{"id":177,"date":"2019-05-16T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T11:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/141.148.246.190\/index.php\/single-post\/the-giants-gamble-pt-15\/"},"modified":"2022-04-26T09:24:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T09:24:54","slug":"the-giants-gamble-pt-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/16\/the-giants-gamble-pt-15\/","title":{"rendered":"The Giant’s Gamble Pt. 15"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Chapter 15: Harshnag<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n

The staff took them Northeast to a cave not far from where Bran, and the white dragon, had fallen. The entrance to the cave had thick, jagged claw marks where it had been torn forcefully from the rock. \u201cPerhaps you should go in first,\u201d Kilian suggested to Roon in a soft, worried voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMe?\u201d Roon asked in surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re tiny, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon gave him a reproachful look, then muttered \u201cfine,\u201d and snuck into the entrance, pressing against the wall and trying to keep as quiet as possible. Inside, a smaller funnel entrance brought him into a wide cavern, in the centre of which sat a modest pile of gold. It looked to be a new burrow for the dragon they\u2019d just slain. He strained his eyes in the dim light and saw against the opposite wall was a pedestal of stone, atop which sat a white skull that looked to be dwarvish in size and sitting at its base peering up at it was an infant white dragon. The creature was still the size of any full-grown human man, but it was curled innocently, its horned head tilted and staring at the skull. Curiously, Roon crept back through the entrance and found his friends waiting, relaying what he saw.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cA baby dragon!\u201d Opal said excitedly. \u201cWe could raise it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cUh, I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s a good idea\u2026\u201d Kilian said uncomfortably.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI could kill it,\u201d Evelyn volunteered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI could temporarily blind it with a spell,\u201d Roon said. \u201cThat would give us time to search the cavern thoroughly for adamantium, and then we wouldn\u2019t have to feel guilty about killing a baby.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cA baby dragon,\u201d Kilian reminded him. \u201cAnd we don\u2019t know if it has another parent out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try and talk to it,\u201d Thia offered, pushing past them and entering the cavern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon scrambled after her. The elf crouched low as she entered the cavern and said in a soft voice, \u201chello, little dragon. We\u2019re not here to hurt you. We\u2019re just looking for something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The dragon continued to stare at the skull, completely ignoring her, its back to the entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHello?\u201d Thia said again, a little louder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe skull\u2019s doing something to it,\u201d Roon muttered. He picked up a fist-sized stone and chucked it at the skull. His aim was true, and the rock knocked the skull of its pedestal and both when clattering to the stone floor. The white dragon spun and hissed at them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSleep,\u201d Thia said quickly, raising her hands and sending the spell shimmering across the ground to crawl up the dragon\u2019s legs. It yawned and collapsed, instantly asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Thia stood. \u201cThis will only last for a minute or so. Let\u2019s search the cavern and get out of here before then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They quickly went searching about the cavern. Roon began shovelling gold into their bag of holding while Thia used her adamantium staff to direct her. Evelyn walked to the dwarf skull and took it quietly while Kilian checked the pedestal for magical qualities. \u201cCan I see that skull?\u201d He asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Evelyn stared off distantly and shook her head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHere,\u201d Thia said, pulling up two staves. One was the same adamantium staff, and the other was wooden and carved with tiny totem figures along its entire surface. Roon held open the bag and she placed them both inside, both shrinking and vanishing. \u201cThat was it,\u201d she said in disappointment. \u201cNo more parts to a weapon. Just another staff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get out of here,\u201d Opal said. She was watching the baby dragon carefully, and it was stirring.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They left the cavern without any more prompting. \u201cThat dragon is going to grow up bad,\u201d Roon told them. \u201cWe killed its mother, and now it knows our faces. This won\u2019t go well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhite dragons are really dumb,\u201d Evelyn offered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat if it can\u2019t survive the winter?\u201d Opal whined. \u201cIt\u2019s all alone!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe have bigger problems,\u201d Kilian said seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

As they headed back to the road, they passed the slain dragon, from which they\u2019d harvested various scales, teeth and claws, then passed Bran\u2019s marked grave not far off. As they did so, Evelyn paused, reached into her bag, and placed a lump of coal on the top of the freshly dug earth. They\u2019d used magical means to pull up the frozen layer of dirt and rested his body inside. Roon swallowed the lump in his throat as they continued through the snow, Evelyn\u2019s horse trudging behind with bags strapped to its back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They made camp half a mile before they reconnected with the path, and Thia asked to see the totem staff from Roon\u2019s bag. He pulled it out and handed it to her. She lay it across her knees and began muttering, one hand glowing slightly purple as it moved across the wood. While she worked, Kilian built a fire and Roon, Evelyn and Opal set up their tent. By the time they were all seated again around a crackling fire, Thia handed the staff to Roon, if somewhat begrudgingly. \u201cThis is a staff of healing. I think you should have it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHow does it work?\u201d Roon asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, exactly,\u201d she shrugged. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to attune to it. Hold it in your mind until you form a connection with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon nodded and held the staff to his temple. Then, he licked it. Beatrice the Tressym meowed and began licking the bottom of the staff. \u201cYep,\u201d Roon said happily, \u201cthis will do nicely.\u201d He wondered if the staff could have saved Bran\u2019s life if only they’d found it first.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

The following day brought them back to the river, which they followed until late afternoon. The river forked, leaving them with another decision to make. Thia sent her owl into the sky and looked through its eyes. The tiny gray-feathered thing soared up, following the river. While the elf was distracted, Roon bent and tied the laces of her boots together. The weight of Bran\u2019s death had left them all heavy-hearted, despite Roon\u2019s desperate attempts at making the others smile. It wouldn\u2019t do well to go into a world-ending fight while down-spirited.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The owl returned and took the righthand fork, and Thia blinked out of its eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say, either way,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just have to pick a direction.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The elf moved to take a step, and stumbled over her feet, landing in a pile of snow. Spluttering, she rolled over, shaking snow from her dark hair and glaring at Roon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI have an idea!\u201d The gnome said placatingly before she could launch herself at him. \u201cThere\u2019s a spell I learned a long time ago. It\u2019ll take some time, but as of yesterday, we have the right ingredients. It should give us an idea of what will happen when we choose a path.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

He reached into the bag of holding and took out the white dragon\u2019s tooth. With a small dagger, he carved the symbol of Baravar Cloakshadow into the bone. He took out a handful of dice, careful not to use the weighted ones, and scraped off a bare patch of earth. He held the contents tightly in his hands and whispered the augury spell. The contents hummed as the magic set in. After a few minutes, Roon whispered, \u201cwe\u2019re going left.\u201d He rolled and dropped the tooth and dice onto the frozen earth. He looked down and read the dice, seeing a light beyond their plane that showed him more than etched pieces on tiny cubes. \u201cIf we go left, we will meet both good and bad results.\u201d He sighed, unhappy with the result.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not very helpful,\u201d Kilian frowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt could be,\u201d Opal said brightly. \u201cIt means that we\u2019ll find something, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOpal\u2019s right,\u201d Thia relented, her bootlaces back in their original state. \u201cIt\u2019s all we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon took back the tooth and dice and dumped them into his bag, then stood. They forged a path left, following the river uphill. The river narrowed as they ascended, and still they saw nothing for hours. The snow became so deep that even Thia, the tallest of them, was having difficulties pushing through. Eventually, they saw a herd of mountain goats standing about some boulders and Opal had a go at speaking to them. One of the goats perked up and trotted closer, and the two spoke in\u2014was it\u2014goat language? \u201cThey\u2019ve seen giants,\u201d Opal relayed as the goat returned to its comrades. \u201cThere were some that went North only yesterday. He asked for some food, but I didn\u2019t have anything a goat would like,\u201d she added sadly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They travelled for another quarter of an hour, the sun dropping behind the mountain peaks and making the air chillier as they walked. Opal gasped and ran ahead of them. \u201cTracks!\u201d she declared, pointing at giant footprints headed down the slope, northeastwards. \u201cIt looks like there\u2019s four of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cFour giants. That isn\u2019t so bad,\u201d Evelyn said dismissively.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

So, they took the trail of the giants, fording across the narrowest part of the river and following the mountain range until nightfall. Thia sent her owl again to the skies and told them, \u201cthere\u2019s a big fire in the distance. I can see two giants sitting by it. They look to be fire giants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d Roon shook his head. \u201cWhy would giants be up here, in the snowy mountains?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Just then, they heard a thump and everyone ducked behind the trees. Beatrice flew up and landed on a branch, and Evelyn just barely managed to shove her horse back out of the way as a fire giant walked past. It bent, picked up a log, and added it to the large pile already accumulated in its arms up to its eyes. Then it turned and tromped back. They all sighed in relief. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky its hands were full.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Evelyn shifted and seemed distracted. The girl opened her bag and glanced down at the dwarf\u2019s skull, then closed it again swiftly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cEvelyn,\u201d Thia said in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, \u201ccan I see that skull you found?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Evelyn stared at her, seeming to have an internal struggle. \u201cUh, you don\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI just want to look at it,\u201d the elf said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got brain bits on it,\u201d Evelyn said quickly. \u201cUh, besides, it\u2019s dwarven. You wouldn\u2019t want to touch it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Thia appraised her for a moment. \u201cJust because I\u2019m better than someone doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t investigate their body parts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon snorted derisively. \u201cElves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t think you should touch it,\u201d Evelyn said with finality, and the conversation stopped there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAlright, let\u2019s focus,\u201d Kilian said. \u201cWhat do we want to do with these giants?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cKill them?\u201d Evelyn asked uncertainly. She still seemed confused by something.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI have my giantslayer sword,\u201d Thia said. \u201cI say we run in and\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cShe has a sword? Hmm.\u201d A low, deep voice said behind them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They all spun, and saw, standing well over them in height, a bluish white frost giant with a large axe gripped in one hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI had a human slaying sword,\u201d he said, tilting his head curiously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cUh\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYou want to kill the fire giants, no?\u201d The frost giant asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cW-well,\u201d Kilian stuttered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat\u2019s alright,\u201d the giant waved a hand as if it were no concern, \u201cthat\u2019s why I\u2019m here, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe actually came to find you, I think,\u201d Roon said, noticing the giant wore a white dragon\u2019s skull as a helmet. \u201cGnawbone sent us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPshaw, Gnawbone. That one\u2019s an idiot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to ask you about an oracle\u2026?\u201d Roon added questioningly. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to save the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat\u2019s nice,\u201d the frost giant seemed distracted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d Opal asked conversationally as the rest of them took a few more steps back as subtly as they could.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHarshnag. But, listen, let\u2019s get to the killing, alright? Ready? Yes?\u201d He was practically bouncing on his toes in anticipation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWait!\u201d Opal said, but the frost giant ran past her wielding his axe and screaming a battle cry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They all looked at each other, then ran into the fight. Roon paused at a tree, looking up at Beatrice, who meowed down. \u201cStay here,\u201d he said loudly, then took a quick piss. \u201cHate it when I have to pee during a fight,\u201d he said as he jogged through the trees after his companions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

The fight against three fire giants, caught unawares as they were, and with a frost giant on their side, was swift and effective. Evelyn dealt the killing blow on one, Kilian finished off the second, and Harshnag cleaved the head off the third with his axe. His axe, curiously enough, glowed blue when it hit, and sparks of frost shot from it. With the fight done and the bodies searched, Roon went to warm his hands by the roaring fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNow, that was fun,\u201d said Harshnag joyously, wiping blood from his face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWill you tell us where we can find the oracle?\u201d Opal asked hopefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHm, I can do you one better,\u201d he grinned, \u201cI can take you to it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhy are you out here? Better yet,\u201d Roon said, \u201cwhy are fire giants so far north?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been chasing after them, killing them where I could,\u201d Harshnag told them, adding a few tree trunks to the fire and taking a seat. \u201cNot sure why they\u2019re in the mountains. Fire giants aren\u2019t very smart, see. They think that what\u2019s happening with the ordening is an excuse to kill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd what do you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The frost giant sighed. \u201cI want to see the giants united.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDo you know why they need the adamantium pieces?\u201d Thia asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTo rebuild the vonindod, of course,\u201d he said simply.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe vonindod. It was an old weapon used to kill dragons,\u201d he clarified. \u201cOf course, it could be used for killing just about anything. Dragons are just what it\u2019d been used for. Dragons and giants aren\u2019t exactly\u2014friendly with one another.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd how do you destroy it?\u201d Kilian asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Harshnag shrugged. \u201cYou disassemble it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd leave its parts buried and scattered across the land to make it more difficult to repair,\u201d Roon realized.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Harshnag nodded. \u201cGet some rest, giantslayers! Har,\u201d he chuckled and pulled a massive, ratty blanket from his pack and draped it over his legs, leaning back. \u201cTomorrow, we go to find the oracle!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

They travelled for nearly a tenday northeast, Harshnag leading the way. They had to take breaks often, so strenuous was it to keep up with a long-legged giant while trudging through feet of snow. Eventually, they were so high into the mountains, that Roon thought the air felt more difficult to breathe. On one evening as they sat around the campfire, Roon took out the heavy burlap sack filled with powder, which he\u2019d purchased from the shady dealer in Yartar, and set it on his lap. \u201cI\u2019m going to try this,\u201d he declared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a good idea,\u201d Kilian said wisely.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThia?\u201d Roon offered it to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYeah, alright,\u201d the elf said, licking her finger and dipping it into the powder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Evelyn again seemed to be having a conversation in her head, so odd were her expressions. Then, she said, \u201cI\u2019ll try it, if that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon offered it to her next, then took some himself when Opal shook her head. Harshnag seemed mildly impressed but refused to try any himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur once the sensation of weightlessness set in. Every moment seemed to last an hour, and scenes shifted about in Roon\u2019s vision as though awkwardly staged. When he tried to speak, only nonsensical babble came out. He stared at Thia, and she was staring wide eyed at Harshnag, as if seeing him for the first time. Evelyn bravely started poking Harshnag with a stick. Grumpily, the frost giant ripped the stick from her grasp and threw it over the treetops, where it crashed into some far-off trees. Roon used his illusion spell to make himself look like a gnomish-sized Thia, then snorted with laughter. Evelyn was pointing at him urgently, then back to Thia, thoroughly confused. Finally, tired and too dizzy to do much about it, Roon stumbled a few feet into the trees and lay back, staring up at the stars. He heard Thia lie on her back next to him, staring at the sky with an expression like it was about to come raining down on them. The rest of the night was a blur, but Roon woke up in the morning feeling as though he\u2019d swallowed a shirt, and vaguely remembering taking watch with Evelyn, and convincing her to jump up and down in circles shouting \u201cpoppycock!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

For the rest of their journey, they were able to find out a lot about Harshnag\u2019s past. Kilian was suspicious of the giant and asked him many questions. Years ago, he\u2019d been in a group known at the Grayforce. The group was made up of mostly humans, and they\u2019d saved Waterdeep. It had been a hundred years since then. He proudly showed them his axe, the one Roon recognized as magical, and told them it\u2019d been a gift from the nobles of Waterdeep. Sadly, his human companions had died of old age, and the Grayforce ended in the times of peace afterward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They asked him about King Hecaton, and he admitted he knew very little about the sovereign. The king disappeared after the mysterious death of his wife, Queen Neri, who was supposedly killed by \u2018little people\u2019. From what Harshnag could tell them, \u2018little people\u2019 could mean humans, elves, gnomes, or whoever else was smaller than a giant. He didn\u2019t seem to think there was much difference, much to the indignation of Thia. The murder of Queen Neri had come as a surprise. She\u2019d been seen as a kind and beloved ruler.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Finally, they reached steps carved into the mountain. They were clearly made for giants, and it was an arduous trek, especially while trying to coax Evelyn\u2019s horse forward. Eventually, though, they reached the top of the steps to overlook a wide, deep chasm, with a stone bridge laid across it. It was too foggy to see the other side. The bridge was wide for any human or gnome but looked rather narrow for a giant to cross. As Roon suspected, when Harshnag walked over the bridge, he did so hesitantly with his arms out to steady himself as wind rushed up through the chasm. He glanced over to Kilian and saw the man staring out at the abyss nervously. Roon, however, was nervous for another reason. Something in his gut told him they were stepping into a dark place filled with unfamiliar magic. He whispered a quick, desperate prayer to Baravar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They all crossed, Roon steeling himself and going last after Evelyn and her horse. The fog cleared near the end and before them stood a tall, imposing dark stone structure with pillars holding up the large, rectangular doorway. Each pillar depicted a different kind of giant. Roon saw some he recognized: a hill giant carrying a rock, a frost giant cutting a tree, a fire giant with human prisoners chained to it, a cloud giant floating next to a flock of birds; then, there were others he didn\u2019t recognize: a giant hurling a bolt of lightning and another climbing a mountain. Opal pointed to them and asked Harshnag what they were as they stepped over the chasm and onto solid ground. \u201cStorm and stone giants,\u201d he told them. \u201cKing Hecaton is a storm giant.\u201d Roon also noticed that the doorway, while currently open, was made to slide down on stone slits to block the entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Nervously, he stepped into the landing last. \u201cWhat is this place?\u201d he asked in a hushed voice, though it echoed against the stone walls.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis is the Eye of the All-Father,\u201d Harshnag grumbled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The place was dark. Kilian shot dancing lights over their heads, which bobbed there, too joyous for the somber setting. Evelyn unsheathed her sunblade and it glowed faintly, casting her face in an eerie, orange-ish glow. They were barely three steps in when they saw flickering torchlight moving on the distant walls and heard a commotion. Roon readied a spell in his hands as a group of humans led by a small, white dragon, jogged around the corner and stopped to stare at them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 15 of the adventures of a strange party of people as their journey takes them across Faerun, following the story from Dungeons & Dragons, the Storm King’s Thunder. After losing one of their companions, they must continue their journey to save the giant’s ordening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[18,19,17,14,15,16,23,20],"series":[],"class_list":["post-177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-giants-gamble-dungeons-and-dragons-series","tag-campaign","tag-cult-of-the-dragon","tag-dnd","tag-dungeons-and-dragons","tag-fantasy","tag-series","tag-the-giants-gamble","tag-wizards-of-the-coast"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Giants-Gamble-Blog-Photos10-copy-6.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"

The Giant’s Gamble Pt. 15<\/a><\/blockquote>