Storm King's Thunder: Session 8. Clouds, Giants and Goldenfields.

The good people of Nightstone arrived back at midday, with Morak leading them. He thanked them profusely for clearing out the town but was horrified at the state in which the Orcs had left his Inn. Darius helped him clear it up a little bit and shared a drink with him afterwards. Morak told him if they wanted to pursue the Fire giants who attacked the town, he knew someone who might be able to help: a knight named Darathra Shendrel. Darathra was the Lord Protector of Triboar and secretly one of the Harper’s. The Harper’s were a famous group of heroes and adventurers who fought tyranny and preserved knowledge and balance across the Sword Coast.

There were shouts outside and the townspeople stood still and pointed as something strange came over the horizon. A bizarre floating tower: 1000 feet in the air. Weird magical designs were enscribed upon it’s surface and metal hoops with models of the planets orbited it, resembling a giant orrery. It came to a stop over Nightstone and a series of clouds slowly formed a staircase down to the townsquare. Maganose placed a foot upon the first cloud - it appeared quite firm and he led the way in ascending the staircase to the tower. A pair of huge doors stood before them at it’s entrance, which apparently opened themselves before them. Entering the tower they found a huge hallway - looking upwards it was apparent there were two floors hundreds of feet above them but no apparent ladder or staircase to reach them.

A strange humanoid form then floated down towards them and as she got closer it became apparent she was a cloud giant: 30 feet tall, with blue skin and white hair. She introduced herself as Zephyra and said she had sensed a strange disturbance among giant kind but she knew not what. She looked sadly at the damaged Nightstone and the crater where the obelisk has stood and said she had scried the cosmos and spoken to beings on other planes in search of answers. She had been told that she must travel to the town with the ancient giant obelisk and she would find the heroes who would bring balance and order back to her kind. She asked what their plans were and they informed her that they planned to head to Triboar to contact the Harpers. She said she would fly them there in search of the truth.

The party said goodbye to Nightstone and proceeded to make the journey to Triboar, which should take 11-12 days. After 2 days they heard a crash and an enormous copper-coloured form smashed through the doors. They stood aghast as a dragon landed in the centre of the hall, placing 4 dwarves it was holding down quite delicately. It introduced itself as Aurexithra Silkenwing (A.K.A. “She Whose Scales Never Clash”) and as she spoke it became apparent she was wearing some form of make-up and had painted claws. While criticising their attire, she was interupted by one of the dwarves, who introduced himself as Hewen Firehammer. They had been sent by Mithral Hall to destroy it’s navigation orb and ground the tower. The party spoke in Zephyra’s defence and they argued back and forth. Eventually Carlan managed to persuade Hewen that they could take the tower to Mithral Hall and keep it there and she was sure that they would see Zephyra was harmless in the meantime. After Korrak had reapplied Aurexithra’s nail varnish, she flew away, apparently in search of something more fun.

1 day later they saw a town beneath them: vast fields of wheat and orchards were surrounded by a town wall. At the gates something strange appeared to be happening: 7 gigantic forms stood in battle at the city gates. A frost giant fought 2 hill giants, a treant fought another while the guards struggled with 2 more hill giants assaulting the walls. They

debated on whether to intervene and Zephyra offered to teleport them down to the battle, but suggested that it would be unwise for her to intervene directly given present circumstances. Hewen and the party were teleported down and engaged in the Battle for Goldenfields, after being assured the tower would wait for them and being given some Sending Stones to contact Zephyra when they were ready to go.

Standing on the walls, Darius recognised the Frost giant as Harshnag the Grim: a famous adventurer from Waterdeep. Things were not going well for Harshnag: as they teleported in a hill giant smashed him across the jaw with his club. They poured javelins, magic and arrows down on his attackers. A female hill giant had turned from the walls to tear apart a house, where screaming from the inhabitants could be heard so Maganose cast an acid arrow at her (aiming slightly spitefully right at her hair). To this she pulled away and charged at Maganose on the walls and threw a handful of manure at him, hitting him square on. To their right a mage and the town guard struggled against another giant. As the battle raged, to get closer Korrak abseiled down the townwalls and charged, with Darius soon behind him. After a bloody battle Goldenfields was saved and the hill giants lay dead.

Harshnag introduced himself and thanked them for their help: although he recognised Darius as being from Waterdeep they had not met before. He explained he had been sent recently to help by Lord Laeral Silverhand until troops could arrive to assist in the defence of Goldenfields. When asked why they were being attacked. Harshnag shrugged and answered that Hill giants are simple creatures ruled only by their stomachs and probably came for food. The Mage then addressed them, thanked them for coming in their hour of need and introduced herself as Naxene Drathkala - envoy from the Watchful Order of Magists in Waterdeep. She said after some rest they should come see her at Northfurrow’s end in the north of the town - she was sure they would recieve a friendly welcome for helping with the giant attack.

The treant limped back inside the walls, nodding in acknowledgement of their aid and headed towards a grove of trees nearby. Although they had not been visibly injured, they did not seem well.

Notifying Zephyra that they would stay the night via the Sending Stones, they explored the town. Farmers and labourers remarked as they passed that they were the people who had helped out in the giant attack. They went to a magic shop named Malvolo’s Marvellous Magical Miscellany and engaged in buying a magical axe, healing potions and some adamantine scale mail. They met the treant at his grove, named Lifferlas. Lifferlas revealed that a few years ago he had caught a stranger in his grove at night who appeared to have been scattering something among the trees. When addressed he fled, dropping his satchel. Lifferlas had felt unwell and had been withering away since, along with his trees. The satchel had a strange inscription within in that Kade recognised as Thieve’s Cant: “The Black Road Leads Everywhere”. Lifferlas said that if they were heading in that direction there was a druid named Aerglas who was an old friend of his who may be able to help. Aerglas had head towards Shadowtop Cathedral years before and was an expert in the health of trees and treants. Investigation of the satchel revealed traces of a strange poison that originated from the shadowfell.

They then went to Harvesthome Abbey to speak to the abbot but ended up in a conversation with a nun. The nun explained that the giants had been attacking for some weeks, but was unsure why: probably in search of food. They quizzed her about Lifferlas and if she knew who had poisoned him or if she recognised the phrase in the satchel. She said that merchants and travellers passed through all the time but “The Black Road Leads Everywhere” sounded like a Zhentarim code. Feeling a little bit closer to the answer they decided to settle down at Northfurrow’s end: the local Inn for the night and meet Naxene.

The landlord welcomed them: an exceptionally hairy man named Miros Xelbrin. He insisted he host them for the night. Naxene came down from her room later and asked them their plan. She was familiar with Darathra Shendrel but had not met and suggested it would be a good move to contact the Harpers. She suggested that as giants and dragons were historically enemies there may be a particularly wise and elder dragon who may be able to help. She suggested that they contact a dragon expert in Waterdeep named Chazlauth Yarghorn: a wizard who lived in the north quarter. They pondered this over ale and food. Carlan then entertained the Inn with her lyre, with Amadeous deciding to pickpocket an onlooker. After this they settled down for a well-earned rest.