The Wedding of the Giantess Morwenna Session Ten

Four of the victorious Lute Bastards attended the Wedding of the Giantess Morwenna.

• Aldrich Brisbane the Groom
• Laguna Tempest the Mage
• Zigar Kneecapper the Thug
• Grimm Dundragon the Ranger

The wedding was on the lakeshore, where slaves had set up tents with food and an open bar. Grimm was already drunk, courtesy of the Red Ball mages who insisted he get wasted. Laguna tried to convince the student wizards to cast a protection spell on him, but they were no longer in his employ and wouldn't go for it. Zigar talked with the numerous soldiers running security for the event. They explained that they had a combat scribe with a scroll of ESP to judge the intent of the guests and prevent any assassination plots. The mage read the scroll but the alcohol coursing through Grimm's brains protected his thoughts. 

 

Houdini came over to remonstrate with Aldrich. Morwenna had picked out her sister Dora to witness the consummation of the marriage, and the Mummy needed to know who Aldrich would bring. He chose Datura, because she was a notary or because he thought it would be funny. He'd actually met Dora previously, even helped her escape the Manor of the Giant Arminius alongside her real father Pendergast the Wizard. Technically she was only Morwenna's half-sister, though that wasn't public knowledge. Aldrich looked over at Dora and Pendergast, who were giving Morwenna an early wedding present: a box filled with eggs. Morwenna wore a tight robe made from the skin of a dozen saber tooth cats, which could barely contain her body. Dora said something Aldrich couldn't hear, and Morwenna's face contorted in an expression of unforced wonder and delight. She picked up her half-sister and hugged her.

The Giantess put Dora down. Her face assumed its usual affectless sneer. She caught Aldrich staring. Licked her lips. The Giant Cleric Kadminion, emissary from the Godsfeast Abbey, announced it was time for the main event. 

 

 

Six Half-Giant Paladins accompanied the guests and Cleric to the recently-built ampitheater on the beach. It was snowing but the bonfire at the center of the stone ring melted the snow before it touched the stone benches. Aldrich took his place beside Morwenna in front of the bonfire, wearing his enchanted chainmail and the sword that (unknown to her) killed Morwenna's father Arminius. The Giant Cleric asked if Morwenna and Aldrich's ancestors were related. They swore that the marriage was not consanguinous. He tested their claim with a scarificator, a clockwork bloodletting machine that took samples from both of them. The ivory button on the back turned over and exposed the grinning face of the God King. They weren't related and the marriage was not incestuous, and therefore could be permitted. 

 

Morwenna tossed her staff into the fire and, with some prompting, Aldrich threw in his sword. Kadminion gave them permission to kiss. Morwenna stood expectantly. A potion of Enlarge Person fell out of her animal-skin gown, which Aldrich quickly guzzled. It was a good thing he had, because Morwenna's embrace would have broken his spine and every bone in his face had he been human size. Even with the potion he was only half her height. They kissed and Aldrich was made rightful King of the Giants.

High above, riding a bat he charmed with his Rod of Bat Friendship, Jack Fatherd observed the festivities. The beast warned him there was a dangerous smell. A fire burning, distinct from the bonfire on the beach. It was now or never. The bat went into a controlled dive, flaring its wings to level out just at the maximum vertical range of Jack's magic scroll. He swallowed the finger of the Stylite of the Tower of Pain and read the Finger of Death scroll sliced off his skin.

 

Aldrich's eyes were closed. He felt the Giantess' enormous body under his hands, his tongue and teeth. He saw something else. A vast tower which was only a superstructure, over an ancient cave. And in that cave the Red Hot Room. A man... no, a Dwarf with an arm so grossly engorged by the act of hammering he looked like a hermit crab transmuted to a man. His face was trapped in a permanent grin where the fires of the anvil seared off his lips, but he grinned anyway. He spoke to Aldrich.

DANCE FEAST LOVER. SHADOW PONDER MIRTHFUL BRIDE

In the epigramatic form of the Dwarven language, concise with the assumption the meaning was already understood.

"You'll get yours, punk."

Aldrich opened his eyes. The sensation of the Giantess' body against his was gone. All that was left was a thin film and the taste of bile.

Everyone else saw Morwenna explode.

 

It was only a moment before Dora shouted,

 

"MURDERER!" 

She accused Aldrich of killing her sister to take over the Giant Kingdoms for himself, slaying her the instant he took the throne. Aldrich tried to reason with her - he had saved her life and the life of her father from the rebels at the Manor of the Giant Arminius. Why would he kill her only blood relative now, when he already had what he wanted? Blinded by grief at the death of her sister, Dora surged forward out of the stands toward Aldrich. The Giant Cleric and his Half-Giant Paladins surged with her. Pendergast the Wizard thought this was a bad idea, but cast Haste on his daughter and scurried after her.

Jeff Easley

A confused melee quickly erupted. Firing from the stands, Grimm paralyzed the Giant Cleric and the wizard Pendergast with his bolts coated in Manscorpion venom. The Half-Giant Paladins turned and waded into the stands. The "Student Wizards" of Red Ball shouted "HUNDRED HANDS!" and opened fire on the Half-Giants, revealing themselves as abolitionist guerrillas from the Commonwealth. The Half-Giants laid about with their blades, slaying mages until Laguna sent his Stone Golems in to back them up, polishing off the Paladins.

 

Morwenna's soldiers closed on the arena, musketeers and Ogres and Combat Scribes. The bomb planted in the wedding cake by the Halfling Roddy Applecreek exploded. The lifting charge propelled it into the air and the primary charge detonated, sending fragments disguised as decorations in an arc at torso-level. It cut the deceased Giantess' forces in half and knocked the survivors down.

Dora threw objects and rushed Aldrich down. Aldrich quaffed a potion of Haste and tried to reason with her. Didn't she want to rescue her dad more than she wanted to kill him? Dora didn't look at Pendergast, she'd been fooled by the old "hey, behind you!" trick before. The Flesh Golem Tukachevsky interceded, leaping on stage and blocking Dora's way. The other Brazenkragg Agents told Aldrich to follow them, they needed to leave fast. The Acrobat Ganga leaped over the bonfire and attacked Aldrich with her Katar of Paralysis, but was forced back by Zigar Kneecapper's crushing blows. Aldrich nearly died when the Red Ball Mages turned their Wands on him, blowing his arm off with a volley of Magic Missiles. He turned and ran down the beach, Dora pursuing him and throwing objects until the Flesh Golem tackled her. Ganga leaped into the lake and swam away, uninterested in testing her mettle against Zigar.

Larry Elmore

Laguna rallied the surviving Red Ball mages and finished off the paralyzed Giant Cleric and Wizard Pendergast. The surviving soldiers advanced on the amphitheater and unleashed an ineffectual volley of musketry. A combat scribe read a scroll of Lightning Bolt and nearly barbecued Jack's Giant Bat, stopped just short of killing the enormous chiropteran only by the intercession of his patron Deities. The surviving Red Ball rebels cast Sleep and neutralized the advancing soldiers and scribes alike.

 

The bat warned Jack that the bad smell was closer. He could see it approaching now. Fast. A light in the distance, like a fire emanating from an invisible source. The gently falling snow turned to steam. The bat fired an echolocation pulse and determined the source was a very large lizard. Jack told the bat to fly away as fast as possible.

It was close enough now that the ground forces could see it. Not the lizard itself but the evidence of its approach. Grimm Dundragon fled aboard the Woolly Rhino he took off the Neanderthals. Aldrich Brisbane fled alongside the Brazenkragg Agents, Zigar following after them. Laguna Tempest rallied the Red Ball mages and together they cast Invisibility to shield themselves from view. A handful of Ogre Doppelsoldners trundled into the amphitheater, wondering where everyone went.

Ibid

Hasdrubal the Red, no longer trapped behind the mask of Gorrister the Great, broke Invisibility and strafed the beach with fire breath. The Red Ball mages, Dora, the unconscious soldiers and the Ogres were incinerated. Laguna Polymorphed himself into a Young Red Dragon at the last second and negated the fire damage. The Ancient Red Dragon descended and fought him hand-to-claw. Laguna fought back but the Ancient Dragon was Hasted, and in a couple exchanges of blows tore out the wizard's throat. He threw his head back to swallow the meat and went in to tear off another bite. As his last action before collapsing into inert stone, the Stone Golem Tumble threw up his malachite hand and caught the dragon in the mouth, breaking off Hasdrubal's largest fang.

 

Aldrich, Carnation the Fighter and Emily the Acrobat hid in the lake from the dragon, less worried about Hypothermia than being roasted by the beast's breath weapon. Aldrich had no interest in being the political marionette of the Trade Wardens of Brazenkragg, kept captive until they could arrange a new marriage for him. Still engorged to ten feet of size, he used his one arm and two legs to swim away as fast as possible before they caught wise. Zigar caught up with the Agents, who made a halfhearted attempt to draw Aldrich out of hiding by threatening the Kneecapper's life. It didn't work, and Zigar asked if he could join them instead.

The Ancient Red Dragon Hasdrubal lifted off, searching for the other Lute Bastards, but saw nothing through the blowing snow. His fixation on revenge against Laguna had robbed him of revenge against the others.