Being accused of various crimes against the giants, the heroes stand trial before the court of Maelstrom. Queen Serissa bids the Albatross Company to seek out the Eye of the All Father and unravel the mystery of her father’s disappearance.
Player Characters: Adrik, Gregory, Kane, Sister Mary, Strong Palm Ian, Tarancha
1.
In the throne room of Maelstrom, the stronghold of the storm giants, the Albatross Company and the frost giant Harshnag were tried for crimes against giantkind. Their judge was the reigning queen of the storm giants, Serissa, who had been chosen as the heir to the Wyrmskull Throne by her father King Hekaton before his disappearance. The prosecutor was the storm giant elder Iymrith, whose matronly disposition toward Serissa belied her cunning and sinister demeanor toward the heroes who were on trial before the giant court.
“You stand accused,” Iymrith began. “Of crimes against her majesty’s people. Of trepassing upon the city of Maelstrom with an army of small folk. Of the attempted murder of four giant lords who were invited as guest to this court. And of aiding and abetting the known fugitive and kinslayer Harshnag the frost giant, who is responsible for the murder of countless giants across the Sword Coast.”
Iymrith proceeded to call a series of witnesses, including each of the four giant lords. Testifying before the court were Count Vaal of the cloud giants, Duchess Tartha of the fire giants, Jarl Hellenhild of the frost giants, and Thane Braxow of the stone giants. Each of them recounted their fight with Harshnag and the Albatross Company but depicted themselves as the victims of assault and attempted murder by the kinslayer and his small folk conspirators.
When it was finally the heroes’ turn to speak, the dwarf Gregory began to tell the adventurers’ side of the story. He claimed that the Albatross Company had rescued the two hundred prisoners and from the clutches of evil giants. They somehow arrived here after activating a magic conch and were now merely seeking safe passage for the refugees. However, Gregory was careful not mention their encounter with Duke Zalto in the forge of Ironslag, fearing the wrath of the fire Duchess Tartha. Instead, he fabricated a story about rescuing the refugees from the hungry clutches of the hill giant chieftain Guh, saying that they freed the captives while they were en route to the hill giant steadfast.
Iymrith did not buy the story, but Uncle Uthor’s words swayed the court in the heroes’ favor.
“It is not likely for a dwarf, whose folk have a most lawful disposition, to tell outright lies so readily. Therefore, the court should give these smallfolk the benefit of the doubt.”
2.
In the end, the members of the court accepted Gregory story. None of them particularly liked Chieftain Guh, whom they thought of as uncouth and unsophisticated. They seemed to enjoy the opportunity to poke fun at her, and even accepted that the adventurers had later managed to steal her precious conch of teleportation.
“I can hardly believe she even still had that thing,” said Count Vaal sneeringly. “I’m surprised she didn’t accidentally crushed it while attempting to become ‘the biggest giant in the world.’ The biggest indeed! Ha!”
The giant lords guffawed loudly, all but Serissa who sat deep in thought. When the laughter in the court died down, the Queen finally spoke speak.
“Where are my sister, Mirran and Nym? Why are they not present for this trial? And why was I not informed of the presence of outsiders in our midst?”
“Indeed, your majesty, we would like to know as well,” the heroes added. “For it was the princesses Mirran and Nym who had promised us an audience in the court before sending these giant lords to do their dirty work and attempt to slaughter us.”
“Lies,” said Princess Nym as she strode elegantly into the chamber with her sister Mirran in tow. “Forgive us, sister… I mean, my Queen. We had not mentioned these small folk to you sooner simply because we did not wish to worry you with such a trifling matter. You have a great burden upon your shoulders, sitting upon the Wyrmskull Throne in our father’s stead. Had we known the true intentions of these intruders and of their alliance with a known criminal like Harshnag, we would have informed you and dealt with them swiftly. As it were, we were in the process of investigating their guest chambers when we discovered this.”
Nym threw the headless body of the drow warrior of House Xorlarrin into the middle of the chamber.
“Explain this, puny ones,” Princess Mirran demanded in her most mocking voice.
This time, Strong Palm Ian spoke before the court.
“This drow pointed a crossbow at my head. Now, please let me explain. I was told that the conch of teleportation would bring anyone I thought of along with me. As we were rescuing the prisoners, I simply couldn’t get the drow out of my head when he was threatening me with his crossbow. As for why he was pointing it at me, this drow was in league with evil giants. In my experience, it is not uncommon for creatures of wicked dispositions to be drawn to one another for mutual benefit.”
Strong Palm Ian’s word were persuasive, and indeed no part of what he said contained a single lie. The court was listening, so he went on.
“Don’t you mighty lords and ladies have something more important to do than carrying out this farce of a trial? Your king is missing! You ought to be out there looking for him on the surface world, rather than being down here in the depths of the ocean.”
The heroes saw that Queen Serissa’s heart ached at Strong Palm Ian’s bold remark. It was clear that she greatly desired to find her missing father, unlike her older sisters. Ian might have swayed her entirely were it not for his next words.
“I have also heard that the storm giant beside you named Iymrith might be a dragon. How can you trust one such as her?”
At that remark, Queen Serissa’s expression became hard, and she spoke with an almost childlike certainty.
“Lady Iymrith was my mother’s closest friend and confidant before she passed away. Now she is my dearest advisor next to Uncle Uthor. Nothing could make me distrust her.”
Strong Palm Ian began to regret his remark. It seemed that the fate of the Albatross Company stood upon a knife’s edge. One false move could spell the doom of their quest and the forfeiture of their very lives.
3.
After waiting patiently for a chance to speak, Sister Mary finally addressed the Queen and her court.
“You highness, if I may speak. In the absence of King Hekaton, you are the queen of the giant court. I sense great strength in you that is held at bay by the divisions in your court. It is time for you to become a true queen among giantkind and lead your people as your father before you. I pray to the Winged Mother, who has long been an ally to the storm giants, for the wisdom to guide me, just as I pray that your highness may find the wisdom to lead your people.”
Queen Serissa replied briefly, in a soft yet regal voice.
“And where might one find such wisdom?”
In answer to the Queen’s question, Harshnag the frost giant spoke.
“There is a temple, built by our great ancestors in the age of Ostoria, known as the Eye of the All Father. Therein lies the wisdom to find King Hekaton.”
The court of giants burst into an uproar. Some of the giants knew nothing of the Eye of the All Father, while others thought it was merely a myth. But a quiet gesture from the Queen brought silence to the hall.
“I shall render my verdict,” said Queen Serissa. “You stand accused of many crimes. I command you to prove your innocence in a trial by challenge. Your task is to seek out the Eye of the All Father, if it exists, and the wisdom that lies therein. Find my father, King Hekaton, and return him to us.”
“The Queen has spoken,” Iymrith said sternly. “And until you have completed this important quest, your two hundred small folk companions shall remain in Maelstrom as our guests.”
Queen Serissa looked as if she wanted to protest, but she knew that there was no other way. The refugees would be kept in Maelstrom as hostages, whose lives would be forfeit if the adventurers failed to return.
Though reluctant to leave the refugees behind, the heroes agreed to the task set before them. As the Albatross Company set out to fulfill their quest, Gregory spoke with the dwarves from Ironslag one last time and assured them that he and his companions would return for them.
4.
The heroes followed Queen Serissa and a cadre of storm giant guards into a meditation chamber. Here, the Queen would be able to perform a ritual that could transport the heroes to a destination of their choice.
Before they departed, the Queen confided in them secretly through a message spell so that none might hear her words.
“I know that Harshnag speaks the truth about the Eye of the All Father. I have not been so idle as you may think. Others have been sent before you on a quest to find the truth about my father’s disappearance. They carry a clue regarding his location and have taken it to the Eye of the All Father to seek His divine wisdom. Know that I believe you and pray for your safe return.”
The Albatross Company thanked the Queen for her faith and asked to be sent to the dwarven citadel of Guantylgrym.
5.
Arriving in Guantylgrym, the heroes returned the elemental primordial Maegera the Dawn Titan to the citadel’s mighty forge. The dwarves of Guantylgrym rejoiced and thanked the Albatross Company for their heroism, never suspecting that it was they who what taken the iron flask containing the elemental primordial to begin with.
Yet King Bruenor Battlehammer was not present to witness the relighting of the forge. After receiving word from the Albatross Company regarding the threat of the fire giants in the north, he began to muster an army to confront the giants. But growing impatient, he rode ahead of his army to challenge the giants personally.
Adrik sent word to King Bruenor informing him of the party’s success and asking him to return. But the king was set on his course. Perhaps in his years upon the throne, he had grown weary of politics and wished to be on a quest once more. He sent only a brief reply via a sending message from one of his companions.
“I go to slay giants.”
6.
Having returned the primordial to the forge, the heroes sent word to Mister Mo to bring the Red Zeppelin to Guantylgrym. Now that Maegera was no longer in their possession, Mister Mo arrived upon the airship on the following day. Together, they traveled over the forests and mountains to the frozen glaciers of the north.
During their journey, Tarancha’s keen eyes spied a storm giant riding atop a roc. The giant appeared to be trailing the heroes to ensure that they were making their way north. But whether the giant had been sent by Queen Serissa or the Lady Iymrith, the heroes could not tell.
The heroes first arrived in the town of Bryn Shander where they arrived after four days. There, they delivered the last of the messages from Nightstone. Sheriff Markham Southwell was a hard, stern bear of a man. He had lost his only sister in the attack upon Nightstone. When he learned of his, his expression did not change but remained a permanent scowl. Life in the distant north had taught him to endure in the midst of pain and grief.
The heroes also met Augrek Brighthelm, a young dwarf from Gregory’s homeland. Like Gregory, she was one of the Children of the Prophet who was serving as a member of the local town guard. Augrek informed the party of an attack by frost giants several weeks earlier. The giants had kidnapped a member of the local community, a priest called Sirac of Suzail. No one could guess at the frost giants’ motives.
Augrek felt helpless and frustrated that she could do nothing in the face of the grave threats against her community. The Albatross Company, having an urgent quest of their own, could not pursue the frost giants whose trail had already gone cold. However, Gregory asked Augrek if she would join them upon their quest, for they were trying to unravel the mystery of the giant threat as a whole. Upon hearing this, Augrek eagerly agreed and joined the heroes upon their airship.
Then, as if the winged mother had carried the airship through the skies, the Red Zeppelin arrived in the northern mountains in a mere two days. But the lands surrounding the Eye of the All Father were swept by treacherous winds. The party would have to traverse the remainder of the way on foot. But with Harshnag as their guide, the heroes made swift progress over the mountain, encountering nought but a pair of crag cats along the way.
They arrived at last upon the entrance to the temple. On the far side of a wide gorge, the heroes saw six frozen pillars around a yawning gateway. As they drew closer, they saw that the pillars depicted scenes of ancient giants of legend. Inside the gateway, there was a deep, wide tunnel that was submerged in pitch black darkness.
The heroes had not gone far into the tunnel when they were waylaid by band of savage barbarians that were hiding in the darkness. They were members the Great Worm tribe of Uthgardt barbarians. Tarancha recognized their leader whose name was Wormblod, a cruel and vicious warlord, and Wormblod knew Tarancha who was infamous among the Uthgardt tribes.
“It is Tarancha! You’ve come to the wrong place, orc. I, Wormblod, will have the honor and glory of taking your head off your shoulders!”
A fierce battle ensued, but these barbarians were no match for the heroes. In the end, it was Tarancha who took Wormblod’s head off his shoulders. Holding aloft the head of their chieftain, Tarancha cowed the remaining barbarians into submission. In the chieftain’s possession, Tarancha also discovered a magical talisman, an amulet of proof against detection and location.
Until now, Harshnag had stood back to watch the Albatross Company in action. He seemed to be pleased as he witnessed the party’s strength. Only when the barbarians had been subdued by his companions did Harshnag stride to the end of the hall. A stairway led to two grand doors, but these were frozen shut from the inside. Harshnag pressed his hands against the door and pushed, causing the ice upon the doors to break away. The doors slowly swung open until the way was clear at last.
Adventure Name
Storm King’s Thunder
Chapter 10. Hold of the Storm Giants
Chapter 4. The Chosen Path
Session #10
Rewards
4 Achievement Points
4 Treasure Points
10 Downtime Days
1 Renown
Level-Up Gold
Level gained: 2nd-4th – 75 gp
Level gained: 5th-10th – 150 gp
Unlocked Item
Amulet of Proof Against Detection and Location