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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MortalPlague" data-source="post: 5201058" data-attributes="member: 62721">Where Cloud Giants Go To DieA D&D Adventure by MortalPlagueAdventure Hook:In a pile of treasure in some dusty dungeon, the adventurers find Mjornheil, the huge greatbow once wielded by the cloud giant champion Grimvol the Magnanimous.  Etched with runes in the giant tongue, the massive bow is made of darkwood and is heavily enchanted.  The weapon is intelligent, though it does not speak; it makes its feelings known by vibrating its bowstring, giving off a musical note.  For contentment or approval, a pleasant note.  For mourning or sorrow, a minor key.  And for anger or disagreement, a discordant note.  The bow is clearly sized for a giant, and it refuses to change its size for a wielder.The adventurers quickly discover (either through their own knowledge or by showing the bow around) that Lord Arthur Pennlynn of Ridgecrest Keep is an avid collector of cloud giant artifacts, particularly weapons.  More knowledgeable historians would know that Lord Pennlynn is focused on Grimvol and his equipment; in fact, he has collected everything except his legendary bow.  Alas, Ridgecrest Keep is high atop Mount Paranore, overlooking an inhospitable mountain pass; while most merchants would love to earn the money, the dangers and the rigors of the journey would cost them dearly.The promise of great rewards for a mere journey up a mountain?  What adventurer could refuse?Arrival At Ridgecrest KeepIt takes a week to reach the mountain pass, though the majesty of this place is apparent even days out.  Mount Paranore towers over every mountain in sight by a good thousand feet.  Its snowy spire reaches up to touch the clouds, which swirl in a never-ending gyre around its peak.  Great dark shapes can be seen in the clouds, and as the adventurers draw nearer to both mountain and keep, the nature of the storm becomes apparent.  In the mire of clouds, massive giants float lifelessly through the sky, in perpetual communion with their beloved heaven.  The magic that keeps them aloft must be powerful indeed, far beyond the scope of mortal capability!Beneath this surreal spectacle is Ridgecrest Keep.  The fortress is thick-walled and businesslike, watching over the mountain pass.  The icy road up takes an hour to traverse, and the guards take the characters' names before they are admitted.  The interior of the keep is a sprawling courtyard, marked with a number of stone buildings.  Up this high, wood is too scarce to build houses.  A tall bonfire burns off the left, where about twenty soldiers and servants are warming themselves.There are two buildings which command immediate attention.  The Lord's keep lies dead ahead, standing four storeys with battlements at the top, a pair of archers on watch over the mountain pass.  The second is a shorter building, a mere two storeys off to the right.  The structure is ringed with an iron fence, ten feet tall with spikes capping it.  Ten people with a distinctly feral edge to them are clustered around their own bonfire, behind the fence.The second building belongs to a number of refugee lycanthropes.  Over the years, a number of admitted lycanthropes have flocked to the safety of Ridgecrest Keep.  Lord Pennlynn permits them to be within the walls.  At first, there were many strict conditions; constant watch by guards, and confinement to their barracks.  But as time went by, the fear lessened to mistrust, and Lord Pennlynn put them to work.  Most of the lycanthropes have excellent eyes, and make capable scouts and guards.  But lately, the lycanthropes have grown weary of the common mistreatment; despite their prowess, none of them are officially members of the guard.  And despite numbering a full quarter of the keep's population, they have no one representing them on the Lord's council.The adventurers are quickly whisked into the keep proper, for once he's learned the nature of their visit, Lord Pennlynn is eager to see them.  They meet the lord in his gallery, where he has the other pieces of Grimvol's gear proudly displayed.Arthur Pennlynn is in his mid fifties with graying hair and a quiet, dignified manner.  He is civil, preferring not to stand on pomp and ceremony, and he is happy to discuss his collection at length with anyone who inquires.  His history is not a happy one, however.  About ten years ago, his son, Gregory was lost while climbing the higher reaches of Mount Paranore.  Arthur was devastated; he suffered quietly, and in private, still capably fulfilling his duties as a lord.  But the only thing that brings him joy anymore is the thought of completing his collection.Arthur's two closest advisors are also present.  First, Provalor the Proficient is the Court Wizard and Artificer.  The pompous halfling wears a great deal of thick, regal clothing, and he has a good number of little mechanical trinkets (most of them his own design).  One of his more practical devices is a beautiful, silver chronometer; an extremely delicate construction which keeps very precise time.The other advisor, a more recent arrival is a man by the name of Zellenin.  His skin is a deep brown; he arrived a year ago from the south, bearing a Grimvol's bracers.  As it turned out, Zellenin was a scholar of great knowledge; he and Lord Pennlynn had many conversations, covering cloud giant lore and artifacts.  Impressed with the new arrival's keen intellect and knowledge, Arthur appointed him his chief advisor.  Unbeknownst to his liege, however, Zellenin is a weretiger.  He traveled to Ridgecrest Keep at the request of his lycanthrope bretheren.  In human form, he'd try to subtly nudge Lord Pennlynn towards greater recognition of their deeds.  In his weretiger form, he became Swiftclaw, a hunter who frequently comes and goes from the Keep, often spending many days abroad.  In Swiftclaw's guise, he became a vocal crusader for suffrage.Lord Pennlynn agrees to pay a substantial reward for Mjornheil, and will house the adventurers in his keep for as long as they'd like to stay.  He also asks them to join him for dinner in the evening.The Night RaidWhile the adventurers dine with Lord Pennlynn, Zellenin shifts to his weretiger form and becomes Swiftclaw.  He joins his lycanthrope brothers, and shares the news that the lord's collection is now complete.  With Lord Pennlynn in better humor than he's been in the last year, he plans to speak to him directly in the morning.Provalor the Proficient would like nothing better than to see the lycanthropes driven from the keep.  Seeing Swiftclaw appear, he moves quickly to put his plan into action; he uses magic to contact a band of slavers who operate from the storm at the top of the mountain, offering the bow, Mjornheil in payment.  Their part of the bargain?  Kidnap Swiftclaw.  Without their vocal crusader, the lycanthropes would have no champion for their cause.For the adventurers, the dinner goes smoothly, and tired from their travels, they retire.During the night, they awake to a terrible cacaphony; the sounds of battle fill the air.  The storm giants have attacked the fortress!  A good twenty storm giants have smashed the gate and entered the courtyard, tearing down the fence and taking Swiftclaw.  Their leader, a human with a deadly longsword which sings with each swing is a capable combatant, though by the time the characters arrive, he's already departed.Three storm giants remain behind to keep any organized pursuit from happening, and they engage the adventurers ferociously.  If they're badly wounded, they will attempt to flee, though they will not surrender willingly.To The Lofty TempestFollowing the raid, the adventurers are asked to rescue Swiftclaw by the lycanthropes.  Bernerac, a werewolf who came to Ridgecrest Keep two years ago acts as their leader, pleading with the characters to help them.  He explains the situation with regards to their social battle; without Swiftclaw, they have no hope.  He also tells the adventurers the secret; that Swiftclaw is also Zellenin.  Having an advisor with Lord Pennlynn's ear on the inside will greatly help their cause.  He doesn't have much, but he will offer the adventurers what little money he can manage.If the characters investigate the lycanthrope's building, they'll find little.  An examination of the gatehouse, however, reveals something.  Though the gates were smashed, they were not closed tight when they were smashed.  Provalor unlocked them first, then pulled them ajar.  Nobody saw him do it, however; he was invisible at the time.It's common knowledge around the keep that a band of storm giant slavers operate out of the Lofty Tempest, the swirling storm at the top of Mount Paranore.  With the direction clear, the adventurers will set out for the peak.Scaling Mount Paranore is a challenge in and of itself.  It's up to the DM how much emphasis they want to put on the climb; this could easily become a tax on the adventurers.  The true test, however, lies ahead.Drawing near to the top, the nature of the Lofty Tempest becomes clear.  This is where cloud giants come to die.  There are hundreds of dead cloud giants, floating limp amongst the clouds, their arms outstretched towards one another as they float in perpetual glory.  The clouds, perhaps pulled by their kindred giants swirl ever inwards, forming a gently turning mire of cloud and corpse.  A lone cloud giant arm descends from the tempest, its finger brushing the tip of Mount Paranore.At the very top, the adventurers find a dying cloud giant.  He is unarmed, and seems extremely peaceful.  His name is Chogrin, and he explains that cloud giants of great age come to this spot to ascend to their final resting place.  If asked, he will explain how in the dawn of time, the cloud giants forged a pact with the elemental spirits of the sky and mountain to safeguard their dead.  And so, to this very day, cloud giants climb Mount Paranore in their twilight days, and ascend to the Lofty Tempest.If asked about the storm giants, Chogrin becomes grim.  These giants are a blight on his ancestors' graves.  He did see them pass up into the Tempest as the dawn broke.  Chogrin also saw their leader, the young human with the singing blade.  Finally, he also noticed that one of the storm giants was carrying a huge, ornate bow.The way up to the Lofty Tempest is along the cloud giant's arm, which is not a terribly difficult climb.  Taken slowly and carefully, the characters should be able to enter this aerial mire with relative ease.  The cloud giant bodies are packed close enough that navigation isn't a challenge.Footing in combat, however, is another story.The DM is encouraged to make use of more combat encounters than those listed here.  There are roughly twenty storm giants in the slaver group, but they could easily have allies; gryphons, rocs, or any aerial threat would be particularly appropriate.  Below is detailed the key encounter.Gregory Pennlynn, King of the SlaversThe Slavers of the Lofty Tempest have made their base towards the western edge of the gyre, lashing together about twenty cloud giant corpses into a serviceable platform.  A large, sturdy pen holds about twenty creatures, mostly ogres and smaller giants.  The slavers deal in monstrous slaves (more readily available here, and they bring a much higher profit), but there are also a handful of humans here as well.  A special silver cage sits off to one side, containing Swiftclaw.  The bulk of the storm giants are here, as is Gregory Pennlynn.  As the adventurers approach, it becomes clear just who is leading the band; Gregory is a spitting image of his father, just thirty years younger.The young lordling is a capable combatant; he's a very mobile fighter, swift and deadly.  His storm giant companions are equally deadly, though they are considerably less agile.  The adventurers may attempt diplomacy, trying to convince Gregory to take a peaceful solution.  He left home out of a restless boredom to seek a life of adventure, however, and he has no desire to return to that.  Furthermore, he has murdered people, and he doesn't think his father would forgive him for it.  It would be difficult, but not impossible to convince the young lordling to give up the scheme.The fight should be an exciting encounter.  Consider the fantastic terrain; this battle takes place across the floating bodies of dead giants, miles above the mountain pass below!  The opportunities for memorable manoeuvres and daring deeds are all around.  The battlefield is riddled with small or large crevasses, where large or small creatures could fall (or be pushed) to their death.  And of course, if an adventurer should fall, there's always the chance to grab hold of a giant corpse floating just a little lower, to climb back up and into the fight.  The dead giants aren't easy to navigate, either; footing is precarious, which both parties can take advantage of.  The DM should make sure not to hinder their players overmuch, but also ensure that the terrain plays a role.It should also be noted that one of the storm giants is wielding Mjornheil, the songbow.  This bow is a powerful magic item, and the giant wielding it should be hitting more often and a fair bit harder than his friends.  The players also have the option to free the weretiger; he is a capable combatant, even without weapons.  If an adventurer spends the time to get the cage open, he will eagerly get revenge on his kidnappers!Once the slavers are defeated, Swiftclaw will thank the players for their aid.  He will show them the only item he managed to grab when he was kidnapped; a broken chronometer.  It is Provalor's chronometer; the artificer dropped it while aiding the storm giant raid.  This little piece of evidence should point very strongly in the halfling's direction.Justice Served ColdThe adventurers return triumphant with the rescued Swiftclaw, the recovered songbow, and the broken timepiece.  Things move fairly quickly; they return to Ridgecrest Keep, and with Swiftclaw, are ushered in to see Lord Pennlynn.  There, they find Provalor the Proficient looking uneasy, which turns to panic when they reveal the broken chronometer.  There is no denying his role in events, however; Lord Pennlynn had his own suspicions that the storm giants had inside aid, and the evidence points the way pretty clearly.  Provalor is led away in chains, to be tried at a later date, and a major step towards lycanthrope suffrage is made.Contest Elements In UseWeretiger - The weretiger is, naturally, Zellenin / SwiftclawAerial swamp - The aerial swamp is the Lofty Tempest.  A swamp is full of dead organic matter, so I figured that a sky swamp would be full of dead cloud giants.Human slaver - The human slaver is Gregory Pennlynn.Universal suffrage - The entire conflict is brought about through the lycanthrope's struggle for suffrage.Broken chronometer - The broken timepiece is the damning evidence for Provalor.Songbow - The songbow is Mjornheil, which changes hands several times during this adventure.</blockquote>

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