Hall of the Fire Giant King

At last, the players in my Swords & Wizardry campaign came to the last of the Giant Series adventures, The Hall of the Fire Giant King. They had to get some information out of the spirit of the dead Frost Giant Jarl first, and then it was off to the Fire Giant. As written, the Fire Giant dungeon has the King right in one of the first rooms the players are likely to enter. He sent his guards to deal with the players and slipped out a secret door. But this leads to either a dead-end treasure vault or his personal quarters where he can pick up more giants for help. I assumed we would do the latter. The players were on the Fire Giant King's trail so quickly he did not get a chance to get further away than his quarters, and then magic spells brought him down.

The adventure ended there. The players did not see a reason to go on. They learned that the Drow were behind the attacks on the human realm but they reasoned that the Drow would not be able to fight on without their pawns. They could not survive in the sunlight. The beautiful maps I had for levels 2 and 3 of the dungeon were for naught. I even spent some time prepping the Underdark in case the players decided to pursue the Drow.

Comparing the three dungeons, the players enjoyed the Glacial Rift the most. They spent much time exploring the ice caves on either side of the rift. They loved the encounter with the pair of white dragons and the final showdown with the Jarl. The Steading of the Hill Giants was one big melee after another. The Hall of the Fire Giants was anti-climatic.

Session 174: The Hall of the Fire Giant King

Lakima (human magic user), Eathwund (human fighter), Aldus (human cavalier), Ambro Feyvine (elven thief), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC), Aelshara (half-elven magic user/fighter), Luna (charmed Human Fighter NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon has just killed Jarl Grugnur, leader of the Frost Giants. They had hoped to question the Jarl about the attacks on Human lands while he was still alive, but he fought to the death. Their new Storm Giant friend Uldinia carries the dead body of the Jarl of the Frost Giants as the Company leaves the Glacial Rift. Lakima still has the repulsion spell functioning on him.

Lakima made his way in silence through the caves until he entered the ice tunnels. Ahead, he heard movement, and when he entered one of the caves that the Frost Giants used as a guardpost, he saw almost a dozen yeti in the cave. The Yeti yelped in confusion when they found they could not pounce upon Lakima who looked undefended.

“Death!” Lakima hissed and cast the death spell. All of the Yeti collapsed in heaps on the cave floor. All dead from Lakima’s powerful magic. Lakima reached the ledge of the glacial rift and began the long climb to the glacier. Climbing up the steps carved for giants took almost an hour. Reaching the glacier, Lakima dispelled the repulsion spell. Ten minutes later, the rest of the Company joined him,  with Uldinia striding at the party's rear carrying the dead Jarl.

“Ambro, scout ahead. Let’s get off this glacier and back to the ship,” Lakima shouted.

Ambro began to cross the glacier avoiding a hill of snow on the ice. Then a strange creature erupted from the ice, an insectoid body 40 feet long covered in blue scales. The creature had a spine and crested head glowing red-hot with heat. In let out a strange raspy scream and launched itself at the adventurers.

“A remorhaz!” Lakima shouted, “Beware, its blood can damage weapons!”

Aldus and Ian moved back once they heard Lakima’s shouted warning. Eathwund, however, did not heed it, and he charged into battle against the creature, slashing into its soft belly. The creature turned to attack, but Eathwund managed to redirect its blows with his shield. Uldinia dropped the Jarl’s corpse in the snow and picked up a huge chunk of ice. Hurling it, the ice block crushed the head of the creature, and it lay still.

“Is it dead?” Aldus asked.

Ambro poked at the corpse and nodded to the group. Then she headed off, scouting ahead again. The rest of the company picked up their burdens, (sacks, backpacks, and a frost giant corpse), and followed. Ambro eventually returned and told everyone that the steps down from the glacier were clear.

“I can see the mast of the Cloudstealer in the distance,” Ambro shouted.

The company arrived at the camp their henchmen had built around the Cloudstealer late in the afternoon. Lakima told the assembled henchmen and the rescued prisoners what events had transpired. A snow squall came up, and everyone took cover under the tent in the camp or onboard the flying ship.

The following day Domago busied himself casting healing spells on Aldus and Ian until the two were almost back at full health. He used the remaining healing magic on Uldinia. Domago then cast speak with dead on the corpse of Jarl Grugnur. The Jarl’s spirit told them that the King Snurre Ironbelly of the Fire Giants was his ally in the war on humans. He also revealed that King Snurre took his orders from elves. The final question they asked gave the company the location of the Fire Giant Hall near an unnamed volcano in the Valen Peaks.

“We should set out for the Fire Giant Hall tomorrow,” Domago said.

“We have to go to Larm,” Lakima countered, “You are forgetting the prisoners we rescued.” Domago looked suitably embarrassed. Ulein, one of the prisoners, offered to try to lead the other prisoners to the wilderness road. Lakima told him that they would fly them to Larm. Having heard the words of the dead Jarl, her tormentor, Uldinia thanked the Company and told them she was long overdue for her planned visit to her uncle. She waved goodbye and walked off to the north.

The Cloudstealer, with the Company and guests onboard, headed south toward Larm. A two-day trip. Aelshara told the group that she would go with them to the Hall of the Fire Giants. The Cloudstealer only spent one night in Larm. They arrived late at night, dropped off the prisoners, and gave the militia captain the news of the giants. The following day, Lakima gathered some snow and cast the ritual spells needed to create a new simulacrum of Luna. Luna rose up from the ground once the spells were cast.

“That’s not natural,” Aldus said quietly.

Soon, the ship was airborne again, headed for the volcanic fields of the Fire Giants. Two days of flying brought them north enough over the Valen Peaks to see the unnamed volcano. The volcano was belching dark smoke, and a river of lava could be seen running down one slope. A large valley a few miles long lay before the volcano. The valley looked like a hellscape of volcanic vents and heaps of slag.

“There! On the side of that hill of slag,” Ambro shouted from the bow. Everyone moved to the railings to look. Two huge obsidian doors could be seen on the side of a slag hill. A flat area lay in front of the doors. Lakima brought the Cloudstealer down close to the ground a few hundred feet from the doors.

“If anyone approaches the ship, you ascend and get out of here,” Lakima told August, his apprentice. “I will know how to find you.”

Lakima, Eathwund, Aldus, Ambro, Domago, Ian, Luna, and Aelshara descended on a rope ladder to the ground below. Ambro ran forward to check the stone doors. The rest of the Company followed at a slower pace, Aldus and Eathwund in the lead.

“The doors are not locked or trapped,” Ambro said. “But there is no handle to open them.”

“Eathwund?” Lakima said.

Eathwund walked up to the doors and struggled to open one. It would not budge. He tried pushing and grabbing the bottom of the door and pulling. He moved on to the second door and found he was able to get his fingers under an edge. Using his giant strength, he pulled the door open. Beyond was a hallway lined with black stones. Huge red tapestries lined the walls at intervals. Flaming gas jet fixtures lit the hall. There was a distant echo of what might be giant footsteps.

“Wait,” Lakima said, “Domago cast a silence spell, and then I will step out of the area and cast a mass invisibility spell.”

“Right. Maybe we can get the drop on the giants!” Aldus said in agreement.

With the spells cast, the group enters the hall, invisible and silent. They walked boldly down the hall until Ambro signaled two creatures ahead. The group moved forward until they could all see two strange, two-headed giants carrying a pair of clubs each. The creatures, Lakima knew to be Ettin, swung their heads about from side to side, constantly scanning the area for intruders. The Ettin patrolled an enormous, well-lit hallway. Five-foot-in-diameter stone pillars held up the 60-foot-high ceiling. The dark stone floor was inlaid with swirls of lighter-colored stone. They could see a Fire Giant sitting on a large throne in the far distance to the east. Gems sparkled on the throne.

The Hall of the Fire Giant King

Lakima signaled the attack as Aldus, Ian, Domago, and Eathwund took positions beside the Ettins. They attacked, gaining surprise. The invisibility was dispelled once they made the first attack. But the surprise was enough to get the jump on the Ettins, and both were soon killed. While the attack had been silent, their fight had not gone unnoticed. A quartet of Fire Giants could be seen striding down the hallway toward them, with two enormous hellhounds leading. The Company vanquished the Fire Giants and the Hellhounds. Lakima dispelled the silence spell so they could speak again. He then cast a wall of iron spell blocking the passage they entered from.

“Why did you do that?” Aelshara asked.

“I don’t want to worry about someone coming up behind us.”

The group approached the throne area at the far end of the hall. The Fire Giant, who had been sitting on the throne, was gone.

“There was a King on this throne,” Lakima said, looking at the empty throne. He looked around but saw no passages from the throne area. The stone wall behind the throne was carved with bas-reliefs showing a Fire Giant King defeating dragons, fire giants, and other harder-to-identify monsters. Ambro approached the throne and checked it carefully. Once she was certain it was not trapped, she began prying dozens of gems out of the back and sides of the thrones.

“Fire opals and rubies,” Ambro said, “Finally, a giant with some treasure.”

Lakima checked the wall carefully but did not see any cracks that could indicate a door. He took out the Wand of Secret Door Detection and immediately discovered that one of the carvings of a Giant King concealed a door.

“Here is where he went!”

Ambro opened the secret door and ducked into the dark passage beyond. She returned after a short absence.

“There are no visible exits from the hallway,” Ambro said, looking at Lakima’s wand.

The entire Company entered the hallway and traveled to its end. Lakima took out the wand of secret door detection and immediately found a secret door.

“Eathwund, Aldus, you go first!” Lakima said and then triggered the door.

The secret door opened into the secret passage. It revealed a chamber carved from the rock, well-lit by gas lamps hanging on the walls. Directly before them was an enormous bed and four iron chests. In front of the bed, a group of four fire giants waited expectantly, weapons ready, behind a giant table they had tipped over for cover.

Lakima immediately cast a confusion spell. Fire Giants and their hellhound pets began shouting at each other. These shouts escalated to shoves and an all-out battle as fire giants attacked each other and the hellhounds. Into this confusing melee, Eathwund and Aldus began attacking distracted Fire Giants. The Hellhounds fell beneath the blades of the fire giants, and Aldus and Eathwund each killed a giant. Then, the fire giant leader arrived on the melee scene with four more hellhounds. Deducing that Lakima was the cause of the confusion, he picked up a boulder and hurled it at Lakima. The boulder struck Lakima, knocking him sideways. Luna took up a defensive position in front of Lakima. Lakima cast a mirror image spell to create four false images of himself.

Eathwund and Aldus brought down the last fire giants and began fighting through the hellhounds. Lakima cast flesh to stone on the Fire Giant king and was pleased to see it work. The king of the fire giants was turned to stone. Once the battle was ended, Lakima told Eathwund to tie up the Fire Giant. Eathwund pulled the rope from his sack and bound the giant statue as securely as possible. Lakima then pulled a scroll out of the bag of holding and cast stone to flesh.

The Fire Giant’s eyes opened, and he began to furiously struggle against the ropes. The sword he clutched in one hand burst into flames and burned through the ropes.

“Ambro. Tell him to surrender, or he will be killed!” Lakima shouted.

Ambro shouted at the Fire Giant in giantish telling him to surrender but the giant ignored her commands. The ropes burned through and he fell forward face-first on the stone floor.

“Get him!” Lakima shouted.

Eathwund, Ian, Domago, and Aldus all pummeled the Fire Giant on the floor. The giant took grievous wounds but struggled to his feet and shouted a war cry. He swung his giant, flaming sword at Eathwund, but the attack was blocked.

“Keep trying to get him to surrender!” Lakima shouted. Ambro continued yelling at the giant in his native tongue.

“Don’t kill him yet!” Lakima shouted.

Too late, Eathwund stabbed the giant through the chest, killing him. The fire giant tumbled to the floor dead.

“Oops,” Eathwund said.

“Ambro, scout ahead and make sure no more Fire Giants are headed our way,” Lakima shouted. “Domago. I hope you have speak with dead?”

Domago nodded and cast the spell. The ghostly spirit of the Fire Giant rose up from the corpse. The angry spirited swiped ineffectually at Domago with a ghostly sword.

“Who dares disturb King Snurre of the Fire Giants”

Lakima whispered to Domago the questions he wanted asked.

“Who is behind your attacks on the human realms?”

“I am following the orders of the Drow,” the spirit answered.

“How did you come into contact with the Drow?”

“I encountered their emissaries when clearing the deepest dungeons beneath these Halls.”

“Where do the Drow come from?”

“They come from the Underdark, miles beneath our feet.”

The spirit then sighed and vanished. The entire company stood there looking at the corpse. Slowly, everyone began to look at Lakima.

“Let’s leave,” Lakima said, “We have accomplished our task.”

“But what of the Drow,” Domago asked. “We should learn their plans.”

“The Giants were their instrument. The Drow cannot survive on the surface in the sunlight. Without the Giants, their schemes are finished.”

“I am not as certain as you,” Aelshara said. “We certainly broke the backs of the Hill Giants. But the Frost Giants still have numbers, and another Jarl will step forward. We have barely scratched the Fire Giants.”

“We killed their King. We have loped off the head of the beast,” Lakima said with finality. “Let’s leave this place and go home.”

At that moment, Ambro entered the chamber, dragging a large sack full of gold coins. She looked around at the silent group.

“What did I miss?”

The Fire Giants did not let the Company of the Black Dragon leave uncontested. Retracing their steps, they found gnolls and fire giants approaching the hall where they had fought the Ettins. Lakima cast a wall of ice to block their entrance to the Hall. The ice wall would not last long, but he cast repulsion on a projected image near the hall to allow them to escape. They found their exit blocked by the wall of iron that Lakima had created when they entered the dungeon. Lakima had to cast an acid finger spell to burn a hole through the iron wall. Eathwund was the first to step through the hole in the wall, and he was attacked by a Fire Giant guard. The guard was soon killed.

The Company exited the Hall of the Fire Giants and signaled August on the Cloudstealer. A rope ladder was tossed down to them, and everyone climbed back aboard the ship.

“That was quick?” August asked.

“They did not have much fight in them,” Lakima answered, “We are headed home to Edgerton.”

It took two days of uneventful travel to reach Edgerton. Once they arrived back at their Manor House, Lakima told the Company they needed to report to Duke Robert immediately. Aelshara told Lakima that she also should report. They took the portal to the Bridgeway and the Bridgeway to Dolmvay. Arriving near the palace, they were taken directly to meet with Duke Robert and his advisors.

Lakima told Duke Robert the story of their exploits. Robert asked whether they felt the threat of the Giants had been dealt with, and Lakima claimed it had. Robert told them that he had sent his flying ship with a company of knights to arrest his half-brother Uther. Uther abandoned his capital and fled to his stronghold, Fort Doom. Robert told them that even with a flying ship, a long siege would likely occur. Robert then tried to entice Aldus to take charge of the siege of Fort Doom in return for the title of Earl of Calwell. Aldus thanked Duke Robert but politely declined. 

The group returned to Edgerton and decided it was time to take a long break from adventuring. Domago wished to lead a company of priests to Aleenton to re-open the Shrine of St. Aleena. Eathwund had a new Inn in Peake’s Crossing to look after. Lakima had spell research he wished to complete. Aldus felt it was time for Ian to take the test to move from squire to knight. Aelshara said goodbye, telling them she wished to keep an eye on the giants in case any new trouble started. Ambro was silent and decided to wander the town, looking for something to do. She was troubled by dreams in which the Dark Lady warned of the threat from a Spider God.

Thus ended the adventures of the Company of the Black Dragon, for now.

Battle with Jarl Grugnur

The players returned to the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl this past week. It allowed me to set up the Rift for a return foray. I had the Jarl of the Frost Giants set up in his throne chamber with the rest of the Frost Giants and Polar bears arrayed in side tunnels to ambush the players. We got a massive melee in the audience chamber. The players killed the Jarl but were severely outnumbered by Frost Giants. The use of a Repulsion spell turned the tide. The Frost Giants could not approach the group. High-level magic is often the deciding factor in these high-level games.

Session 173: Confronting Jarl Grugnur

Lakima (human magic user), Eathwund (human fighter), Aldus (human cavalier), Ambro Feyvine (elven thief), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC), Aelshara (half-elven magic user/fighter), Luna (charmed Human Fighter NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon has been charged by Duke Robert of Valnwall with putting a stop to the raids by Giants on the Duchy and to find out who or what is behind the raids. They stormed the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and learned that Jarl Grugnur of the Frost Giants paid for the Hill Giants to attack human lands. Now they have entered the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, and after many battles with ogres and frost giants, they have rescued prisoners and need to get out of the ice caves to rest and recover.

The company makes it back through their path in the lower caves, passing the scenes of their past battles. Then, they ascend back to the ice caves.

“Which way?” Ambro asked.

“Back the way we came,” Lakima said, pointing right.

Ambro took the lead well in front of the rest of the company. Their numbers swelled to 13 by the rescued prisoners Ulein, Olbigo, Ciri, and Sefi. Aldus and Ian stayed back far enough that they could just see Ambro slipping through the shadows ahead. Behind them came Domago and Eathwund, then Lakima and the simulacrum Luna. Finally, Aelshara led the freed prisoners and the storm giant Uldinia. Uldinia found the tunnel small and confining.

Ambro returned to the group and warned that she had spotted ogres ahead.

“They found the guardroom and the frost giants we killed there,” Ambro said.

“They will expect us. Fighters to the front and charge them!” Lakima said.

Eathwund and Aldus led the group into the cave, followed by Ian and Domago. Six ogres were encountered and quickly killed. One ogre tried to flee but was cut down by Eathwund. Ambro checked through the corpses but did not find any treasure.

“These frost giants and their underlings seem far poorer than the hill giants,” Ambro complained.

The group continued north. Ambro’s keen senses warned her just in time as she crossed an intersection of two tunnels. She leaped forward to avoid the clubs of five ogres bent on an ambush. Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian took care of the Ogres but Ian was injured yet again.

“Where to?” Lakima asked.

“Out onto the ledge,” Ambro pointed to an open tunnel. Orange light flooded in the caves. “It looks like the sun is setting.”

They headed back from the ledge into the ice caves until the tunnels came back onto another ledge. To their right was the long climb out of the rift and onto the glacier. The party climbed the steps cut into the ice by the frost giants until they reached the glacier. Crossing the glacier took another half hour, and then they descended the slippery ramp down the front of the glacier. In the distance, they could just make out the tall mast of their ship, the Cloudstealer.

The party arrived at the camp August had set up after the sunset. Exhausted and injured.

“It will take a few days of resting for me to heal the fighters and perhaps longer for our giant friend,” Domago told Lakima.

Lakima looked about the campfire at his injured companions. Aldus, Ian, Domago, and Uldinia were all badly injured. It might take a week to heal. He looked at Eathwund, who was busying himself chopping firewood. Eathwund was fully healed and looked full of energy, which was the benefit of his Ring of Regeneration. Lakima then had a thought.

“Eathwund. Could you loan your ring to some of the fighters?”

Eathwund looked up, startled.

“I guess… But I would need it back.”

“Of course, it would only take a few minutes per person,” Lakima said.

Eathwund struggled to get the Ring of Regeneration off his finger. It seemed to be stuck on tightly. Once off, he handed it to Aldus. Aldus put on the ring and sighed in relief. After a few minutes, he looked hale and hearty again. Eathwund tapped Aldus on the shoulder and held out his hand. Aldus returned the ring.

This continued with Ian, Domago, Ambro, and Lakima each taking turns with the ring. Eathwund looked relieved each time it was returned to him. He then looked in askance at the Uldinia, the storm giant. Uldinia was severely injured. Blood dripped from an open wound on her right arm. She sat on one side of the fire, blocking the wind for the rest of the party.

“Sorry, Uldinia. I don’t think this will fit you.” Eathwund slipped the ring on his finger. It would need to be the size of a barrel hoop to fit Uldinia.

Lakima suggested that he could magically temporarily shrink Uldinia to human size, but Uldinia refused the offer. Lakima persisted and suggested that it was the smart thing to do.

“I have endured many humiliations these past months,” Uldinia said,” I will not add being shrunk down to a tiny size one for them.” That ended the argument.

The party rested for the night. Those who were not as tired took turns on watch. The released prisoners told their stories around the campfire. Lakima suggested it would be best if they stayed and guarded the campsite.

“The frost giants will be ready for us this time,” Lakima said.

“Maybe they think we came to rescue the prisoners,” Domago suggested, “Maybe they cannot imagine we would return.”

Lakima just looked pointedly at Domago.

“I don’t believe it either,” Domago admitted.

Having rested, Domago administered treatment to Uldinia’s wounds and used his most powerful healing spells. After he finished, the open wounds were closed, but Uldinia still labored when she walked.

“Ambro, can you scout ahead to the glacier while we pack up?” Lakima asked.

Ambro nodded and slipped the hood of her elven cloak over her head. She jogged off toward the glacier. The rest of the party assembled their gear and set out toward the glacier. After a half hour, Ambro returned to the group.

“There are Frost Giants on the ramp up onto the glacier,” Ambro said. “They lie in wait with boulders ready to smash us if we come up the ramp.”

“Then we should surprise them,” Lakima said.

“We will take the Cloudstealer to the top of the glacier,” Lakima said.

“I don’t like having them behind us,” Aldus said, “And how will Uldinia fit on the boat?”

Lakima looked at Uldinia. The Cloudstealer was only about twice as big as her, and next to her, it looked like a rowboat.

“I will arrive alone at the base and distract them,” Uldinia said.

“Then we can hit them from above,” Aldus added.

“Are you sure you are up to it,” Lakima told Uldinia.

“They are lesser giants,” Uldinia said in response.

“Yeah, but you are not at your full strength,” Lakima said.

“I will manage.”

Uldinia set out for the glacier while the company with August and the crew flew high up and to the west in the Cloudstealer. As Uldinia neared the glacier, the Cloudstealer settled on the glacier just above the path to the top. As expected, the frost giants began hurling boulders at Uldinia as soon as she came into range. She was struck three times.

“She’s getting pummeled!” Aldus shouted.

“Attack!” Lakima yelled.

He directed the fighters forward down the ramp while the Cloudstealer, with the rest of the company on board, flew out over the giants. Lakima yelled at Aelshara to use the wand of lightning bolts. The frost giants stopped hurling boulders at Uldinia and threw them at the flying ship. Three boulders crashed into the ship before the fighters overran the giants. The fight was soon over. All of the Frost Giants lay dead. Uldinia climbed slowly up the path until she joined them on the glacier.

“You need healing,” Domago told her.

“Save it. We will need it when we confront Grugnur!”

The party made their way across the glacier and again descended into the rift with Ambro in the lead.

“Take the right path this time!” Lakima shouted as the wind and snow began to swirl about them.

Ambro nodded and headed off down the right descent.

“Is this wise?” Domago asked.

“They might not suspect it,” Lakima answered.

The party followed Ambro along the ledge on the side of the rift. Continually descending. They passed the first few caves until they came to one blocked by a rock.

“Uldinia. Can you move this? They are protecting something here. Maybe it is the Jarl,” Lakima shouted. Uldinia could barely hear him as she towered above and took the brunt of the wind. She stepped forward, picked up the boulder, and tossed it into the rift. Ambro immediately entered the cave and scouted ahead.

When she returned, she gave them a report on what lay ahead.

“There is a large cave outfitted as a guardpost or barracks. I counted a half dozen Frost giants on watch.”

“Are they alert?” Lakima asked.

“Yes. We will not be able to surprise them.”

Lakima told Eathwund, Aldus, Ian, and Domago to take the lead. The others would support them with missiles and magic. Eathwund led the charge into the chamber. Immediately, he shouted a warning as he saw a small cave off to one side where four frost giants rested. He rushed to attack the first frost giant who stepped in front of him.

Lakima heard Eathwund shout the warning and instantly changed the spell he was preparing.

“I am on it!” Lakima shouted, then cast a Wall of Iron across the mouth of the side cave.

The fight went well for the heroes until reinforcements arrived. Another six frost giants entered the cave from the north. Things looked desperate as the front-line fighters took the brunt of the assault.

“Elf. Use the wand!” Lakima shouted at Aelshara.

“It only has 2 charges remaining!”

“Use it!”

Aelshara cast a lightning bolt from the wand, blasting into the frost giants. If gave a brief respite, but none of the giants faltered. Lakima used the pause to summon an Owl Bear! The Owlbear appeared out of nowhere and launched into the frost giants, slashing with its claws and biting with its beak. The ferocity of the owl bear’s attacks pushed the frost giants back, but they soon ganged up on it. The owl bear fell, but the tide had turned, and soon the Frost giants were also falling. Lakima finished them off with a fireball.

As the smoke cleared Ambro busied herself searching the dead giants. Lakima walked over to the corpse of the frost giant who had seemed to be leading the fight. He asked Uldinia if this was the Jarl. She shook her head. It was just one of his underlings. Lakima asked Domago to cast speak with dead on the corpse. Soon the spirit of a dead frost giant rose up.

“What do you wish of me,” the ghost spat out in anger.

“Where is the Jarl?” Lakima asked.

“He is below in his audience chamber.”

“How do we get to this audience chamber?”

The spirit gave them some vague directions. Lakima could not think of anything else he wished to ask, but the frost giant's spirit could not leave until they asked a third question.

“Anyone else have a question?”

No one said anything, so Uldinia stepped forward and asked a question.

“Why did Grugnur dare imprison me and risk the wrath of the Storm Giants?”

“His bad luck. He is enamored with you.”

The spirit vanished.

Ambro set out south, scouting the route ahead. Aldus and Ian slipped off behind her. Lakima paused to prepare a spell near the wall of iron. Aelshara stepped closer, not recognizing the spell he had cast. She could hear the faint thumps and shouts of the frost giants trapped on the other side of the wall of iron. When Lakima completed the spell, a bright spark appeared in front of the wall and then faded from sight.

“What was that?” Aelshara asked.

“A little surprise for when the wall vanishes in an hour. A delayed blast fireball,” Lakima said with a smirk.

The group found that they were at a dead end. They would need to retrace their steps to get further south, where they knew the ramp to the lower level resided. They exited back out onto the ledge and headed along it south. A short distance along, they entered another cave in the side of the rift and followed it south until it exited back out on the ledge. Below, they could see a pack of winter wolves running through the snow at the bottom of the rift. Ambro led them into another cave and headed south well in the lead.

Ambro soon returned. “A small cave ahead is being used as a guardpost. There are at least two frost giants stationed on watch. Another tunnel heads east, just past the cave. If my sense of direction is correct, it should lead to the ramp to the lower caves.”

“Two will be easy. We have this.” Aldus said and motioned to Eathwund.

“Wait. I have an idea,” Lakima said. “I will cast a darkness spell in the tunnel. You run up to the edge, and then I will drop the spell.”

The two fighters rushed down the tunnel, followed by Ian and Domago. Lakima cast a globe of darkness in front of them. They could hear the confused voices of the frost giants just ahead. The fighters readied their weapons. The darkness fell, and Eathwund and Aldus leaped at the frost giants, gaining surprise. The pair of giants fell, but another two emerged from an area that was out of sight from the entrance. But soon, all four giants were dead. Eathwund searched the corpses and found nothing. Ambro headed off down the side tunnel, which led out onto the ledge again. Then she followed another tunnel back into the rock. Two routes stood before her. In one direction, she could see a dim flickering light. In the other, there was only the cold and darkness. A short time later, the rest of the party caught up with her. The giant Uldinia against having to turn sideways in the tunnel. But at least these tunnels were high enough to allow her to stand up straight.

Ambro told the company what she had learned. Lakima suggested heading toward the light so Ambro investigated. She crept up to a turn in the tunnel. Peering around the corner so saw three fire giants. One stood in front of a large brazier full of burning coals. She carefully slipped away to the group and told them.

“We don’t need another fight,” Lakima said, “Let's take the dark tunnel.”

The dark, cold tunnel led through the rock for a few hundred feet before they came to the familiar junction where the tunnel was joined by the entrance to the lower caves. The entire group prepared, expecting an ambush or traps as they descended. But below the entrance, the cavern was quiet. Torches still flickered along the walls, casting shadows over the large carvings of frost giant victories. The boulder to the dragon’s lair was still pushed to one side, but the boulder that had concealed the frost giant's lair was back in place.

A tight fit for the Storm Giant

“Search for the trigger,” Lakima whispered. Aelshara, Ambro, and Lakima looked. It was Lakima who found it and triggered it. The boulder rolled into the cavern beyond.

“Check it out,” Lakima whispered.

Ambro slipped forward and peered into the cavern, where they had a battle with ogres, frost giants, and a cloud giant the day before. All of the dead were gone. On the floor, there was a thick trail, five feet wide, of darkened blood. Ambro knelt and stuck a finger on the floor. The blood was still sticky. She motioned the others and then advanced. There was no sound in the caves. All was quiet. She looked into a chamber to the south at the crossroads beyond the cavern. The corpses of ogres were heaped in piles near the entrance. Frost Giant corpses were laid out on hides and furs. In the center, the corpse of the cloud giant lay. Ambro moved back to the party.

“It’s quiet. All the dead have been laid out in a cave,” she said.

“Too quiet,” Lakima said.

“Maybe they are gone?” Domago added.

The group filed past the cave full of the dead.

“Why would they drag them here?” Aldus asked.

“They prepare them for a funeral pyre,” Uldinia said, “It is the way of the Frost Giants.”

Ambro led the group through the caves to the cavern where the barricade had been built. The barrels still stood in the center of the cavern, but the dead were gone, and the cavern was empty.

“This is creepy,” Aldus said.

“The audience chamber is ahead,” Uldinia said.

The group entered the great cavern audience chamber. The chamber was lit dimly by a few cages holding live fire beetles. All was still and quiet. The adventurers spread out. They heard the laughter of a giant that echoed off of the wall.

“Come forward and show yourselves. Intruders. Thieves!”

“Avengers. We come to avenge the humans you have killed!” Lakima shouted back.

“Step forward so I can see you!” the voice called again.

As the adventurers moved forward, they began making a dais of stone. Atop it was a throne of mammoth bones. On the throne sat a large frost giant wearing a dragon skull crown. To either side of him were polar bears. In the shadows, they saw frost-giant warriors to either side of the dais. Ambro slipped on her Ring of Flying and ascended to get a better look.

“There is a frost giant with a ballista on the ledge,” Ambro shouted down.

“So, these are the heroes that the humans have sent to challenge me,” the frost giant said.

“Puny weaklings,” he scoffed.

“You dare incur the wrath of Jarl Grugnur!”

“We have killed dozens of your kind already,” Lakima boasted, “I don’t think you will be very difficult to kill.”

“Spoken like a child, like all humans are,” Grugnur replied.

“We have killed many Frost Giants and the White Worm,” Lakima stated.

This seemed to give the Jarl pause. He stepped forward from his throne. Several of the frost giant warriors edged forward, but the Jarl held up his hand to stop them.

“You killed the White Worm? You?”

“We did,” Lakima said proudly.

“Then I am in your debt. The White Worm enslaved many of my tribe,” Grugnur said.

“If you leave now you may go in peace,” he said, “I will give you safe passage.”

“Will you stop all of the attacks on human lands,” Lakima challenged.

“We have claimed the human lands. I give you your freedom. The rest of the humans will be our slaves,” roared Grugnur.

“You should have surrendered while you had the chance,” Lakima yelled back.

“Impudent human,” Grugnur roared and shouted out one word in giant.

A loud noise and a ballista bolt the size of a spear struck Uldinia through the side. She slipped but then recovered and grabbed a boulder at her feet. The frost giants roared battle cries and surged forward. The polar bears were unleashed and charged forward as well. What happened next was a battle for the ages. Eathwund, Aldus, Ian, Luna, and Domago manned a melee line and kept the giants at bay. Eathwund challenged the Jarl himself. Uldinia stood back and hurled boulders at the frost giant with the ballista on the high rock shelf. Ambro flew above, firing arrows at giants. Lakima cast spells. A fear spell sent two of the polar bears fleeing. Aelshara used up the wand of lightning bolts on the frost giants, and then she cast an Ice Storm. Lakima cast a wall of fire about the party to protect them, and then he summoned an enormous fire elemental. Luna fell beneath the blows of a frost giant, and she turned to a pile of snow that melted almost immediately. Uldinia, Ian, and Aldus were badly injured. The battle flowed back and forth. Several frost giants fell, but others took their place. Then Eathwund slew the Frost Giant Jarl. Several of the frost giants fell back. Lakima cast a repulsion spell that forced the giants to only move away from him and the party.

“Uldinia. Tell them to surrender!” Lakima shouted.

Uldinia shouted to the frost giants in their tongue. There was a pause and then angry shouted words back at Uldinia. The Frost giants began to move back and leave the cavern.

“They are afraid of your strange magic that does not allow them to come near us,” Uldinia said.

“Are they surrendering?”

“They do not surrender. They are enraged but confused by the magic.” 

“Do they agree never to attack human lands again,” Lakima asked.

“No. This is a brief reprise. They need to choose a new Jarl. They would attack us if they could.”

“I think we have accomplished enough. Let’s leave.” Lakima said.

Uldinia came over to where Eathwund stood beside the fallen Jarl. Eathwund was removing the dragon skull crown from his head. Uldinia looked down. Then she removed a sea shell from her pouch, leaned down, and handed it to Eathwund.

“Uhh. Thanks,” Eathwund said, looking at the white shell. The interior was covered in strange runes.

“It marks you as a friend of the storm giants,” Uldinia said, “For slaying my tormenter. I wish I could have slain him myself, but I am glad you did the feat.”

“You’re welcome,” Eathwund said.

“I will leave you now. I am forever grateful that you freed me and slew my captor,” Uldinia said to the group.

“Wait. We will head out with you,” Lakima said. He looked at the Frost giant warriors still backing away into the side tunnels.

“Is that all?” Aldus asked.

“We killed Grugnur. He claimed to be behind the attacks.”

“It is clear Grugnur did not have the gold, gems, or the intelligence to put this together himself,” Uldinia said, “Though he bragged to me he was the mastermind, I did not believe him.”

“Domago. Do you have another speak with dead prayer?” Lakima asked.

“We will have to wait a day,” Domago replied.

Lakima suggested cutting the head off the giant and carrying it out but Domago told him there was a good chance it would not work. Uldinia then offered to carry the Jarl’s corpse out of the caverns. She picked up the corpse easily carrying it before her. Lakima told everyone he would take the lead.

“As long as this repulsion spell holds, no creatures can approach me.”

Unfortunately, the party also found they could not approach Lakima so they had to stay out of the range of the spell, 120 feet behind him as they made their way to the glacier above.

Forays

One of the things many of the earliest adventures published by TSR noted was what to do when the party of adventurers retreated temporarily from the dungeon to rest and recover. From the notes Gary Gygax included in the Giant series of adventures, this is a common tactic. I have rarely experienced it as a Game Master. I have had a party quit on an adventure and leave because they felt they had accomplished the goal or were in over their heads. They never want to leave and regroup. As a player this makes a lot of sense to me. The monsters who have been attacked in their lair or going to regroup and plan defenses for the returning adventurers. There is little likelihood of stealth entering a dungeon for a second time.

In the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, my Swords & Wizardry campaign party has experienced battle after battle. They have gained some allies to help with the melee (notably a Storm Giant), but they are injured, the magic user is almost out of spells, and the worst of all, the cleric's staff of healing is almost out of charge. They have decided to retreat and return later. The adventure makes a few suggestions, but it is mainly up to me. This will be tricky because the players decided to retreat just as we closed the evening session. They have yet to make their way out of the dungeon. I might create a before and after map in Roll20, so I have the time to prepare the defenses.

Session 172: The Tunnels of Ice

Lakima (human magic user), Eathwund (human fighter), Aldus (human cavalier), Ambro Feyvine (elven thief), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC), Aelshara (half-elven magic user/fighter), Luna (charmed Human Fighter NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon is exploring the Icefang Glacier's Rift, which is the staging area of the Frost Giants of Jarl Grugnur. The Company has fought its way past the guard posts that line the side of the Rift.

“Which direction now?” Aldus asked Lakima.

Lakima looked about the chamber. The walls were of stone rather than ice but sheets of ice still clung to the walls.

“It looks like we have traveled out of the glacier ice and into the stone mountains of the valley,” Lakima said.

Lakima looked for Ambro and immediately saw the elven thief checking the corpses of the numerous dead frost giants for treasure.

“Ambro, scout ahead,” Lakima said.

Ambro looked up and looked around. She stood up and headed quietly toward the open passage to the south. A tunnel cut through the stone. She returned a short while later.

“The passage heads west but does not break through into the rift. We must be south of the rift in the ice. There is also another tunnel that heads down into the earth and to the south. I can see flickering torchlight at its bottom.”

“Down is usually the right direction, so let's head down,” Lakima said.

The Company formed ranks, with Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian taking positions not far behind Ambro. Lakima, Luna, and Aelshara made up the second rank, and Domago followed closely behind everyone. They turned and descended a sloping stone passage until they arrived in a large cavern lit by four scattered torches.

“Wow! Look at that,” Ambro said, pointing at carvings on the cavern walls.

In places, the rough walls of the natural cavern had been smoothed and carved with murals depicting Frost Giants slaying enemies, hunting dragons, and other fearsome monsters. The carvings appeared to be very old. Four passages led off from the long cavern, but one was purposely blocked by a round boulder.

“If they blocked it off, it must be important,” Lakima said. Give me a moment to check.”

Lakima concentrated and cast the spell wizard eye. A tiny spark of light appeared which drifted off and slipped between the boulder and the rock wall. The rest of the Company waited, watching the shadows warily.

About five minutes later, Lakima sighed and snapped his eyes open.

“There is a White Dragon sitting on a pile of treasure on the other side of that rock,” Lakima said, “It looks to be a mature dragon.”

“Why don’t I check the other passages first,” Ambro said.

She darted quietly down a side passage and soon returned.

“Dead End.”

She got the same result down the next passage she checked. Then was gone a lot longer as she checked the last tunnel. The one furthest to the south. When Ambro returned she told the group that she could see a large cavern with a pair of giant skeletons lying amongst scattered gold coins.

“Did they look to have died peacefully?” Lakima questioned.

“They looked like something killed them,” Ambro said, “I decided not to venture close.”

“Probably killed by a monster, or it could be a trap,” Lakima said.

“The enemy of our enemy could be our friend,” Ambro countered, “I think we should check it out.”

“Who wants to go south, and who wants to fight the dragon?” Lakima said.

The company members seemed undecided. None of them raised a hand. Ambro still wanted to head south.

“I think we should kill the dragon,” Lakima said. This time, Aldus added his support, and finally, Ian and Eathwund also nodded.

Eathwund walked over and looked at the 12-foot-diameter stone boulder. Using the strength of a giant granted by his Girdle of Giant Strength, he shifted the boulder slightly, and it began to roll toward him. Eathwund guided the boulder into the cavern until the passage was clear.

“I am sure it has heard us now,” Lakima said, “Get him!”

Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian ran into the passage with swords drawn and immediately came upon a White Dragon rearing up to meet them. There was a flurry of sword cuts as the Dragons attacks were beaten off, Ambro and Luna helped with a volley of arrows. After a few moments, the Dragon was slashed, pierced, and battered. It timidly slunk down and backed up, seemingly giving up on the fight. There was an enormous roar, and a second White Dragon, this one bigger, appeared around the side of a stone pillar. It launched itself in anger at Aldus and Eathwund.

Lakima began casting a spell. “Get that one,” he pointed at the larger dragon. I’ll take care of the smaller one.” Lakima completed the charm monster spell, and the smaller White Dragon fell under his influence. It moved back completely out of the fight. Meanwhile, Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian attacked the new arrival. The dragon reared up and struck Ian with its long, sharp claws, slicing open the knight's chest.

“No. Ian, get back,” Aldus yelled, renewing his attacks on the White Dragon. Ian remained in the fight, and the larger White Dragon was killed.

“Ian. You should have backed off once you were injured,” Aldus said. Ian slumped against the cavern wall, trying to hold in his ruptured chest. Domago quickly arrived at his side, holding him up. Domago placed a hand on the bloody wound on Ian’s chest and chanted a healing prayer. The wound closed magically.

“You are okay now, Ian,” Domago said.

“Thanks.”

Meanwhile, Ambro busied herself scooping up gold coins into a cloth sack.

Lakima spoke to the White Dragon in draconic, telling it they were friends and there was no reason to fight. The White Dragon confusedly asked why a friend would kill its mate. Lakima assured it that they were just defending themselves. The dragon then complained that the tiny elf was stealing.

“Ambro. Put the gold coins back. We do not want to steal from our new friend,” Lakima said loudly. Ambro paused and looked at the angry white dragon.

“Fine,” Ambro said.

She dumped most of the gold coins back onto the pile. But she slid a handful of coins into a pouch without anyone noticing.

Lakima continued to converse with the White Dragon in its language while his companions stood nearby, their weapons held at the ready.

“It says that the Frost Giants feed it. It does not seem to leave this cavern very often. It did say that there is an entrance to the Frost Giant lair concealed behind a large boulder.”

“It must be south where I saw the treasure,” Ambro said.

Lakima conversed with the Dragon a little longer and then replied.

“The dragon says that it heard the Frost Giants talking about a trap they laid to the south for any unwelcome intruders. I think that is the treasure and the giant skeletons you saw.”

The group moved back into the large cavern with the murals on the walls, leaving the charmed dragon behind on its pile of treasure. They discussed where to go next. Lakima checked the two passaged with dead ends for secret doors but found none. They headed south and checked a side passage that led to a long-abandoned storage chamber. Again, they found no exits. They ended up back in the entrance cavern.

“Maybe it is somewhere here?” Lakima asked.

“Aelshara and I checked the walls,” Ambro said, “Just stone.”

Lakima took out the Wand of Secret Door Detection and checked the walls. The wand outlined a trigger holding a large boulder in place on the east wall. Hiding a tunnel. Ambro went over and pushed the trigger. The boulder rolled into the cavern beyond a short distance, blocking their view. Two Frost Giants stepped into view, shouting a battle cry and attacking with giant axes. Eathwund and Aldus fought the giants, cutting them down. They heard the sound of a horn blowing. The sound echoed through the cavern.

“They raised the alarm,” Lakima shouted, “Be ready!”

Eathwund and Aldus rushed into the cavern past the boulder, confronting many ogres. Aldus shouted at Ian to stay back and protect the spellcasters.

“Aelshara. Use the wand!” Lakima shouted.

Aelshara took out the wand of Lightning bolts and cast the spell into the mass of ogres. The lightning blasted through the ogres, but they all remained standing. Lakima cast a lightning bolt spell through the same group of ogres; this time, most fell dead. The remaining few turned and ran from the adventurers.

Eathwund and Aldus pushed into the cavern. More ogres joined the fight, and the fleeing ogres suddenly turned and came back toward the fight. They heard the sound of giant footsteps approaching.

“There is something out there that scared the ogres more than we do!” Eathwund warned with a shout.

A cloud giant ducked under the far entrance to the cavern and stood up, surveying the scene. In one hand, it held an enormous boulder that it threw at Aldus. The knight managed to deflect most of the impact away with his shield. Aelshara fired a magic missile at the cloud giant. Lakima threw darts, and Luna fired arrows. Ambro put on her ring of flying and flew up upon the entrance boulder. From here, she fired arrows at the cloud giant. Lakima unleashed another lightning bolt at it. By this time, Aldus and Eathwund had dealt with all of the ogres, and they began to advance upon the cloud giant. The cloud giant retreated from the chamber until backed up by a group of Frost Giants. But Lakima and Aelshara fired more lightning bolts at them, and all of the Frost Giants were killed. Luna and Ambro kept up a barrage of arrows until the Cloud giant toppled over dead with a crash.

“That’s all of them, I think,” Eathwund gasped. He noticed a 10-foot-long horn hanging from the cave ceiling on a pair of chains. He surmised that this was the alarm they heard.

“We will need to be careful. Every giant within a few hundred feet will have heard that horn blowing the alarm,” Eathwund said.

“Domago, check who needs healing,” Lakima said.

Domago went to Aldus and cast a pair of major healing spells.

“I am almost out of the healing spells I prayed for,” Domago said.

“Use the staff,” Lakima said.

“The staff only has 6 charges left,” Domago warned. Everyone paused when they heard that news. Now, only Eathwund would be sure of healing with his ring of regeneration.

Six tunnels led from the area where they had killed the cloud giant. Ambro picked one and scouted ahead. She came back and told everyone that there was another tunnel ahead blocked by a boulder. Lakima, reasoning that there must be something important behind the boulder, suggested they investigate. On the way toward the boulder Aelshara glanced down a passage that led to a well-lit cave.

“I can see a pair of human-sized people in that cave,” Aelshara said.

“Let’s check it out. Careful; they will be in league with Frost Giants,” Lakima said. As the company entered the cave, they saw a giant table, chairs, and several giant beds. Lying on the floor were five human women, all of their hands visibly bound with ropes. One of the women spotted Eathwund and sobbed.

“Prisoners,” Lakima said, “Probably being held for food.”

“Those aren’t women, they are ogres!” Ian shouted at everyone.

“What?” Aldus looked at his squire, wondering if Ian was delusional.

“It’s the sword. Using it, he can see through illusions!” Lakima yelled.

Aldus remembered that they had given Malkin the Mighty’s sword, Truesight, to Ian.

“They’re Ogres!” Ian shouted again.

Eathwund and Aldus believed Ian the second time, readied their swords, and advanced with murderous intent. Seeing that the illusion was not working, the five Ogre-Magi dismissed it and appeared as their true selves, hulking ogres standing over eight feet tall.

The company unleashed their fury on the ogres. Eathwund and Aldus attacked two ogres. Lakima cast a stunning spell, knocking out the ogre leader. Aelshara caught the remaining two ogres in a web spell. Eathwund and Aldus killed the two ogres in melee.

“What about the rest of them,” Ambro asked.

“Kill them,” Lakima said.

Eathwund finished off the stunned ogre-magi, and Ambro and Luna killed the ones trapped in webs with well-placed arrows. Spotting a metal coffer on the table, Ambro used a chair as a ladder and climbed up on the giant table. Eathwund busied himself, checking the corpses. He found a pouch of gems on each ogre. Almost like they had received identical payments. Eathwund went over to Lakima and dropped the pouches of gems in the bag of holding.

“What do you have there, Ambro?” Lakima asked.

Ambro set down the metal box she had been holding. “It’s a puzzle box. These silver, electrum, and platinum leaves on the sides can be slid to open it. But there must be hundreds of combinations. We will never figure it out.”

“Domago. Do you have a speak with dead spell prepared?” Lakima asked.

“Yes.”

Lakima asked Domago to raise the dead spirit of the ogres and question him. Once this was done, a ghostly form hovered over the ogre-magi’s corpse. Lakima asked for the combination of the boxes, to which it answered. He asked who was behind the attacks on the humans, and it answered Jarl Grugnur. Then he asked why the ogre-magi were here, and it answered that they had signed an agreement to participate in the war on the humans in return for payment. The spirit then vanished.

Ambro used the combination they had been given, and the lid clicked as the latch was released. She carefully opened the small box. Inside, she saw only darkness.

“There’s nothing?” Ambro said.

“Luna. Put your hand in that box,” Lakima ordered.

The simulacrum of Luna dutifully walked over and put her hand in the box. Her arm disappeared up to her elbow in the tiny box.

“Well. Is there anything in the box?”

Luna pulled her hand back out of the box, but she was holding a cloth sack in her hand. Ambro took the sack and opened it, finding it full of gold coins. Lakima directed Luna to search in the box some more, and she pulled out more bags of gold, a rolled-up and wax-sealed scroll, and a pair of potions. Lakima took the scroll and broke the seal. There was writing on it, but he could not decipher it, so he gave it to Domago.

Domago donned his magic helm, and he was able to read the scroll. Domago told everyone it was an agreement between Jarl Grugnur of the Frost Giants and Emperor Gokeg III of the Ogres. In return for 100,000 gold in gems, the ogre-magi would join forces with those of the giants to attack human lands.

“It is a good thing we intercepted this,” Lakima told everyone.

The company went back to the boulder, blocking a chamber. Eathwund rolled it to one side. Inside was a cave with a table, chairs, and a single bed and dresser. All of the furniture was big enough for a cloud giant. Ambro searched a large chest and found a sack of thousands of gold coins. The sack was stuffed into the bag of holding.

“It's starting to get full again!” Lakima said.

After more exploration, they found another boulder blocking a cave. Eathwund rolled it to one side. Ambro silently slipped inside and saw a giant-sized table with two chairs. On the table sat giant bowls of food that looked fresh. Chained to the far wall of the chamber was a female giant. The giant was far bigger than any giant Ambro had seen before. She quietly slipped back out of the cave.

“There is a huge giant in there. She must be more than twenty feet tall!” Ambro said.

“A cloud giant?” Lakima asked.

Ambro told everyone that the giant did not have the skin color of a cloud giant and she was bigger.

“And she is chained to the wall!”

“You should have said that first,” Lakima said.

The adventurers advanced slowly into the chamber. Lakima signaled to Ambro to question the giant in its language, but the giant spoke as soon as it saw them.

“Humans and Elves. How strange. That is not like Grugnur. Are you his slaves or servants?”

“We are the Order of the Black Dragon!” Lakima said. The giant loomed twenty feet above him. “We are the slayers of Frost Giants and the Great Worm!”

“I have not heard of this Order or this Great Worm. But then, for the past thirty years, I have been living far from here.”

“What brought you here?” Lakima asked.

“The Frost Giants drugged me and brought me here. Usually, they know not to anger my kind. I had come to the mountains to look for my cousin. The Frost Giants captured me, and this fool Grugnur wishes me for his mate. How I hate him.”

“Really?” Lakima said.

“I would help anyone who would free me. I wish to teach Grugnur a lesson!”

“Ambro. See if you can free her,” Lakima said.

Ambro looked up at the chains connected to manacles on the giant’s wrists. She put on her Ring of Flying and ascended 15 feet up to reach them. The Giant reached out toward Ambro in surprise and let her land on her wrist. With a little work, Ambro unlocked both manacles. Then she flew up and landed on the giant's shoulder. The storm giant climbed to her feet. Standing at her full height, she was about twenty-four feet tall.

The Storm Giant prisoner

“My name is Uldinia,” she said.

“I will accompany the Order of the Black Dragon!”

Then she walked over to the table and scooped up some food. It was apparent that the Frost Giants had been starving her.

The company set out again with Uldinia in the middle of the group. She stepped carefully to avoid crushing any of her new companions. Despite the caves being the home of giants, she had to duck at several spots in the caves.

Ambro flew down from Uldinia’s shoulder and set out ahead on the ground again. She soon came back to warn the party that there were Frost Giants ahead.

“They have set up barricades and are ready for us,” Ambro said.

“They are not ready for me,” Uldinia said. She picked up an enormous boulder and walked into the cavern. Then she hurled it at the Frost giants who waited behind a barricade they had created. The boulder smashed through the barricade and crushed a Frost giant.

The battle joined, Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian moved forward to attack the giants with sword. Aldus paused and blew the Silver Horn of Valhalla, summoning four berserkers. The party could see one of the Frost giants run off to get more help. He returned a short while later, leading four Fire Giant women and several ogres. Lakima cast a circle of darkness behind the melee to try and prevent more reinforcements from arriving. The fight went well until Uldinia was struck several times by a ballista spear. She directed Aelshara to the ledge in the cavern where a Frost Giant stood with a ballista. Aelshara used a lightning bolt spell to deal with the Frost Giant. Eathwund and Aldus killed the fire giants, and Ian fought a pair of ogres. In the melee, both Ian and Aldus were severely injured. Later, Uldinia and Lakima were also wounded. Once the fight was over, Domago moved about checking on the injured. Unfortunately, he was almost out of spells. Aldus and Lakima decided things were dire enough for them to use their emergency healing potions. Domago used up a few more charges on the Staff of healing.

Ambro headed to a cave that the fire giants had exited. She could hear voices calling for help in a common tongue, and they sounded like human voices. She saw four humans, two men, and two women, behind an iron portcullis.

“There are human prisoners over here,” Ambro said.

“Ian. Go look and make sure they are human,” Lakima said.

Ian then walked over to the cell and looked over the humans while holding his sword Truesight. He could see they were humans. One of the humans looked back at him.

“Hurry, let us out,” the man said, “They plan to eat us tonight, and they could come back at any time!”

Lakima walked up and checked with Ian. Ian nodded. “They won’t be coming back anytime soon. We killed them all.”

Lakima asked who the prisoners were, and he learned that they were a wizard’s apprentice named Olbigo, a pair of caravan guards named Ulein and Ciri Duth, and a thief named Sefi Zua who Ulein had caught.

“Sefi. That is not much of a name,” Lakima said, “Tell me, are you any good to us as a thief, or should we leave you here.”

Sefi pleaded that she was an excellent thief. Lakima told Ambro to let them out. Once freed, the prisoners were anxious about leaving the dungeon. Lakima looked about at the battered party of adventurers. Even the Storm Giant Uldinia looked badly injured.

“I am all out of healing spells,” Domago said, “The staff is almost spent. I think we need to withdraw and recover our strength.

“I am almost out of spells,” Lakima said, “I think you are right.”

“Let’s make our way back to the surface,” Lakima added. There is a safe cave not far from the glacier; we can rest there.”

Skip the Frost Giants?

During the last session, I was unsure if my Swords & Wizardry campaign players would find enough clues to skip past the Frost Giants. They already had an inkling that the fire giants were the true architects of the attack on human lands. They did not, and it was on to the Glacial Rift!

This module is laid out like the Hill Giant Steading. An upper level packed with giants and a mysterious lower level. So far, they have just moved through the upper level with a fair degree of stealth. Only one Frost Giant escaped an encounter. It led to an immediate ambush but to this point the Frost Giant Lair is not aware they are under attack.

Session 170: From Foothills to Glaciers

Lakima (human magic user), Eathwund (human fighter), Aldus (human cavalier), Ambro Feyvine (elven thief), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC), Aelshara (half-elven magic user/fighter), Luna (charmed Human Fighter NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon has descended into a dungeon below the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief Nosnra. They helped set off a revolt by orc slaves against their Hill Giant masters, but the Chief still eludes them and the information he holds.

“Why do we need to find the Hill Giant chief again?” Ian said.

“Because he is the one who is going to be able to tell us who put him up to attacking Caster’s Ford,” Lakima said patiently, “He certainly does not have the backbone to attack the human lands without someone backing him up.”

The party returned to the marshaling chamber at the bottom of the stairs from the upper level. Lakima noted a closed door they had not entered before. Eathwund and Ambro went over to check. Once Ambro nodded that it was safe, Eathwund shoved against the door to try to open it. The door opened a few inches, and Eathwund saw a hill giant holding the door on the other side. In a moment, the door slammed shut again. Eathwund found he could not get it to budge.

“There is a giant holding the door from the other side,” Eathwund said.

“Just a moment,” Lakima began walking toward the door.

“Hey, there are prison cells in here,” Aelshara shouted and pointed at an open door.

Lakima realized that the door she was pointing at had been closed earlier. Lakima waved at Aelshara to enter. She soon called out that there were prisoners inside the cells. Ambro joined her, followed by Domago and Lakima. Lakima looked at an elf sitting on the floor in the back of a cell. The prisoner looked ill-used.

“What’s your story?” Lakima asked.

“Help, let me out!” another prisoner, this one human, yelled out from a nearby cell.

“Are you in league with the giants?” the elf asked.

“No. We are killing all the giants we find,” Lakima boldly stated. The elf slowly got to his feet and asked to be released.

“Ambro, see if you can release them,” Lakima said.

“All of them?” Ambro looked at the five cells. Beside the human and the elf, another human lay curled up in a cell, four human skeletons lay in a cell, and the last held five orcs.

“Just the humans and the elf,” Lakima clarified.

“My name is Roth Pomer, I am from Edgerton,” the man introduced himself.

“What are you doing here, Roth,” Lakima asked.

Roth explained that the giants captured him near Caster’s Ford and thought, based on his clothes, that he was worth a rich ransom. Unfortunately, a recent turn of bad business left Roth with few funds. Lakima asked how much ransom they could expect from his family. Roth sputtered a little and offered 75 gold before Lakima laughed and told him he was joking.

The second human introduced himself as Gregor. He said that he was an engineer and the hill giants had been working with him for almost a year to expand their dungeons with the aid of stone giants. Lastly, Luthien Silverleaf is an elf from Kingswood.

“Gregor, you worked on this dungeon. Are there any secret areas,” Lakima asked.

“I worked on a secret passage to some chambers several months ago,” Gregor said. It is right over there,” pointing to the stone wall beside the stair.

“Show us, please,” Lakima said.

“It has been a while,” Gregor said.

Lakima aided Gregor with the Wand of Secret Door detection, which immediately illuminated the trigger for the secret door. The dwarves they had rescued earlier gathered around to watch as Gregor triggered the door in the wall open.

“Fighters to the front, Ambro leads the way,” Lakima said. Orin, you and your friends are welcome to leave. The way should be clear, or you can wait here.”

“We will wait for you,” Orin said. Luthien, Gregor, and Roth also said that they would wait with the dwarves for the party to return.

The secret passage ended in a dead end, but the wand quickly found another door. Ambro opened this secret door and scanned a dark chamber. Eathwund, looking over her shoulder, saw nothing, but Ambro released a low gasp.

“I see bags of treasure split open lying against the far wall.”

The party moved into the dark chamber, and Lakima raised the light on his staff high. The party could make out an archway to the south blocked by a portcullis and an open passage to the east. Ambro skipped over to the bags of treasure on the floor but soon came back empty-handed.

“Nothing but copper coins and glass beads,” she said with disappointment.

“Check that way,” Lakima pointed to the northeast.

“There is something moving about on the other side of the archway bars,” Ambro said. She took a few steps closer. Then ran over to the rest of the party. Ambro described several lion-shaped creatures with wings and spiked tails.

“Manticores,” Lakima said. He advised leaving them alone.

The passage to the east split, but both halls led to dead ends. With the wand, Lakima located a secret door at the end of one hallway. Ambro checked it and then opened it. Light from Lakima’s staff flooded a small chamber, and they immediately saw a fat female hill giant threatening them with a club.

“Get her!” Lakima yelled.

Eathwund, Aldus, Luna, and Ian rushed forward. The floor suddenly opened up, revealing a pit trap, and Eathwund and Luna tumbled into it. Then, the lid of the trap closed again. Ian barely kept his balance on the near side of the pit while Aldus found himself on the far side facing the hill giant. Hearing a growl, he turned and saw Nosnra, Chief of the Hill giants, hiding in the corner of the chamber out of sight from the doorway.

“The Chief is here!” Aldus shouted and turned to face him.

“Forget him. We need him alive. Kill the woman.” Lakima shouted back.

As Aldus faced off against the hill giant woman Lakima leaped over the area where he knew there was a pit trap. Landing on his feet he immediately cast a stunning spell on the Chief. The spell took effect and the giant stood dumbly. Aldus fought against the hill giant woman quickly gaining the advantage. She hurled curses at the chief as she fought Aldus but her words had no affect as he stood still. Soon Aldus found an opening and slew her. She slumped to the floor.

Death of Luna

Ambro flew into the chamber using her Ring of Flying.

“You should have heard her lay into her husband,” Ambro laughed, “I think she was the real leader of the hill giants.”

“Well, I hope he has something to tell us,” Lakima said. Then, he asked Ambro to open the lid of the pit trap. Ambro got to work, and soon, the trap sprung open. Looking down, they all saw Eathwund standing amongst several broken wooden spikes ten feet below. He waved. Near him, Luna lay at a crooked angle, impaled on several spikes.

“Is Luna okay?” Ian asked.

Eathwund shook his head. Ian tossed down a rope, and Eathwund looped it around Luna. Ian quickly pulled her up and out of the pit with help from Domago. The two carried her into the nearby larger chamber. Then, Eathwund used the rope to climb up. Lakima told Eathwund to tie up the Hill Giant Chief while they waited for the magic to wear off. Lakima also asked Ambro if she could jam the pit shut so they could cross it without jumping. Ambro went to work and soon had the pit lid jammed. Then, she started inspecting the chamber. Ambro found two metal coffers full of gold and jewelry.

“We are going to have to carry this out,” Lakima said, ‘the bag of holding is already full of treasure.”

“Maybe the dwarves could be convinced to carry it?” Eathwund offered.

After a considerable wait, Lakima grew impatient and walked over to examine the stunned giant. He noticed the giant’s eye twitch as he pointed his staff in its face.

“You’re not fooling me,” Lakima said, “I know you are awake.”

The giant did not flinch, so Lakima told Ambro to repeat this in giantish and add a few threats. Ambro shouted at the giant, who quickly opened his eyes and strained at his bindings.

“We will let you out unharmed if you tell us who is behind these attacks on the human lands,” Lakima said. Ambro then translated.

After much arguing in giantish, Ambro managed to get a story out of the giant chief.

“He says Jarl Grugnur of the Frost Giants is the one who came up with the plan. Grugnur provided chests of gold to hire hill giants from other clans, as well as ogres and bugbears. He claims to have no quarrel with humans. He says he had to do it, or another hill giant would have taken his place.”

“Not that I entirely believe him,” Ambro added.

“Where can we find Jarl Grugnur?” Lakima asked.

“I asked that as well. He says that the Frost Giants have a staging area in a huge rift in a glacier near the pass the humans use to get to dwarven lands.”

“He must mean Icefang Pass,” Lakima mused. There is a glacier near the pass, and we have encountered frost giants in that area before.

Lakima waved for everyone to leave. Aldus and Eathwund picked up the two heavy coffers full of treasure. Chief Nosnra struggled against his bounds, but they ignored him. In the chamber beyond, Domago and Ian knelt beside Luna, who lay still on the ground.

“She’s dead,” Domago said.

“Can’t you bring her back?” Aldus demanded of Domago.

“I do not think St. Aleena would grant the request,” Domago said, “She has done her penance, and she deserves to rest.” Lakima nodded.

“Bring the body,” Lakima said.

Domago took a blanket from his pack and wrapped up Luna’s corpse. He then picked her up himself. Ian offered to carry her, and Domago handed her to Ian.

“She’s not heavy,” Ian said quietly.

While the group was conversing, Ambro was peering through the iron bars blocking the archway.

“You had better get back from there in case they fire some of their tail spikes at you,” Lakima said. Ambro jumped back from the gate.

“I can see another door in the room,” Ambro said.

“We have enough treasure,” Lakima said.

The party returned to the prisoners they had released and made there way up above ground into the steading. The halls were quiet. Lakima led the way through the banquet hall. They saw signs that some of the bodies had been moved about. At the end of the hall the doors to the entry chamber were closed and a mound of piled corpses of Hill giants and ogres filled one side of the hall.

“It wasn’t like this when we went below,” Eathwund cautioned.

“Be wary,” Lakima said and asked Eathwund and Aldus to take the lead. Eathwund swung open one door while Aldus grabbed the other. In the entryway, a dozen hill giants waited for them. Mostly women and younger giants. The giants immediately attacked, shouting war cries. Lakima tried to parlay but was ignored. One large male giant seemed to be the leader of the group, urging them on even as Aldus and Eathwund chopped them down. Once most of them fell and the leader was killed, the few remaining giants ran out the doors into the countryside and fled.

“Let them go,” Aldus said, exhausted.

The party rested for a while and looked out of the steading. The sun had gone down, and it was dark outside. Not wanting to rest in the steading, Lakima asked Aelshara if she could lead them back to the flying ship. Late that evening, they came upon the campsite below the flying ship and were greeted by August, Cowan, and Dagmar. The dwarves said their goodbyes. Lakima explained that the party planned to fly to Larm for supplies. The dwarves were also headed to Larm but had no desire to board a flying ship. Luthien thanked them for the rescue and headed south on foot. Only Gregor and Roth joined the Company on the flying ship. Roth planning to head from Larm back to Edgerton. Gregor not sure what to do. Lakima suggested to Gregor that he might have use for a stonemason and engineer in Edgerton.

The next day, the ship set out for Larm and reached the village early in the afternoon. The flying came down and tied off to a dock on the river. Having visited Larm by flying ship in the past, their arrival caused a stir but no open panic. Lakima, Aldus, and Eathwund headed to the Borderlands Tavern to buy supplies. While there, they talked to the owner and a local scout about the presence of frost giants. As Lakima had expected, they were directed to Icefang Pass and the glacier.

The next day, Domago arranged for Luna’s burial in the local graveyard. Before the burial, Lakima discretely removed one of Luna’s fingers. Then, later in the day, Lakima brought the group out into the fields around Larm. He began building a crude representation of Luna from fresh, fallen snow. He shoved Luna’s finger into the snow and began casting ritual spells. At the end of the casting, Luna's simulacrum stood beside Lakima at his beck and call.

“How do you feel about this, Domago,” Aldus said.

“It is just an illusion or some type of magic. It is not her,” Domago said.

“I think it's creepy,” Aldus said.

The party headed back to the flying ship. The crew and August are somewhat taken aback by Luna’s apparent recovery. Lakima explained to his apprentice what he had created. August looked at Luna in wonder.

The flying ship rose into the sky again and headed for Icefang pass. The group were soon passing through the lowlands. They reached the mountain pass by late afternoon. In the valley before the glacier, they landed the ship. Ambro went off in search of clues, looking for any sign of the frost giants. She returned and told the group that she had found a cave.

The party set out and explored the cave. Inside they found several frozen chambers and some indication of occupancy a long time ago by human-sized occupants. They did not find an entrance to a frost giant lair.

“I think we are going to have to climb up on the glacier,” Lakima said. He then looked at Ambro and asked her to fly up onto the glacier and lower a rope. Ambro set off in the air and approached the glacier. But she immediately spotted a trail ascending the side of the glacier. Giant-sized steps had been cut into the ice. Ambro returned and let everyone know. The party followed Ambro to the giant stair. The stair rose 150 feet up the glacier’s face. It took an hour to ascend the steps. Once on the glacier, Ambro found a path beaten in the snow by frost giants. This pass led to a crevasse at the top of the glacier. They could see that the crevasse opened up and seemed bottomless. A stair of ice led down into the crevasse. Vision was limited by fog, snow, and wind.

“Lead the way,” Lakima told Ambro.

The party followed Ambro down the winding steps into the rift. After a few hundred feet, the crevasse opened up into a wide rift. One path led to the west side of the rift, and one led to the east side of the rift.

“Which way,” Ambro asked.

“One minute,” Lakima said and produced the Arrow of Direction from his Bag of Holding.

“Arrow, which way is safest?” The arrow did not move.

“Let’s go that way,” Lakima pointed to the east path.

They found the east path descended in giant-sized steps and had some flat areas. The crevasse grew windier the further they descended. The path was slippery in spots, but enough rough snow clung to it to give them traction. Ahead, Ambro held up her hand and warned. She had spotted an ice cave on the side of the rift wall. They decided to investigate. Ambro moved ahead quietly and disappeared out of sight. When she returned, she whispered that three blue-skinned, bearded giants were on guard in a chamber. The chamber was just off of an intersection of four tunnels through the ice.

The Glacial Rift

Lakima whispered a plan to the party. He called for Aldus, Eathwund, and Ian to rush the giants. He would stay just back and support them with spells. Aelshara, Domago, and Ambro would wait at the intersection to make sure they were not ambushed. The simulacrum of Luna would stay by Lakima. Aldus, Eathwund, and Ian rushed to the attack but not quite quickly enough. One Frost Giant was able to blow a horn in warning. While the three fighters were dealing with the giants, four giants attacked Aelshara, Domago, and Ambro. Aelshara used her borrowed Wand of Lightning bolts to drive them back. Lakima arrived to assist, and three giants were killed, and the last one fled. Ambro made to give chase, but Lakima asked for a moment. Picking out two dead frost giants, Lakima cast animate dead. The two giant zombies struggled to their feet and looked dumbly at Lakima.

“Give chase!” Lakima said.

The zombies slowly stumbled along the ice tunnel, following the retreating Frost giant. The party drudged along slowly in the wake of the two giant zombies. They came to an ice cave, where they found beds, tables, chairs, and clothing. Unable to pause, the party followed the zombies into an ice tunnel through the glacier. The tunnel extended for a few hundred feet. The adventurer began noticing that the dim blue light through the glacier was dimming.

“I think we are entering an area in the rock wall of the valley,” Aelshara said. They kept following the dead giants, moving as quickly as they could. Ahead, Ambro could hear the wind again.

“I think it exits back onto the wall of the crevasse up ahead,” she said.

“Be careful,” Lakima ordered.

The party found themselves exiting the tunnel out onto a ledge 200 feet above the floor of the rift. They walked right into an ambush. A Frost giant reached out from an area to the side of the exit and pulled one zombie forward until it stumbled over the edge of the ledge and plummeted below with a thump. Three more Frost giants emerged from hiding on the other side of the ledge to attack. Aldus, Eathwund, and Ian moved to fight them. The fight was hampered by the slippery ledge and the danger of falling hundreds of feet below, but the frost giants were soon killed. The second zombie giant also fell in the fighting.

“Ahh, that’s too bad we lost the zombies,” Aldus said.

“They served their purpose,” Lakima said.

At the far end of the ledge, another tunnel entered the ice wall. Ambro waved at the party and told them to wait while she scouted ahead. The group stood huddled near the ice wall to keep out of the cold wind as much as possible. Soon, Ambro returned.

“The tunnel splits into three. Down one, I could smell and hear a lot of ogres. Down the middle one, I saw some Frost Giants on guard. The last tunnel circles back out onto another ledge, and it gets us around this outcrop,” Ambro said, pointing at the outcrop of ice that blocked further progress along the side of the rift.

“I think we should take on the giants, but Ambro, do you still have that Wall of Ice scroll,” Lakima asked. Ambro nodded hesitantly. “Use it to block the tunnel leading to the ogres so they cannot ambush us from behind.” Ambro agreed and removed the scroll from her bag. She recited the words on the scroll, and a thick wall of ice formed instantly, blocking the tunnel that she said led to a cave full of ogres.

The party conversed and decided on a similar plan to the last fight. Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian would lead the fight, Lakima and Luna providing support. Domago, Ambro, and Aelshara would wait at the tunnel intersection to block any surprises.

Aldus and Eathwund led the way as quietly as they could manage. The howling wind covered most of the noise of their clanking armor. They peered into an ice cave lit by torches. They saw four frost giants. Two were alert and ready for intruders, and two talked with their backs to the tunnel entrance. Aldus drew his Horn of Valhalla and blew. That was the signal for everyone to attack. Four berserkers appeared summoned from Valhalla and flung themselves upon Frost giants. Things went well initially, but then four more frost giants joined the fray from an enjoining cave. Ian was gravely wounded, and Eathwund and Aldus were hard-pressed. Luna was struck once and nearly fell. Ambro, Aelshara, and Domago arrived on the scene. Domago began casting healing spells on the fighters.

“We grew worried,” Aelshara shouted to Lakima.

The fight turned again, and soon, all of the Frost giants had been vanquished. The sole remaining berserker vanished, returning to Valhalla.

“Which direction now?” Ambro asked.

Dynamic Dungeon

 My players' second session in the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. When they first arrived at the Steading (Upper Level), there was a massive battle in the Baquet Hall. The second session had a follow-up battle in the Marshalling chamber in the first room of the Dungeon level. The original module text from 1979 provides guidance on how to make the dungeon dynamic. It is a sprawling complex, and the giants and their allies are not just going to wait in the chambers to be attacked. As someone who usually runs small dungeons that do not even have wandering monster tables, I appreciated this advice. I did not follow it strictly. I had my own ideas for how things would develop. I am running this game online using Roll20. It meant I did have to ask the players to pause a few times while I busily moved about monster tokens off the immediate map area. On this level, we had ogres, bugbears, an ongoing orc slave revolt, and the survivors from the above level. Most of those survivors turned out to be female giants.

Session 170: In the Dungeon of the Hill Giants

Lakima (human magic user), Eathwund (human fighter), Aldus (human cavalier), Ambro Feyvine (elven thief), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC), Aelshara (half-elven magic user/fighter), Luna (charmed Human Fighter NPC).

The members of the Company of the Black Dragon have stormed the Hill Giant Steading of Chief Nosnra at the bequest of Duke Robert of Valnwall. After a melee with dozens of giants, the Company is victorious, but Chief Nosnra escapes to the dungeon beneath the Steading.

“He went that way,” Ambro pointed down the hall into the darkness. She floated along, using her Ring of Flying to levitate well above the floor.

“I see a giant before a pair of doors head,” Ambro whispered. Unfortunately, no one in the Company heard her as the veil of silence on Eathwund stopped all sound from entering the area around him.

The Company followed the hallway until all could clearly see the large Hill Giant standing before the doors. The doors were open behind him, and a half-dozen ogres could be seen holding clubs at the ready. Lakima immediately conjured an ice storm in the building directly over the hill giant and the ogres. The storm was brief, but it pelted the monsters with shards of ice. When the storm ended, only the hill giant was still standing. Aldus, Eathwund, and Ian ran forward to confront the giant, but he backed into the chamber shouting and whistling – apparently trying to summon help. The fighters were soon on the giant. A moment later, four dire wolves bounded into the chamber and joined the fight on the side of the hill giant. Lakima cast fear, and two of the dire wolves turned their tails and fled. The remaining wolves and the giant were soon killed by the fighters.

Ambro began searching about the chamber, which looked to be a bunkhouse for hill giants. She found nothing. Lakima waved Eathwund down the hall so he could speak to the other adventurers in the party.

“There is nothing here. Let’s try that door over there,” Lakima pointed.

Ambro checked and opened the door. The chamber was dimly lit by a pair of smoky torches, and a pair of gravely injured orcs lay on filthy skins and furs on the floor.

“Just orcs, and they look helpless,” Lakima dismissed them.

“Does anyone speak orcish,” Lakima asked.

Aelshara admitted that she could speak orcish. She entered and went over to one of the orcs, who was awake but immobilized by what appeared to be a broken leg. After a quick conversation with the orc, she returned.

“It says that the stair to the dungeon is over there,” Aelshara pointed back toward the kitchens, “He thinks that if the hill giants retreated, they would go down into the dungeon.”

The company followed Aelshara as she led them to a small chamber near the kitchen. In a room partially used for storage, they found a stone stair descending into the earth. A flickering torchlight could be seen below at the bottom of the stair.

“I will just scout below and return,” Ambro whispered. She slipped into the darkness and vanished silently down the steps. Soon, she returned looking a little excited and flushed.

“There is an army of giants, ogres, and bugbears in a room down there,” she said excitedly, “And they look like they are ready for us!”

Lakima waved Eathwund to the back of the group while he, Aldus, Luna, and Ian descended the stairs first. As soon as Lakima was out of the influence of the silence spell, he cleared his throat and shouted.

“We don’t want a fight. But we will kill all of you if you resist. Just like we killed all of the giants in the Great Hall. We just want Chief Nosnra!”

There was a rise in the murmuring of voices below in giantish and goblin. After a pause, a halting giant voice shouted back.

“No chief here! You go, or we stomp you puny humans and smelly elves!”

In answer, Lakima cast a fireball spell from his Staff of Power. The ball of fire exploded below and briefly lit up the dungeon. They dozens of giants, ogres, and bugbears illuminated in the glow. Some of the bugbears and ogres immediately went up in flames and collapsed to the floor.

Lakima waved at the fighters in the group, and Aldus, Ian, Eathwund, and Domago raced down the stairs. They were immediately in melee with the giants and their allies. Aldus blew the Silver Horn of Valhalla, and four berserk fighters appeared to fight for him. Thrust into the fight, Aldus and Eathwund found themselves fighting mainly bugbears. Most of the ogres lay dead at their feet, killed by the fireball. Five female hill giants fought against them but used their fists as they had no weapons. One hunch-backed, one-eyed hill giant with a great axe stayed well back of the fight, yelling directions at the bugbears. As Eathwund downed several bugbears, the giant nodded at him and pushed an ogre to one side to challenge Eathwund. Eathwund struck the giant with a powerful blow, and it stumbled back.

“You fight like giant,” the hill giant spoke in poor common speech in surprise.

Aelshara and Ian made it to one side of the fight, with Ian protecting Aelshara and the latter trying to avoid the thickest part of the melee. Then Aelshara spotted a troop of bugbears backed by two hill giants running into the chamber from the south. She tried shouting a warning but realized the other could not hear her. She cast a mirror image, conjuring up four illusions of her form. She cast a web spell, holding four of the bugbears fast. Then the bugbears were upon here. Thankfully, the two giants moved to attack Aldus and Eathwund. But the bugbears attacked Aelshara and, by bad luck or skill, hit her instead of the illusionary doubles several times. She felt her strength waning and looked about for help.

Dungeon Melee

Meanwhile, Lakima cast a cloudkill spell and sent it into the bugbears. A pair succumbed, but most ran out of the cloud coughing. He cast another fireball, killing more bugbears at the back of the melee. Eathwund killed the hunch-back hill giant and found another hill giant taking its place in the melee. Ian tried but failed to fight his way toward Aelshara. All but one of the berserkers fell. Aldus killed the bugbears around him. Seeing Luna protecting Lakima and that Lakima had also summoned his armored protector, Aldus looked about and saw Domago headed toward four images of Aelshara. Aldus made his way through the melee as well to help.

Domago arrived and cast several healing spells on Aelshara, allowing her to regain strength. Then Aldus arrived and signaled her to move back. Lakima cast an elemental guardian, which shocked several of the bugbears. Eathwund killed a pair of hill giants. Looking about, Eathwund saw that the giants were all dead and the bugbears were in disarray. A few tried to run, but Ambro then appeared, flew over the melee, and stabbed the fleeing bugbears from behind. Finally, the last of the monsters fell dead to the floor. A pair of doors leading into the chamber slammed shut, heralding that more monsters were nearby, but they were not willing to enter the fight.

With the fight over, Eathwund moved to the southern passage and set up a watch. Now that Eathwund had moved away, sound returned, and the company was again able to communicate.

“Ambro, check the door,” Lakima said pointing at an open door. He looked about and saw Ambro was climbing over the dead giants a sack in one hand and a bunch of jewelry in the other.

“Put the treasure in my bag of holding,” Lakima said. Ambro looked over and nodded while quietly slipping some of the jewelry into her pockets.

Examining a nearby chamber, they found nothing of interest. Just giant-sized furniture and weapons. The party decided to head down one of the open passages from the chamber. Here, they found a cistern filled with cold, clean water. But it was a dead end. They returned to the chamber and headed north. Here, they found a locked chamber. Ambro was unable to open the lock, but Luna used one of her Knock spells. Inside were large caskets and tuns filled with strong wine. Heading down another hallway, they followed the sound of metal banging on stone. Ambro spotted a stone giant expanding a chamber. The group decided not to attack the giant, so they moved on to find a sleeping chamber. Here, Ambro went to work to check several large chests. On the third, she opened, she found a dozen sacks filled with gold coins. Lakima came over, and Ambro began lifting the heavy sacks out of the chest and dropping them in the bag of holding. After a few sacks, the bag of holding refused to take more.

“I believe it is full,” Lakima said in surprise. He then opened the pouch of holding. It was just able to hold the remaining bags of gold before it was also full.

The party returned to the main hall, where the battle had occurred. Two closed doors from the hallway and the passage to the south remained. Lakima pointed south, as Eathwund was standing nearby, and no one could hear anyone speak.

The group headed south with Ambro, who was a few paces in the lead. Ambro held up her hand in warning and indicated an ambush ahead. Lakima signaled Eathwund to the back and then stepped forward outside the range of the silence spell.

“Step aside or be killed!”

A hail of crossbow bolts greeted his words.

“Bugbears! They have prepared an ambush!” Ambro shouted.

Lakima stepped to the cover of the side passage and waved Aldus, Eathwund, and Ian forward to attack. The passage ended in a T-crossing by another passage. Bugbears armed with maces and crossbows waited on either side of the intersection. Eathwund headed left with Luna, and Aldus and Ian headed right. The fight against the bugbears was over quickly, and all were killed.

The group headed west and then entered a passageway headed north. Up ahead, they saw a chamber with barred cells around its perimeter. A half-dozen bugbear guards and one injured hill giantess waited ready for them. Eathwund, Aldus, and Ian rushed to attack. The Hill Giantess desperately swung upon one of the prison cells, apparently trying to gain help. Her shouts were silenced by the spell upon Eathwund. A dozen orcs emerged from the cell. Weaponless, they tossed themselves upon the giantess and fought with fists and teeth. The giant fell to the floor and was killed quickly. The orcs then launched upon the two remaining bugbears (the other bugbears having been killed by Eathwund and Aldus).

The melee ended. More and more orcs streamed out of the prison cells and confronted the party. The adventurers soon found themselves outnumbered 10 to 1. Lakima assessed the situation and waved Aelshara forward. Then he slapped Eathwund on the shoulder and pointed out of the chamber. Once the zone of silence was gone from the chamber, they could all hear the snorting and heavy breathing of the orcs surrounding them.

“Tell them we are not their enemies!” Lakima said to Aelshara.

Aelshara took a deep breath and began speaking in orcish, at first quietly but building in volume and confidence. The orcs shouted back at her, several talking over each other. The conversation went on for what seemed an overly long time.

“I think I convinced most of them not to attack. I told them that they were free to go and that we killed all of the giants in the Steading above,” Aelshara said.

“Good!” Lakima said, “Good, now ask them if they have seen Nosnra, or any frost giants.”

The party members began to ease back down the hallway in a defensive position. Aelshara began talking to the orcs again. This time, one orc took the lead, seemingly electing himself as the leader.

“They say that they have never seen a frost giant. There are two fire giant smiths who work for Nosnra nearby. They gave me directions,” Aelshara said.

“Right. Let’s get out of here.” Lakima said with conviction.

More and more orcs entered the chamber, freed from nearby prison cells.

The company proceeded as Aelshara directed, taking a passage to the south in silence. Suddenly, they all heard Domago curse as he twisted an ankle.

“The silence spell has finally ended!” Lakima said with relief.

A few moments later, the mirror images of Aelshara and Lakima disappeared.

“The orcs also said that they were imprisoned for leading a revolt against the giants. The giants are very cruel masters to them. They also hated the bugbears who sided with the giants. They say that some of their brothers escaped into natural caves to the east,” Aelshara told the company.

Aelshara pointed down a side passage. She indicated that the smithy was located in that direction, according to the orcs. They could all hear the ring of metal on metal in the distance.

“Sounds like the fire giants are at work,” Lakima said.

Ambro slipped into darkness and moved closer to the sound. A chamber in the distance was brightly illuminated with the glow of fires in a forge. She could see a single fire giant working at a table. The sound of metal on metal continued, so there was more than one giant. Then, she saw a pair of tiny dwarves carrying ingots enter the area. The dwarves barely stood as tall as the fire giant’s boot. Ambro slipped back to the rest of the group.

“I saw one red-skinned giant much bigger than the hill giants we have been fighting,” Ambro began. He was not the one making the noise, so there was likely another. And I saw a pair of dwarves helping them.”

“Likely enslaved,” Aelshara said.

“Right. So, the plan is…” Lakima began as Eathwund dashed off with his sword swinging over his head. He was immediately followed by Ian and Aldus.

The fighters raced into the forge chamber, catching the fire giant by surprise. They saw a huge table set at a giant height, a pair of Fire Giants, and six or seven dwarven slaves wearing rags. The fight was on. Eathwund began pummeling one fire giant while Aldus attacked another. Ian bore the brunt of several attacks from a fire giant armed with a sword. His mind flashed back to another ill-fated encounter with a fire giant as he was struck repeatedly. Suddenly, one of the dwarves released a blood-curdling war cry and grabbed hold of one fire giant’s boot. The fire giant stumbled and toppled over with an enormous crash landing on Eathwund. Eathwund barely held hold of his shield and sword as he struggled under the enormous mass, trying to roll out from under the giant. The giant struggled to his feet. Ambro stabs the giant in the back. Aldus and Ian brought the second giant low. Once the first giant stood up, Eathwund leaped to his feet and drove his sword deep into the giant’s belly. The enormous giant fell again, but this time, it did not get up.

Domago took his staff of healing and used it on Ian several times to heal the young squire. Lakima stood regarding the group with his hands on his hips.

“We needed a prisoner we could question,” Lakima said.

The dwarf, whose antics had almost gotten Eathwund crushed, walked over to him and introduced himself.

“I am Orin Deepdelver. Well met. These fine lads are Thron, Grondar, Brogar, Gromli, Kargan, and Thorek. They are master smiths. They have been covering for me for the past year since I was captured. I know nothing of smithing, but I am a mighty warrior.”

Eathwund grunted in reply, and Orin looked a little offended.

“I am ready to join you in your fight against the hill giant,” Orin continued, “For an equal share of the treasure, of course.”

“We have already killed all of the giants; we need no help,” Lakima said, “You are welcome to accompany us for protection until you can make your way to the exit.”

Lakima then turned to his companions and suggested they try talking to the orcs again about the location of Nosnra. Orin looked on with a peeved expression. As the party left the chamber, Orin brought up the rear, leading the bedraggled dwarven smiths. In his right hand, he clutched a giant-sized hammer, the handle crudely cut down to fit his small stature.

“I’ll crush the skull of any giant I meet,” Orin boasted proudly.

“Just lead your friends to the exit and stay out of our way,” Lakima called back to Orin.

The adventurers headed back toward where they had met the orc slaves. They enter a corridor now full of orcs. The company closed ranks and presented a stern front. Aelshara spotted the orc leader she had spoken to before and began conversing with him again in orcish. Eathwund and Aldus stood on guard. Aldus could make out the orcs, removing a barrier of rocks at the end of the corridor. Orcs were from both sides of the barrier. He surmised it was the entrance to the caves where the orc slaves fled.

“He does not know where the chief is,” Aelshara started,” but he does know that when the chief comes down to this level, he often disappears for a time and then reappears in the marshaling hall. He thinks there is a secret chamber somewhere nearby.”

“Where is the marshalling hall,” Lakima asked.

“It’s the hall where we met and fought the giants when we first entered the dungeon.”

“Right. Let’s check out this hall once more,” Lakima said.