Episode 47: The Belt Bros and Tempest Tide Report

While the search and recovery efforts continued in Goblin Town, Spark scrounged up as much gear as possible, redoubling his efforts at artificery. He worked on re-customizing his armor and began a new project to create an independent Mekkamutt. The next morning brought a Shatter event where Arborea showed up, bringing news of a contest. Anyone could wager magic items, and if successful, they could win magic belts without losing their ante.

Elenwe instantly wanted to roll the dice. Nia agreed, seeing the potential value. They grabbed Wicked Mind and Ilennen, the Shadar-kai shadowdancer, and dragged Spark along to get him out of his funk. However, Spark decided to stay in Oasis, continuing to help the recovering goblins in the ruins of Goblin Town. Meanwhile, Rebellion began planning an exodus of survivors to move to Tempest Tide near Ballinamore.

El and her tagalongs entered the zone to Arborea and found themselves walking on the clouds between rock spires and sheer cliffs rising up from an unseen ground below. They discovered the giant's arena, a small flat clifftop surrounded by clouds. A huge booming voice called out, "Brie Brei Bro Brumm, I smell a challenge from some feeble ones!" Laughter echoed from many observers until the voice added, "Just joshing you, bro. Old giant joke. You've found the belt bros, bro. You ante up a magic item, challenge us in either sumo, bloodbowl, or battle, and we'll give you a magic belt equal to the ante, bro!"

El stepped forward and held up her hand, "I ante up this legendary item, so mighty and rare that few have ever laid eyes upon such a wondrously enchanted artifact of protection." There was some rustling, "Uh, bro, whatever you got is so small we can't see it, bro. You got to tell us more of what it is." El sighed, "This is a Ring of Spell Turning; it protects you from magic and will even turn magic back against your foes!" The giant questioned, "Will it even fit our fingers, bro?" El grinned, "Oh yes, all eleven of them!"

"Cool story bro! Your ante is accepted, what you want?" The giant bro concedes. El requests a Belt of Storm Giant Strength, and her request is accepted. Observing the sad goblin, they inquire if Spark desires anything. Spark shrugs, mentioning he has the Earth Hammer, and belts are not particularly useful. The belt bros suggest ropes and gloves as alternatives. Spark opts for a Rope of Entanglement, and Nia selects gloves of missile snaring for Ilennen, offering up El's Skyblinder staff.

The gang agrees on a battle to showcase their prowess. The giants declare they will send six giants to challenge the group of six, and the crew counts themselves - Nia, Spark, El, Wicked Mind, and Ilennen. They question the giant who points to Nia's Baku, "What about that little bro?" Nia looks at Tiik, her constant companion and familiar, "He's my familiar. Does he even count as his own person?" Tiik speaks up, "I am my own person! I could talk this whole time, and you just treat me like a simple magic effect! I declare my emancipation! You can win me something, like a sock, because I'm really naked." The crew assures Tiik who concedes he doesn't really want to cover up his glorious fur(?). Still, he counts for the challenge, so six giants it is.

They huddle in three cloud banks that hide and cover them. The crew discerns a fire giant in one, a frost giant in the other, and a cloud giant in the third, with some other giants present in all three. Nia recalls that cloud and storm giants can see through the clouds as if they weren't there. Nia calls out to head toward the fiery cloud. They advance, finding a big fiery guy with two shields and a castery stormy lady. Nia subjugates the fire shield, and El moves in to battle the stormy lady.

Then, the giant's trap is sprung. The stormy ladies are in all three clouds and can hurl wind javelins everywhere, and the cloud giant can hurl rocks. They knock out Nia quickly. Fortunately, Tiik and Wicked Mind have enough healing to keep her back up. Nia realizes the stormy ladies are the most deadly because they don't miss with their wind javelins.

So, a new plan emerges: wreck them. El earns their ire, and the giants start wearing her down. Spark lags behind but casts haste on himself and El. The fire giant also struggles to keep up. The haste amplifies the problem as it lets El get way ahead, but eventually, most giants end up convened near the middle. The frost giant is out of his cloud, and the stormy ladies need to be close enough for their unerring javelins.

El turns back around, almost exhausted, and must heal herself. Wicked Mind keeps healing Nia. Nia, afraid of going down, unleashes her most potent spells like Crown of Stars and Psychic Lance. Spark finally catches up, realizing stormy ladies are immune to thunder, so he starts toe-stabbing them with Tyranny's End.

The fire giant finally gets in melee and starts wrecking the frost giant. The second stormy lady drops, and most attention goes to the third when El crits with the Glaive of Wonder. She unleashes a giant crit smite that kills the giantess and a rainbow-colored rhino who is utterly confused and charges off to nowhere. The giants and Ashaya are greatly amused.

The cloud giant closes in on a fairly weakened but still moving group and hurls a rock on the MVP shadow dancer who is draining life with her spiked chain everywhere. However, he is the only giant left, and the only person permanently down on the Blackjack side is a long squished Tiik. So, the crew collapses and crushes the cloud giant. They win their prizes and then turn their attention to a newly acquired drafting of Tempest Tide to see the layout and plan their assault.