The party consisted of myself, Cassius, Hermy, Kal, and another paladin new to the city, a halfling whom I call Proudfoot. He is an interesting case. Devoted to the Church as I am not, but not fanatical. I told him that I don’t cleave to the Church as he does, but he told me the clergy of Agathalos seems to be understanding of our situations. He’s taken a vow of poverty as part of his service to Agathalos and the Light; the armor he wears is owned by the Church and only under his care. He recognizes the tounge of the Outer Planes, but doesn’t speak it himself and requested that I begin to teach him. I did so. We arrived at the commune, guided by Henri, before the sun had even set, and went immediately to the trail of the giant’s last attack. As we followed it, we were accosted by a swarm of odd creatures, bat-winged, with a long, sharp beak. Hermy called them “vampire birds,” and he was actually quite right. One attacked me, avoiding my swordstrokes, to latch itself onto my shield shoulder where I couldn’t reach it. It inserted its beak through a gap in my armor into my shoulder and began to suck my blood, the vile thing. I could not reach it with my dagger where it was. As it drank its fill, it began to fly off, but not before I caused it at least slight hurt. Cassius picked it from the sky on the point of his rapier, and I took my vengeance on it by crushing it under my boot. We continued along the trail, circling around what seemed to be a nest of more of the creatures, and went further into the forest. The giant’s trail ended up against a bush, from which the giant himself emerged, surprising us. It--he--was unusual in shape, it seemed, for a giant. Kal had told us, judging from his tracks, that he had a limp. I know little about giants of any type, truthfully. Daron had wondered if it had instead been an ogre or similar, but it seems that it wasn’t. I may have to find out more about them, in case I should have more dealings with them in the future.

Hermy picked at him with rocks. I had wisely been walking with sword and shield ready, prepared at any time to encounter him. Cassius had his spells and his rapier, and Kal was the only one of us who brought a bow. Proudfoot had his own sword and a dagger. The giant, for his part, used a treetrunk.

I was the first he struck with it, taking the blow on my shield and shield arm. He knocked me flying, shattering my shield, and severely breaking the arm it had been on. I ignored it; I couldn’t afford to worry about it at the time, though I admit it hurt like all hells. Kal, Hermy, and Cassius attacked him from afar with arrow, stone, and magic. Proudfoot clambered up his back to attack him. He strode right for Kal, striking him with the tree as well. He fetched up against a tree, unconscious. I rushed him again, ignoring my arm, and laid into his side--the first time my sword has bit in combat since the troglodyte, and bite it did, and deeply. Before he could turn his attention to me, I called the might of Agathalos into my blade and arm, wounding him even more deeply. Cassius loosed a close-range spell upon him, a sheet of flame, finally felling him. Thank Agathalos it worked. I would not have survived another blow from that tree, and I believe Cassius wouldn’t have survived the first. As he fell, he pitched Proudfoot off of himself, where he himself broke his own arm in the fall. I had healing to do. Both Proudfoot and Kal were still alive, thank Agathalos. Kal’s collarbone had been broken badly. I tended to Proudfoot, then saw to Kal, and was able to bring them back to awakeness. Cassius then doled out healing potions. Only then did I finally give attention to my own break--compound fracture. The bone was protruding from my arm. I set it myself, which made it feel all that much more worse, and immediately drank a potion. It seems to be fine now, except for a slight scar and a little stiffness, which should be gone shortly. I rue the demise of my shield, however. It served me well while I had it, but I’m glad I still have the stencil for the wolf. Perhaps I’ll buy one of steel to replace it.

We had defeated the giant. Searching the bush he lived in, we found much sign that he had been having a veritable feast of the cattle. His bag contained a tidy sum of money, as well as some light chain armor and a finely-crafted waraxe, the like of which Master Shantus wielded. We spoke for some time about dividing the loot, deciding that we should see how much Henri had lost in cattle and crops and make an attempt at reimbursing him. Kal struck off the giant’s head, for proof to show the regime and claim the larger reward. We hefted the bag and the head, making our way back to the commune. Henri and the others were ecstatic. He gave me an estimate of how much they’d lost. I spoke to him about keeping the reward the commune offered, along with part of the loot, but he refused at first. I talked him down a little, and he relented to brining the topic up with the commune’s council. So we ate instead. They had prepared a very pleasant feast for our enjoyment, and enjoy it we did. Hermy’s taste and appetite for pie are astounding. An elder of the council then spoke to us, offering a compromise: they would take the cost of a new bull from the sum they offered as reward, as I suggested to Henri: 15 gold pieces, leaving us with 35, plus what the giant had in his bag, as well as his other possessions. They said they would name the bull Daron. Hermy seemed to find this most amusing. At that point, I went to sleep, well-fed and content.

We left for the city fairly early the next morning, carrying the bag and the head. The walk back was uneventful. The group headed straight for the Guild to check in with Daron and inform him of our success. He wasn’t around, however. Hermy rushed to see to Wraithfire and Shadowkiller, confusing Volos with his banter about “Mr. Hilldeer being a bull now.” I resolved to deliver the head to the guard chapterhouse, which turned out to be something of a mistake. I left it with the clerk on duty, assuming that the guards would handle it and the reward would be delivered to the Guild. I returned to the Guild, stepped back out again, and was promptly run into by a page from the chapterhouse, delivering a message to the Guild, as it happened--for me. I read that the person currently in charge of the chapterhouse, one Lieutenant Hunter, was most irate. I realized my error, and went back there to apologize and take it off their hands. The clerk showed me into the Lieutenant’s office, where he seemed to be busy with guard matters. Stern-looking, but Master Shantus is much more stern, and I actually had to answer to him for my transgressions. Hunter was somewhat self-important, but understandably angered. He tried sarcasm, but I’ve learned that lesson long ago. When he finally exploded, as I knew he would eventually, he let slip the scope of problems he’s dealing with as a guard. I wonder now if he serves the lords or simply the city. If the former, he deserves little sympathy. Daron came to a realization about the lords, and is a better man for it. Hunter may be another story. I’ve received another reminder of the corruption in the city, and must continue to think of ways to fix it.

But I digress.

After putting up with Hunter, and offering him my good wishes (replied to with an “Out!”), I apologized to the clerk for the trouble, took the head off his hands, and carried it to the palace.

That was a place I was somewhat hesitant to go. I’ve already attracted attention recently, which is something I’ve been trying to avoid since Arnor’s “death.” But what else was there to do with the head? Besides, the Guild could find the reward useful. The clerk was surprised to see that it was indeed the head of a giant, saying that “they had thought it was only an ogre.” He brought out a bag of money, requiring me to sign forms to accept it. He also told me that there was a ten percent “reward tax” on the sum, so there would be ninety gold pieces instead of the supposed one hundred. I had no desire to make a great issue of it; the day had already been trying. I signed where required and left the office with the reward tucked into my pack, which I was still carrying around. Walking back to the Guild would tire me out even more, so I came back to the inn. I may take the gold there later tonight, once I get some rest.