Giant Stalling
Pinned to The notice board
A tall and slightly dirtied poster reads:
Giants approaching by the Western Road.
Wilderness scouts have reported a small group of giants marching towards our walls. Their intent is unknown, though they are armed and armored. As best as we can tell, the giants will be here by week’s end.
All travel west is temporarily suspended, and accommodations are being made to house any civilians living beyond the walls either within the keep, or an inn based behind the walls.
Notice to worthy adventurers:
Plans are being formed for a comprehensive defense against a giant attack. With all our forces occupied, your help would be most appreciated in riding out to spy on the giants to hopefully learn of their goals and, if need be, stall them before bringing word back.
For this you will be rewarded with 1000 Gold Pieces Total after the threat has passed.
For more information, or to report in, speak to Commander Aakash at the keep.
Ways to approach
Did anyone else realize giants would make excellent siege weapons? Granted, depending on your brand of giant they are generally intelligent creatures and so aren’t tools to just be pointed, which means that even if somebody was pulling the strings, these giants are getting something out of their assault on the city. For me, this quest plays in three parts; scouting, stalling, and defending the town/city. For what I have in mind for the giants’ motivation, I would have this quest take place in a city.
Scouting should be fairly easy when your party is tiny by comparison. If you’d like to make it a little harder to find out the giant’s objectives then you can incorporate human-sized creatures who are working with the giants. It seems the giants want to disrupt the power dynamic among their kin and are setting up strongholds. Walled cities belonging to the ‘small folk’ are perfect to avoid suspicion. Retaliation from the local ruling body doesn’t seem to be a concern as somebody high up has promised they will be left alone as long as no other settlements are attacked. The catch? Access to something in the city’s vault.
Stalling is where your players get to let their creativity shine. Any kind of delay will prove invaluable for the city, and while defeating several giants is absolutely out of the question, perhaps there is something they can do to tip the scales for the final attack.
Defending the city runs like a good old fashioned siege defense. Your party should be back in time to make some suggestions, and even position themselves in areas they would be ideally suited for.
Possible Repercussions
While it can certainly help the world feel alive, incorporating repercussions into the world for your heroes not taking the quest can also feel like a punishment for not choosing a quest they thought they wouldn’t enjoy. So, if you would like a no-stress consequence, then the giants simply walked on by. However, if your players enjoy seeing the outcomes of events, whether they’re good or bad. In that case, rumors can spread of this city no longer being a safe place for people to go, and the giants are undoubtedly pillaging the local area to keep themselves supplied.
