The party gets word from Lien about Xykon's delay, leaving time to deal with unDurkon. The Mechane is attacked by a clan of giants.
Cast[]
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Haley Starshine ◀ ▶
- Elan ◀ ▶
- Bandana Secundus ◀ ▶
- Carol ◀ ▶
- The Clan of Frost Giants:
Transcript[]
- Panel 1, Page 1
Roy: OK, now that we have more room, I can explain that—
Haley: Hey Roy, there you are. Did Elan tell you yet?
- Panel 2, Page 1
Roy: Can you be more specific? Elan tells me many things, the majority of which I allow to pass through my brain unhindered.
Elan: Like a ghost! Or a phase spider! Or the ghost of a phase spider!
Roy: See? I've already forgotten that.
- Panel 3, Page 1
Haley: I got a Sending from Lien last night. She's at the North Pole with O-Chul—
Haley: —and she says that Xykon is there, but being delayed by Kraagor's Tomb somehow.
Haley: She couldn't get more specific due to the word count thing.
- Panel 4, Page 1
Roy: That's great news! You should have come and told me right away.
Haley: Yeah, well, the message came in at a very inconvenient time.
Elan: She called when Haley and I were in the middle of—
- Panel 5, Page 1
Haley: Mouth shut, Elan.
Elan: No, pretty much the opposite of that.
Haley: ELAN!
- Panel 6, Page 1
Roy: OK... OK, then...
Roy: We have to assume that Xykon will eventually overcome whatever is protecting the gate...
Roy: ...but any obstacle means more time to deal with Durkon. The faster we stop him, the—
- Panel 7, Page 1
A loud "KRNNSH!" is heard and the airship shakes.
- Panel 8, Page 1
Haley: What the heck was that?!?
Roy: Are we under attack?
Elan: Uh... It looks like it was just a rock hitting the hull.
Roy: ...Oh. OK, then.
- Panel 9, Page 1
Roy: Anyway, Captain Bandana told me we have more than enough fuel to go directly from Firmament to the Pole and back again.
Elan: And if we run out of gas for the balloon, we can get it from the mountains!
- Panel 10, Page 1
Roy: What? No, Elan, I just told you that the gas comes from another plane. It doesn't come from the ground.
Elan: Oh. But if the mountains aren't filled with the same stuff that makes the ship float...
- Panel 11, Page 1
Elan: ...why are the rocks falling up?
- Panel 1, Page 2
Two boulders are thrown at the Mechane. One misses, "WOOOSH!" while the other hits the airship with a loud "THNKTRCH!".
- Panel 2, Page 2
Bandana: All hands on deck!
- Panel 3, Page 2
Splash panel showing the horde of Frost Giants in the pass, threatening the Mechane with boulders.
- Panel 4, Page 2
Roy: Elan, we are under attack!
Elan: Oh, sorry.
Elan: In that case, can I take back my enthusiasm before for splash pages?
D&D Context[]
- Frost Giants can hurl boulders (with a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls) of 40-50 lb up to 600 feet. When found in groups this large at least one of them is likely to have class levels in cleric or sorcerer.
- Sending is a 4th level cleric spell that allows a 25 word message to be sent to a creature familiar with the caster over arbitrary distances and even across planes of existence.
Trivia[]
- In the final panel, Elan is referring to his comments in the final panel of the previous strip.
- This is the first appearance of the various frost giants.