Session A19 — Giant Assault

Summary

Returning from the Neverwinter Wood with Gundren Rockseeker rescued, the party arrives home to find Phandalin on fire. Two frost giants block the road in; a third is inside the village attacking the Stonehill Inn, and a fourth — a female frost giant — is assaulting the Tresendar Manor renovation site. The party fights through two waves of giant combat in the space of a single session and ends the night standing on the manor grounds, staring down a third adversary who demands the return of "the artifact."

This session also marks a significant revelation: Drizzle, Kavu's squire, has become a Paladin of the Oath of the Divine Flame under Kossuth — quietly completing his vows during his time left in Saltmarsh.

Key Events

Recap — Cragmaw Castle (A19)

The party's account of the previous session, given at the table:

• They planned a stealth entry into Cragmaw Castle using Silence. The plan immediately deviated when Kavu and Haldak "decided to start blasting." One goblin escaped the silenced room and alerted the full garrison.
• The party fought through the castle. Othorion flanked while the main group cleared the interior.
• They found Gundren Rockseeker held in a guarded chamber with a bugbear and dire wolf. They negotiated with the bugbear, who agreed to surrender the drow prisoner in exchange for being allowed to leave.
• The drow escaped. Within thirty seconds of the bugbear leaving, the drow axe-murdered him in the wilderness.
• Haldak nearly died to a "jellyfish brain" — a mind flayer or similar aberration in the castle's depths.
• The party looted the remainder of the castle and freed Gundren. He is now with them.
• Afterward: a walking montage to Thundertree, reporting the castle's clearance to Venomfang. The dragon smelled each party member to record their scents. "That is how I interpreted that, and that is 100% true," noted the recapper.
• Six to seven days' travel back to Phandalin.

The Road Bottleneck — Two Giants

Coming down the Triboar Trail, the party crested toward Phandalin and found the road blocked at a rocky bottleneck. Two frost giants stood at the pass — bored, speaking Giant to each other, not yet alert to the approaching party.

Beyond them, visible over the hill, the sky was alight. Fire and smoke. The sounds of chaos from the direction of the village. Phandalin was under attack.

The party left the wagon with the oxen. Benji, the steer, read the situation and began slowly reversing the cart. Bella followed. Kelvin confirmed he had not actually spoken to them in this moment — they just made the right call on their own.

Kavu's opening strike: Kavu leapt from the 30-foot ledge with a vial of oil pressed against his chain whip. He smashed the vial, set the chain aflame in midair, and as he landed, cracked it across the giant's face — wrapping the burning chain around its head and ripping it free.

"The aqueous humor and bits of eyeball just flinging off into the distance as he is blinded."

Kavu took five points of bludgeoning damage on landing. The giant was blinded. Initiative began.

Kelvin's distraction: Kelvin had moved into the woods to draw one giant away. He snapped a twig. The giant swung at chest level — taking an entire tree off at the head — and debris showered down on Kelvin. He took 8 damage but avoided the actual swing. The distraction had worked; the other giant's back was turned while the party moved up.

Spike Growth: Kelvin cast Spike Growth in a large area around one giant's position — four feet of movement cost per one foot traveled. Combined with Haldak's Temporal Haste effect halving the affected giant's speed, the creature moved 5 feet on its turn. It was, in the DM's description, "like an angina caught in a vine trap."

First giant killed — Roland: Roland fought the blinded giant at close range, taking a 26-damage great club blow to the stomach while prone. He fought back and found the femoral artery with a Mighty Deed strike — severing it completely. The DM:

"Roland, crouched on the ground with his sword behind him as a blood spray just goes THWACK against Thorian, Drizzle, and Gundren... like when kids fuck up a fire hydrant on a hot summer day. That, except blood."

The giant dropped to its knees and fell.

Drizzle — Paladin of Kossuth, revealed: Drizzle leapt from the ledge attempting to land on the giant like Kavu had done. He failed the DC 20 Athletics check, began falling, and cast Sacred Flame on the way down. He landed on the ground calling out "I'm coming, master!" His class had advanced:

"He is now a Paladin of the Oath of the Divine Flame, following Kossuth on the road and beforehand for some time. You left him in Saltmarsh with the holy book, and he was dealing with the fire of the crotch for many, many days."

Drizzle spent his time in Saltmarsh quietly reading, completing his vows in solitude. He arrived to this combat as a full paladin.

Second giant killed: The remaining giant, caught in Spike Growth and struck repeatedly by moonbeam, was taken down through sustained damage. Gundren Rockseeker attempted to help but spent most of the fight lost in the thick vegetation Kelvin had summoned.

Entering Phandalin — The Stonehill Inn

The party drove toward the village through a town in chaos:

"The tranquil village they had left only weeks ago is now a battleground, with buildings burning and debris scattered across the streets. Panicked villagers running for cover and their cries for help blending with the roars of giants and the clash of weapons. The air thick with smoke, limiting visibility, and the acrid smell of burning wood stinging your nostrils."

A lesser frost giant loomed over the Stonehill Inn — the party's home base for the whole arc.

Pip Stonehill: The innkeeper's ten-year-old daughter walked out of the inn alone, clutching a crooked stick.

"Get away from my home!"

She stood in front of the giant. The giant raised its foot to crush her. Pip dove at the last possible moment — the foot slammed into the ground where she had been, leaving a crater. She scrambled up, tears on her face, and turned to look up the road at the party, "silently pleading for help."

The town fights back: Several NPCs had not evacuated.

• Toblin Stonehill emerged from the far side of the inn and ran into the open, screaming "Here! Here! Look at me! Here!" — attempting to draw the giant's attention in the style of Ian Malcolm at the T-Rex paddock.
• Alger Frakk, the smith, burst from his smithy: "Give me the child!" He ran for Pip, grabbed her, and was hit with an opportunity attack as he retreated — his arm broken, Pip injured. He kept running.
• Halia Thornton grappled Pip.
• Mayza, a veteran NPC, hit the giant with her warhammer for 11 damage.
• Linene Graywind fired a nat-20 longbow shot for 14 damage: "I've crapped out bigger things than you!" — and then, on the giant's confusion-cleared turn, was cleaved across the body. The axe split her.
• Boulders for Muscles cast Vicious Mockery on the giant and took a massive wound in return — "a huge chunk out of his side." He is staying with Linene.
• Sister Garaele cast Confusion on the giant, then Mass Cure Wounds to stabilize the fallen. Linene Graywind was partly healed — enough that she stopped dying — but the wound itself was not reversed. She needs Regenerate to be fully restored.

Killing the Stonehill Inn giant: Boulders for Muscles delivered the Vicious Mockery kill:

"Listen to me, you giant piece of shit. Who has the last laugh now?"

The giant failed its save and fell.

The second in-town giant proved tougher. Drizzle, in his paladin's first serious use of Divine Smite, struck it twice:

"Let the flames of Kossuth run through you!" — 19 damage on the smite.

He left two hit points. Othorion took the kill with Silent Weaver and a sneak attack through the spleen.

"Everything's full of blood, it's a body!"

Tresendar Manor — The Third Giant

Kelvin parted the fire on the road to the manor by extinguishing it one 5-foot cube at a time with Control Flame, opening a path.

As the party approached Tresendar Manor, a female frost giant was advancing on the renovation site. Construction workers had scattered. Among those sheltering were Qelline Alderleaf and her son Karp. Holding the line were Sildar Hallwinter and Daran Edermath — Sildar directing civilians, Daran fighting with the economical ease of a retired adventurer.

Their faces showed relief when they saw the party approaching.

Daran, voice carrying: "Sildar, protect the workers. We will handle the giant."

The female giant stopped as the party came into view. The ground trembled under her feet. She spoke:

"Where is the artifact? It belongs to my people, and we will have it back."

The session ended on this moment. The party had not yet engaged her.

NPCs Encountered

Loot / Discoveries

Threads Opened / Advanced

• Tresendar Manor — Siege: Female frost giant demanding "the artifact." Combat begins next session. Sildar and Daran holding but need support.
• Linene Graywind: Critically wounded — cleaved in half and stabilized but not restored. Requires Regenerate. Boulders for Muscles is staying with her.
• "The Artifact": The female giant's demand identifies a specific item belonging to her people as the motive behind the giant assault. The party does not currently know what this is or who holds it.
• Gundren Rockseeker: Freed from Cragmaw, now traveling with the party. Still has knowledge of Wave Echo Cave's location.
• Drizzle's Arc: He is now a full Paladin of Kossuth. His development happened quietly and off-screen — this is the first time the party has seen it expressed in combat.
• Phandalin Damage: Multiple buildings burning; civilian casualties unknown; several NPCs wounded. The scope of the damage will be reckoned after the giants are dealt with.