Chapter 1, Day 3: Skull Gorge Bridge

"When could we reasonably expect reinforcements?" Pawetha asks of the group. "How much time should we linger?"

"As long as it takes. Should we try to drag it away from the bridge? What do you think, Paws? Or maybe start cutting it up here?" I'm already thinking of all the things I'll tell the next bard I meet. They truly make the best companions, other than my current motley crew of course. I still have much to teach them, but they're making progress!

"I really wouldn't mind wearing its hide and scales," mumbles Pawetha. "That'd take me at least a couple of hours."

She looks up at the rest of the party. "What do you all think? Smash this place and get out of here now?"

Zaris stared intently at the far end of the bridge. "It certainly is a trophy," he said, looking back at the dragon's corpse. "But look at us! I doubt we could stand another battle right now. If anyone else comes up that road we'd be in trouble." He turned back to his watch over the bridge.

"Zaris, we've just killed a dragon. Anyone who wants to mess with us now is crazy! Surely they'd know better? Anyway, I feel fine!"

The giant lumbers over and grabs onto the dragon's front legs. With a great heave, he drags the heavy corpse across the bridge and deposits it on the side of the forest that you had come from. Then he points to the far towers, "Want me to destroy the towers and the bridge?"

"Sure, why not. I don't see anything else over there worth checking out. What do you guys say?"

"Warklegnaw, perhaps it's best if you destroy the towers on our side of the bridge," says Pawetha, relying on her rudimentary knowledge of architecture. "I wouldn't want you to get stranded on the hobgoblin side."

The old giant shakes his head, "I'll not live the winter. I prefer die in glorious battle to death from shivering cold and weakness of age." he points to the other side of the bridge, "There, an army will come and see the bridge I have destroyed. They will avenge their fallen allies, and I will crush many of them before they fell me."

Pawetha places her hands on her hips. "There's got to be a better way," she says, thinking aloud. "Do you have kin nearby? I know the humans had attacked you in the past; were there any other survivors?"

"Warklegnaw is the only survivor. The others died in the attack on the humans who destroyed our home and killed our families. I am the last forest giant of these woods."

Pawetha nods, stepping up to the giant and placing a hand on his leg. She recognizes a warrior's life and feels a certain kinship in this forest entity's last request.

Zaris sighs. "It's the least we can do for Warklegnaw for what he has helped us with."

The giant gentle grasps Pawetha's shoulder and gives her a firm, but friendly, shake, before turning and heading across the bridge. He gets to work destroying the anchoring towers with a large stone. It takes a few moments, you watch either him or Pawetha working on the dragon corpse. After a half hour the first tower falls, tumbling into the depths of the chasm and taking half the bridge with it. A thin path still connects across the gorge, and Warklegnaw begins on the second tower. Another half hour and it comes down as well, the remains of the bridge falling away as it does.

A few more hours go by. Warklegnaw has set to work piling up large stones from the tower remains in preparation for his final battle. Looks like he is making himself a supply of good sized rocks for throwing. Pawetha continues to work the dragon, and as night falls she removes the last fistful of scales and places them in the pile of scavenged materials.

"Great work, everyone! We've accomplished a lot today. How about we grab some drinks and celebrate before calling it a night?"

Pawetha hefts and adjusts her laden pack. Her hood is pulled low over her ratty hair and she grunts in assent. "Back to the giant's castle," she mumbles quietly.

"I need a good night's rest. Let's get inside," Zaris says.

"Alright guys, but one of these days, some time soon, we are going to take a break and celebrate. It's been too long." I make my way back and check on my hidden stash of gold as soon as I can.