Storm King's Thunder

1. Domed Entrance

A 40-foot-wide, naturally formed stone causeway leads to the entrance of the Eye of the All-Father. Sheer cliffs plunge hundreds of feet on both sides of the route. The causeway is covered with a foot of snow, in which the characters can see fresh tracks heading toward the mountainside. With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check, a character can determine that the tracks are those of eight humans. These tracks were made by the Uthgardt barbarians in x.

The causeway ends before a stone dome carved from the mountainside. Six 30-foot-tall stone pillars support the dome, which is in no danger of collapse, even if the pillars were to be toppled. Each pillar is carved with a wraparound bas-relief. From north to south, the pillars depict the following scenes:

• A hill giant lifting a rock above its head
• A frost giant chopping down a great pine
• A cloud giant flying among birds in the sky
• A flying storm giant hurling lightning bolts at a ship
• A stone giant climbing a mountain
• A fire giant with chained dwarf prisoners in a cavern

At the back of the dome, a 40-foot-wide, 40-foot-high hallway heads into the mountain. Wind has blown the snow far into the hallway. The snow thins out and disappears after about 100 feet. The tracks of the humans continue east into the dungeon complex.

2. Stone Blocks

If the characters haven't confronted the Uthgardt barbarians in x, they hear the barbarians' grunts when they reach this point. The tunnel is 40 feet wide, 40 feet tall, and level. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher notice gaps in the ceiling, suggesting the presence of two hanging blocks of stone. Characters who search for traps and succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check also notice these blocks, which constitute the temple's outer defenses.

Each block is a 40-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide, 20-foot-thick slab held up by mechanisms buried in the mountainside. When the lever in x is moved to the down position, the block of stone closer to the entrance (x) falls, sealing off the tunnel. When the lever in x is moved to the down position, the inner block does the same thing. Each block takes about 6 seconds to drop to the floor, allowing time for creatures to get out of the way. Any creature that doesn't get out of the way takes 132 (24d10) bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone and pinned underneath the block, or crushed to a pulp if the damage reduces its hit points to 0. A creature pinned under a block is restrained until the block is lifted (by raising the appropriate lever). Knock spells and similar magic have no effect on these gigantic barricades.

3. Boulderfall Hall

The ceiling in this hall is 60 feet high, sloping down to 40 feet as it moves toward x. Although the ceiling remains level heading eastward, its distance from the floor decreases to 40 feet on the landing in front of x because of the staircase leading up to that location.

Overlooking the hall to the north and south are unguarded 20-foot-high ledges that have no railings or battlements. Giants once stood atop these ledges, ready to hurl rocks at interlopers that passed below.

Five niches are carved into the back wall of each ledge. Each one holds an iron sconce that radiates a faint aura of conjuration magic under the scrutiny of a detect magic spell. Touching a sconce with an open flame causes a spectral fire to materialize above the sconce. This flame sheds light and heat like a normal torch, and it burns until smothered. If a sconce is taken from its niche, it loses its magic forever. Lighting a sconce in this hall alerts the berserkers in x, who investigate.

4. Giant Doors

A 40-foot-long flight of steps leading east ascends 20 feet to a landing, next to which stands a pair of 30-foot-tall granite doors carved with images of giant gods locked in battle with dragons. The doors are impervious to all types of damage and coated with ice on the inside. Any Huge or larger creature with a Strength of 23 or higher can throw its weight against the doors and force them open. If Harshnag is with the party, he does exactly that if given the chance. Smaller creatures can't open the doors until the ice on the other side is chipped away or melted (see x). Knock spells and similar magic are likewise ineffective until the ice is removed.

Pushing on the doors are six berserkers (CE male and female Uthgardt humans) of the Great Worm tribe. Overseeing them is Wormblod, a bloodthirsty berserker (CE male Uthgardt human with 90 hit points) who is also the Great Chief of the Great Worm tribe. He keeps an enslaved white dragon wyrmling for a pet and a female Uthgardt shaman (see appendix C) of the Great Worm tribe as an advisor. She carries a lit torch in one hand and has a sacred bundle slung over her back.

Wormblod and his barbarians have come to the Eye of the All-Father to find a missing member of their tribe (see x). The chieftain is secretly hoping to use this opportunity as an excuse to plunder the temple of its treasures, but his berserkers have been unable to get through these doors. The Uthgardt and their leader are hostile toward anyone who isn't a member of their tribe, and they fight to the death. This is true even if the characters open the doors or offer to do so.

5. Portcullises

A heavy iron portcullis 20 feet wide by 30 feet tall, with a 30-foot-high wall above it, blocks this 60-foot-high passage. The portcullis can be lifted with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check. It can also be raised with a knock spell or by moving an iron lever hidden in one of two secret rooms (x or 5B, whichever is closer). The bars of the portcullis are ice cold to the touch and spaced far enough apart that a Small creature can squeeze between them.

6. Annam's Temple

When the characters enter or peer into this temple, read:

The archway can be further described as follows:

The double doors that lead to this chamber are 30 feet tall and open into the room. The double doors leading to areas 4 and 7 are covered with a 4-inch-thick layer of ice that must be chipped away or melted before the doors can be pulled open from this side (either physically or with the aid of knock spells or a chime of opening). A fireball spell produces enough heat to melt the ice on one set of doors. Otherwise, it takes a character using a weapon, a pick, or a similar tool 1 hour to chip away the ice covering one set of doors, or 1 hour to melt the ice with a torch. Multiple characters working together to remove the ice shorten the time proportionately.

Characters who search the temple for secret doors and succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check find two secret doors behind the frost that covers the west wall. These slabs of stone are 40 feet tall by 20 feet wide, and each pushes open to reveal a chamber beyond (x or 5B). Each secret door requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to open or close.

The iron sconces are bolted to their niches and radiate faint auras of conjuration magic under the scrutiny of a detect magic spell. Touching a sconce with an open flame causes a spectral fire to appear above the sconce. This flame sheds light and heat like a normal torch, and it burns until smothered. If a sconce is taken from its niche, it loses its magic forever.

7. Feast Hall

The double doors that lead to this room are coated with ice and can't be pulled open until the ice is chipped away or melted (see x for details). The room is 240 feet wide by 440 feet deep, with a 200-foot-wide alcove in the center of the east wall. Six pillars, each 20 feet in diameter and 60 feet tall, support the vaulted ceiling. The walls are lined with niches and sconces identical to the ones in areas 3 and 6.

A hungry remorhaz is curled up in the alcove until one or more party members enter the room, at which point it uncoils and rushes forward to attack.

The room is warm, dry, and brightly lit. The source of the light and the heat is a raging fire contained within a bowl-shaped basin in the center of the chamber. Natural gas escaping through holes in the basin feeds the fire, sustaining it indefinitely. Any creature that enters the fire or starts its turn there takes 10 (3d6) fire damage.

Arranged about the fire pit are six tables carved out of granite, with matching benches, and two 9-foot-tall stone slabs stained with blood and grease. Atop the southernmost slab are neat stacks of plates and goblets made of beaten copper, all green and black with age. The stacks of plates and goblets on the northernmost slab have been knocked over, creating a mess.

8. Trapped Hall

This part of the temple contains quarters where visiting giants used to rest, with two sets of stairs leading to an upper level (x).

A 60-foot-high hall stretches northward. The hall is inclined at a slight angle, so that the floor in the north end of the hall is higher than in the south end. The slope isn't so great that the frost on the floor presents a hazard. Fourteen 30-foot-tall archways spaced along the west and east walls lead to 60-foot-square chambers furnished with frost-covered stone couches that serve as beds. Some of these beds have tattered furs atop them. A fissure in the back wall of the center room on the west side leads to a network of natural tunnels (x).

This hallway contains a magical trap, and a detect magic spell can reveal certain clues, as described in areas 8A and 8B. The trap triggers when one or more creatures that aren't giants enter x, a 40-foot-square section of the hallway. It triggers even if they fly over or move invisibly through that area. Harshnag is unaware of this trap and can't warn the party about it.

When the trap activates, walls of stone (created by wall of stone spells) seal off the archways along the west and east walls. When that happens, all creatures in the hallway or the adjacent rooms must roll initiative. On initiative count 15, a 40-foot-diameter sphere of solid granite phases out of the north wall at x and rolls southward down the corridor. It rolls 200 feet on each of its turns until it reaches the end of the hall. The sphere can move through creatures' spaces, and creatures can move through its space, treating it as 3. Whenever the sphere enters a creature's space or a creature enters its space while it's rolling, that creature must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The sphere can't harm creatures above it.

When the sphere reaches the south end of the hallway, the stone giant statue (x) animates and uses its outstretched arms to stop the sphere before it slams into the wall around the alcove. Each round thereafter on initiative count 15, the statue moves 20 feet northward, rolling the sphere ahead of it. The statue and sphere move slowly enough that creatures can easily get out of the way. When the statue reaches the north end of the hallway, it pushes the sphere back into the wall (the sphere melds with the stone as it comes into contact with it). The statue then lumbers back toward its alcove, moving 60 feet on each of its turns. While the giant is out of its alcove, the magic trap is disabled. The trap resets when the statue returns to its alcove. The walls of stone disappear when the trap resets.

9. Ice Spider Tunnels

Harshnag doesn't know about these tunnels and caves, which were formed by earth tremors and aren't part of the dungeon's original construction. In recent years, they have become a haunt for ice spiders. Ice spiders have red eyes and white fur covering their bodies, and they weave liquid webs that crystallize quickly, forming frosty sheets and icy cocoons.

The tunnels are 10-foot-high, 5-foot-wide cracks in the mountain rock (too narrow for Harshnag). Due to the icy and uneven floors, the tunnels are 3. Creatures that have the Spider Climb trait (or that are under the effect of a spider climb spell) can move through the tunnels at a normal pace. A thin layer of frost coats the walls, floor, and ceiling throughout.

The westernmost tunnel branch opens high upon the mountainside. The slope is so steep that a creature falling from this height would tumble almost 400 feet down the mountainside before landing on any sort of ledge. Although there are abundant handholds, the slope is icy and treacherous, requiring a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to climb without gear. There is no view of the entrance (x) from this tunnel exit.

The easternmost tunnel branch opens into the back wall of a giant dormitory (x).

10. Upstairs Quarters

This upstairs hallway is structurally similar to x, except that much of it has collapsed, leaving a few rooms to the east and west for the characters to explore. Standing in an alcove at the south end of the hall is a life-size statue of a female cloud giant wearing an angry mask, her arms positioned in a way that suggests she's casting a spell. The statue is inanimate and harmless.

11. Eye of Annam

This room lies deep within the mountain, farther from the temple than the map suggests. The contents of this room—including any creatures within it—are hidden from divination magic. They can't be targeted by such magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors. No doors or passages lead to or from the room. The characters arrive here by way of the teleportation archway in the temple. They can leave the same way, as long as the archway is still active (see x). Otherwise, they are stranded here unless they have some way to teleport out.

When the characters pass through the archway, read:

This chamber allows communion with a divine proxy of Annam the All-Father. It's called the Eye of Annam because ancient giants thought the chamber enabled them to gain wisdom from him directly. Casting detect magic reveals an aura of divination magic in the room.

The corpse belongs to a young cloud giant named Eigeron, whose father, Blagothkus, betrayed and murdered him. If the characters disturb Eigeron's body or come within 10 feet of it, the giant's ghost rises up from the corpse (see "Eigeron's Ghost").

The dead giant wears a golden breastplate (see "Treasure"). His morningstar is nonmagical and made for a Huge creature. Characters close enough to touch the cloud giant's corpse or the morningstar notice a rune-inscribed circle carved into the floor, obscured by frost (see the "Words of the Divine Oracle" section).

The teleportation archway looks much the same as it does when viewed from x, except it bears no runes, and it can't be activated from this side. Characters who study the arch and succeed on a DC 17 Intelligence (Arcana) check can sense that the archway will remain open for a short time only, perhaps as long as an hour.

The statues are impressive and harmless. The lights in their lanterns are created by continual flame spells.

Lost Giant Relics

Harshnag's Map

Harshnag knows the names and locations of all nine spirit mounds. He can take an hour to draw a crude map that shows where the spirit mounds are located relative to key landmarks and terrain features. He doesn't know what relics are buried at each mound or which giant lord is associated with each relic. If the characters take Harshnag's map, give the players a copy of map 4.2 for reference.

Harshnag declines to accompany the characters on their quest to retrieve the giant relics, opting instead to wait for them in Annam's temple (x) and guard the portal. Before the characters leave, he cautions them that defiling the Uthgardt spirit mounds will likely bring the party into conflict with one or more barbarian tribes.

[image: Map 4.2: Harshnag's Map]

Returning with the Relics

To offer a relic as tribute, it must be placed inside the mithral circle on the floor of the oracle chamber. Eigeron's ghost knows this, and Harshnag can figure it out if the characters are stumped. When this is done, the relic disappears forever. As a relic disappears, the oracle says in a booming voice, "You have done a great deed for all giants! A new path lies before you!" For each relic that the characters offer as tribute, a stony bas-relief depicting the giant lord associated with that relic (see the Lost Giant Relics table) protrudes from one of the chamber's five bare walls. For example, if the characters offer up the cracked horn found under the altar at Beorunna's Well and the mithral spear tip found under the altar at Flint Rock, bas-reliefs of Thane Kayalithica and Countess Sansuri appear, leaving three walls bare. The giant bas-reliefs remain until one or more characters stand inside the mithral circle in the middle of x and declare which giant lord they want to face. The majority vote wins. If the characters make no such declaration before leaving the oracle chamber, the bas-reliefs disappear and reappear when one or more characters return. After making their choice, characters in the oracle chamber gain the magical ability to know the shortest, most direct physical route to the lair of the chosen giant lord. This ability lasts until they reach their destination.

If the characters have a conch of teleportation in their possession, no bas-reliefs form when they pay tribute to the oracle. Upon receiving one or more giant relics, the oracle says, in Giant, "Your path is clear. Use the conch to reach the court of King Hekaton!"

The Chosen Foe

The oracle utters something based on the chosen foe:

"The great river" refers to the Dessarin River. The hill giant den lies along one of its eastern tributaries. When the characters are ready to head there, continue with chapter 5, "Den of the Hill Giants."

"The great forest" refers to the High Forest, "the gray peaks" to the Graypeak Mountains. When the characters are ready to head there, continue with chapter 6, "Canyon of the Stone Giants."

When the characters are ready to head there, continue with chapter 7, "Berg of the Frost Giants."

"Distant spires" refers to the Ice Spires mountain range. When the characters are ready to head there, continue with chapter 8, "Forge of the Fire Giants."

Sansuri's castle currently floats above the Evermoors. When the characters are ready to head there, continue with chapter 9, "Castle of the Cloud Giants."

Need a Lift?

The dragon cultists' airship flies from Klauthen Vale to the Eye of the All-Father, arriving just as the characters emerge from the giant temple. Read or paraphrase the following text to the players when the airship appears.

The airship drops two 50-foot-long rope ladders over the sides of the ship so that the characters can climb aboard without the vehicle landing. Characters can fly up to the ship if they have the means to do so. If they decline to board the vessel, the crew signals for them to come aboard. If they still decline, the airship lands so that the dragon cultists can reveal who sent them and why.

The ship's crew consists of eight members of the Cult of the Dragon (NE male and female human cultists of various ethnicities), all wearing black leather armor and black leather masks. The cultists are a humorless but resolute bunch. Their names are Delsephine, Nyzroth, Brassik, Laz, Oriskus, Perella, Tralt, and Zalthia. Delsephine is their leader. Four are on duty at any time (two to crew the ship and two standing watch) while the others rest. A party member who observes one or more cultists operating the airship for an entire day can, with a successful DC 15 Intelligence check, learn enough about the ship's operation to take the place of a cultist on the crew. For their part, the cultists are willing to crew the vessel so that the characters can focus on navigation, as well as loading, aiming, and firing the onboard weapons.

The cultists' orders are to steer the ship as the characters direct and help the characters defend it. They don't assist the characters otherwise and avoid putting themselves in harm's way. Characters can leave the cultists behind if they wish, but the cultists are quick to point out that the characters will find it impossible to operate the ship on their own. Klauth doesn't care what becomes of the cultists once the airship is delivered to the party, nor does he care exactly what the characters do with the airship once it comes into their possession. He does, however, expect the cultists to relay the following message to the characters when the two groups first meet.

The cultists have never visited the Eye of the All-Father before and know nothing about its layout or its contents. They do know a few things about the ordning, however:

• The ordning dictated the hierarchy of giant society, but the giant gods have apparently dissolved it.
• Before the ordning's dissolution, storm giants were at the top of it, hill giants at the bottom.
• The disappearance of Hekaton, a storm giant king, has prompted a number of other giants to misbehave. These giants' efforts to rise to the top of a new ordning bode ill for the budding empires of the North.

The cultists know the way to Klauthen Vale, but they won't lead the characters there willingly until after King Hekaton is set free. Although the cultists don't know it, Klauth's promise of a reward is disingenuous. If the characters accept his offer and visit him at the appointed time, he attacks them as they enter Klauthen Vale, seeing no further use for them. Old Snarl has no intention of giving the them even one coin from his vast hoard.

Airship Description

The airship's enormous balloon is made from dragon hide that has been dyed bright red. Atop the balloon is a crow's nest that is reached by crawling up the ropes on the outside of the balloon. Crawling up the ropes requires a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the check fails, no progress is made; if the check fails by 5 or more, the creature falls.

The balloon is roped to a gondola that has been fitted with steel runners. The airship has a speed of 8 miles per hour while skiing across ice or snow or flying in the air. A strong headwind reduces the ship's speed to 4 mph, while a strong tailwind increases its speed to 12 mph. By changing altitude, the ship can use air currents to move in a particular direction. A propeller aft of the gondola thrusts the ship forward and can also be pivoted. The hull of the gondola is watertight and buoyant in water, and the propeller can push it across water.

The airship can hold up to 1 ton of cargo and requires a crew of two, one to operate the propeller and one to operate the furnace. If the ship has fewer than two crew members on duty, its speed can't be controlled, and it moves in a random direction, carried by the wind, until control is regained or until it collides with something.

The gondola and the balloon are separate targets. The gondola has AC 13, 250 hit points, and a damage threshold of 10. The balloon has AC 11 and 50 hit points. Both have immunity to poison and psychic damage. If the balloon drops to 0 hit points, it bursts, and the ship loses the ability to fly. While the balloon or gondola has at least 1 hit point, it can be repaired. Repairing 1 hit point of damage to either the balloon or the gondola requires 1 day and costs 20 gp. (Mending spells can repair superficial damage but can't restore hit points.)

Airship Locations

The following locations are identified on map 4.3.

The Blue Wyrm

When Iymrith confronts the characters in x, read:

Iymrith is an ancient blue dragon (see appendix C). If the characters aren't with Harshnag when she appears, they must confront the dragon by themselves. Her initial assessment of them is that they pose no threat. If they negotiate for safe passage, she lets them leave if they do so immediately. If they antagonize her or deal any damage to her, she tries to kill them, ignoring those who slip away and any who take refuge in the narrow ice spider tunnels (x). To reach the Eye of Annam, she assumes the form of a storm giant and uses Stronmaus's trident to activate the temple's portal (see x).

If Harshnag is with the party, he attacks the dragon. He hopes to distract her long enough for the characters to escape. Ideally, this scene unfolds in x.

Harshnag's Sacrifice

If Harshnag encounters Iymrith in x, he charges the dragon and yells for the characters to flee while he keeps her distracted. If the characters heed the frost giant, they can escape. If they join the battle instead, Iymrith uses her frightful rage. If one or more characters continue to harass her, she focuses her attention on Harshnag while using her legendary actions (specifically her tail attack and wing attack) against the characters.

Harshnag quickly becomes annoyed with the adventurers' refusal to leave. If they linger in x for more than 2 rounds, Harshnag resorts to extreme measures on his next turn to scare them off. Read:

Harshnag's desecration of the statue of Annam dooms the temple. On initiative count 0, each creature in x must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage from falling debris on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Harshnag refuses to leave and does his utmost to keep Iymrith from fleeing by attempting to grapple her on later turns. After falling debris deals damage for 2 rounds, the ceiling collapses the next time initiative reaches 0, killing and burying anyone inside the temple.

Iymrith escapes the cave-in with the aid of her teleport spell. Harshnag's fate is uncertain. Either he is killed in the collapse, or he manages to retreat to a safe location (such as x) at the last possible moment. In either case, the characters are unlikely to encounter him again unless he makes a surprise reappearance (see the "Hekaton Returns!" sidebar in chapter 12).

Whether or not Iymrith's efforts to reach the oracle succeed, the adventurers meet her again at Maelstrom (see chapter 10, "Hold of the Storm Giants").