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Topic: Pukkin the Bardic Giant (Read 31 times) |
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grupetto
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The following story is taken from an in-game session on the persistent world, Star Sentinels' Vilhon Reach & The Sea of Fallen Stars
Standing atop a flattened boulder on a snow-covered mountain-side, Qilhe looked up into the comically eager face of the mountain giant looming over her. The drow looked very small but the defiant tilt of her head and blazing silver eyes spoke more of anger than fear. She winced a bit as she heard the soft snickers and scuffing feet of her companions behind her. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes she thought back to what brought her here, this certainly wasn’t what she’d had in mind when they had set out from Gildenglade a couple days prior.
Qilhe set out with her half-elven Gradlin a ranger of some skill and her first friend in the Realms Above. Also accompanying them were silent hin Elmer who was more suited to an tavern stool than the wild mountains and the roguish Nix Havarian who had many business interests throughout the Sea of Fallen Stars. They traveled mostly during the day, which was not to Qilhe’s liking as her eyes were still dazzled by the sunlight and the reflections off stone and water. She pulled her hood low and kept her eyes down trusting, as was her custom, that Grad would be watching for the two of them.
As they began their climb into the pass near Mount Kolimnis little Elmer, hearing some noises near the path above, suddenly stopped and gestured up the slope. When Gradlin asked what it was he heard the hin merely shook his head.
“I will go ahead” Qilhe said as she pulled her cloak closer around her. She could see that Gradlin wasn’t happy about this but she merely smiled at him before singing the short bardic chant that rendered her invisible.
She moved silently, following the source of the brisk breeze drifting down towards her, the drow had guessed that the sound had been carried by the wind. As she neared a rough path that branched off the main trail through the pass she could hear what sounded like rough, boisterous singing. This path looked more like it had been pressed into the earth than made by the hooves of mules and the wheels of small carts.
The singing grew louder and it was obvious that whatever was singing was very large indeed. Finally she was able to see the source, it was a huge mountain giant. The beast’s back was turned to her and behind him was several rows of skulls all facing the gruesome scene. The giant was singing and playing with three human corpses. He almost seemed as if he was using the poor souls as dolls, reenacting a play for the sightless skulls. She looked back and saw the others not far down the slope. Dispelling her invisibility, Qilhe motioned for them to join her. Silently they all watched the scene for several moments, unable to believe the strange sight before them. The giant still had not seen them involved as he was in his macabre play.
Nix motioned to stay put, drew his sword and crept up behind the giant. He rapped his the flat of his blade hard against the huge beast’s hamstring. “Do not move if you wish to live.”
Immediately dropping his playthings the giant raised his hands to his ears and wailed “Youz not hert Pukkin!”
Nix stepped back a stride and sighted down his blade towards Pukkin’s head “Then do as we say, giant, and we may let you live.”
The giant turned around, distress written across his face as he saw he was severely outnumbered. “You go way, Leave Pukkin be, him no hert nobody.”
“Then what happened to them” Gradlin said as he motioned towards the dead humans.
A look of pain was in Pukkin’s eyes as he wailed “Marmog kill em!”
Shoulders slumping and in a low, sad voice poor Pukkin told the tale of how these humans were traveling minstrels who had been caught by Pukkin’s clan. The minstrels had bargained for their lives by convincing the giant chief to let them perform for him. Entranced by the songs and plays Pukkin went to the minstrels often, he had found his calling. While the other giants thought of killing and their violent games, Pukkin wanted only to sing and perform for others. It was doomed from the beginning however since Marmog soon tired of his minstrels and killed them. In the grief of having his dream torn from him Pukkin had brought the corpses lower down the slopes from his clan and spent the last couple days reenacting the plays he had seen. Rehearsing them in the hopes that one day, he might yet perform for an audience.
They all stood considering this odd tale for several moments. Qilhe couldn’t believe the stupidity of this giant and just wished to continue on to Torl but Nix had other ideas. “I know where you could perform” he said.
Lifting his head in surprise the giant listened eagerly.
“I know of many inns that would enjoy your unique talents, I could certainly arrange something if…” Nix paused and waited.
Hope lit Pukkin’s eyes “if whut?” he asked.
“Well, if you lead us to your chief, I will make sure that you get your chance to sing in a great hall,” Nix said smoothly.
Pukkin’s look of hope turned to distress. “But Pukkin need ta lern ta sing! Him no good yet!”
Gradlin stepped forward and gestured to the dark elf maid standing beside him “Qilhe here is a bard, she will teach you after you have helped us” he said swiftly.
“What!?” Qilhe exclaimed. What was that damned ranger doing? He had to know that she wouldn’t like this one bit. “I’ll not teach this stupid beast!”
Softly Gradlin pleaded. “His clan is dangerous to travelers, we must remove the threat.”
Furrowing her brow Qilhe glared angrily at the half-elf. Gradlin quickly turned away so she couldn’t see his amused grin forming.
Through gritted teeth she responded “fine then Pukkin, I’ll teach you” but her eyes never left the back of Gradlin’s head.
This seemed to please Pukkin and he began humming merrily. Elmer continued to watch the giant curiously while Nix and Gradlin planned out the ambush. Gazing across the mountain landscape Qilhe was only vaguely listening. She was furious with this turn of events and wanted nothing more than to be done with it as quickly as possible. Torl was not a town she was fond of but the small tavern there was becoming more and more appealing by the minute.
Getting the giant’s attention Nix asked him to lead them to his clan. When they got near the mountain giant lair they stopped. “You go ahead Pukkin, tell your chief that you caught some adventurers and you want to show them to him. Bring him down here to us.”
Still humming happily the giant merely nodded and headed off up the trail.
“Ok…everyone lay down and act dead.” Grad said. “We want them to get close enough that we don’t have to contend with those accursed rocks they like to throw.”
Qilhe sighed. The snow was very bright in the sunlight, it hurt her eyes even when they were closed. Hoping the wait wouldn’t be too long she covered her face in her cloak and listened carefully so that when Nix and Grad decided to attack, she’d hear them and be able to rise quickly.
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grupetto
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After several long minutes Qilhe could hear a single giant approaching. It walked just past where she lay towards where she knew Nix was. Taking a risk, the drow peeked out from under her cloak to see the giant picking up the rogue. Slinging Nix over his shoulder the giant walked over to a group of boulders and set him down. Turning away he lifted a very large rock and turned back to the prone man. He raised the rock above his head ready to crush Nix under it, presumably to tenderize his coming meal.
Nix leapt to his feet and dodged just under the rock, bringing his sword to bear on the exposed belly of the beast. The others rose as well just as another handful of mountain giants rounded the path. Spell, arrow, sword and rock filled the air as a short, furious combat ensued but the adventurers had succeeded with their surprise and soon every giant lay dead or dying in the snow.
Just then Pukkin arrived back. “Wut youz do? You no say nutin bout killinz!” he bellowed. The normally gentle giant’s face hardened and he seemed to grow in size.
“But Pukkin, now you can sing whenever you like and no one will bother you!” exclaimed Gradlin.
His face softening again the giant considered this before smiling again. He looked at Qilhe. “Pukkin wantz his lessun now” he said.
She saw the growing smiles on the others and felt the anger rise again. Grad turned to the drow. “Raven, you did promise.”
“Fine then” Qilhe said coldly, “let’s get on with this.” She dreaded this much more than the fight and had hoped that the dim giant would have forgotten.
Standing on a nearby boulder she unslung her harp while the giant watched attentively. She ventured one last look back at the others and saw Nix trying very unsuccessfully to hide his immense amusement. This further served to blacken her mood, the young drow did not take kindly to being made a fool of.
“Pukkin, I’m going to play the harp and you try to make the same sound with your voice the harp makes,” Qilhe stated without enthusiasm. She slowly went through the scales and Pukkin bellowed awfully. He sounded like a gutted rothe to her sensitive ears. The giant did not lack for enthusiasm however and followed as best he could as she repeated the scales again faster.
“Whin we sing song?” he finally asked.
“Fine” she said, “I’ll teach you a song and then you practice it for a while.”
Nodding eagerly the giant leaned forward and waited for her to begin.
“I learned this song when I was a child, follow along.” She took a deep breath wanting nothing better than to leave this place. Choosing a rather short and simple song she began.
“The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out,
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.”
Singing heartily and very badly Pukkin swung his arms in wide gestures, reenacting the simple story told by the song. At one point Qilhe had to jump back quickly to avoid being swept off her perch by an over-exuberant sweep of his huge arms. He finished with a flourish and an ecstatic grin.
“Youz come bak fer nother lesson” he said, waggling his finger at the drow maid.
Qilhe nodded, “we’ll be back in a tenday.” It was a promise she had absolutely no intention of keeping. Her elvish ears and pride just couldn’t put up with another session of tutoring the dim, untalented giant.
She stepped off her perch ant headed back down the trail As she passed the others she saw them regarding her with very amused looks. She neared Nix, “you do that to me again I’ll have you gutted, stuffed and hung as a trophy” she snarled.
“The lessons weren’t my idea, they were Grad’s” the rogue protested.
She smiled coldly, “Oh, he knows he’ll pay.”
As they rejoined the main trail towards Torl, Qilhe swore she could still hear the giant practicing his song. She smiled an amused, private grin and muttered, “we may have made the pass more safe for travelers, but we’ve surely condemned their ears.”
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