD

After Reynaldo regales the party about how he fought off two dragons single-handedly up in the treetops, we travel northeast for an hour and a half. We hit a river going north-northeast, and we decide to follow it. The countryside starts getting hilly and less forestry. We find the remains of a rope bridge that used to go across the river, and a path that lead up to it. We follow the path until Nicolae sees a cave in the distance. Before we can hide, a giant with a horn slung around his shoulder and regular sized fox on a leash comes out of it. He demands gold, weapons, and Catarina for letting us pass. Reynaldo casts Shield, and Nicolae taking this to mean we're going to attack, casts Blindness on the giant, before Edward has a chance to cast Silence on the horn. The spell has no effect on the giant, but he knows we mean trouble so he blows his horn and lets his fox attack us. The fighters charge forward, while the mages head back a little. Reynaldo explodes the fox with a single magic missile. Two more giants come out of the cave with rocks held high above their heads, but Wong disengages from the attack on the first giant and casts Fireball at them from her Mage's Ring. Then she casts Hold Monster from the same ring and makes one of them freeze. The second one lobs the rock at the mages but misses. Thorvald goes down and Reynaldo casts Rope Trick to bring him in. The second giant comes running past the fighters and first giant and heads for the mages, thwacking Catarina and making her go down as Reynaldo hides in his Rope Trick. Thalia and Edward disengage from the first giant to get the second one as Nicolae runs to the third one (the held one) to behead it. Thalia and Edward kill the second one while Wong uses an ancient Chinese technique that gives the giant indescribable pain, but he continues to fight. Thalia and Edward rejoin the attack on the first one, Reynaldo summons eight four-foot tall men to help with the attack. And still the giant will not go down. With the exception of while Wong gives him pain, he laughs and tells us we'll never kill him. After downing Edward, the giant says his arm is tired and we should call a truce. Reynaldo, from the safety of his Rope Trick, screams for a continued attack, but the fighters agree to the truce. He demands we pay reparations for killing his two friends so, like schmucks we pay him 200 gold pieces.* We go away to rest and Reynaldo swears he'll listen to city dwellers warning us about dragons and giants in the country from now on.
Three hours into hour rest period, a woman comes into our camp and tells us she has come to lead us against the tailed-people and their octopus gods. Her name is Anna and she claims that St. Margaret, amongst others, tell her important information. An an example, she says a creature will come to "test us" soon, and we must defeat it. Anyone in the party could have told her that. The best part, however, is when she heals all the females, but refuses to heal the men because we are "unclean."** We continue resting.

\*It may have actually been 200 platinum pieces, which is even worse.
\**Apparently, she doesn't know about how women are unclean for about a quarter of a month, every month.

Dragons!, part II
Tuesday, September 20, 987 AD

After morning rest, a gray dragon crashes into the midst of our camp. Thorvald picks up the hurt Edward and rushes him to safety. Reynaldo just rushes away. After twenty feet, they both turn. Thorvald places Edward behind Reynaldo and charges the dragon. Reynaldo grabs the Flail from Edward and tosses to it Anna, somewhat begrudgingly, then shoots a magic missile at the dragon. Thorvald goes down yet again after missing mightily, and the rest of the party destroys the dragon, the coup de grace given once again by Wong. The party rests some more.

End Chapter Five
Previous: Road to Kiev, Chapter Four
Next: Road to Kiev, Chapter Six