Mescalero Apache Tribe going on lockdown due to virus

Continuing…
That being handled, I leave a wakeup call for 0430 as I want a shower and a couple shower-sunrisers before we leave. It takes me about 10 minutes to pack. I call home to let Es know what’s going on. She’s not in, so I leave a message. Same for my friends Rack and Ruin of the Agency. They’re thrilled so far with my reports.
The security forces here are absolutely going to freak if they reverse-review my phone records once we leave.
Covert? Schmovert. I’m too old for playing such games.
The next morning, after a sudsy shower and a couple of vodka-infused shower-beers; I’m in the lobby with all my kit, checked-out, and waiting on the tour leader. My passport was stamp-stamp-stampity-stamped here at the hotel, which I thought was weird, but after spending time in this here country, not all that unusual.
At 0545 on the dime, the tour bus pulls into the lot. Without a word, bellhops grab near all my kit and escort it out to the waiting bus.
After tipping each extravagantly, I fire up a huge cigar, and wander around outside, loitering by the bus. I see members of my team at the front desk, checking out. Everything’s been paid for already, they just have to sign documents that they’re not secreting hotel towels or televisions or errant nationals in their luggage.
It’s a weird country.
I see them loading box breakfasts for us as well as box lunches on the bus.
Hell, they’re actually doing ‘field trip’ correctly.
If the bus us fueled up, we can go for days at this rate. There are several coolers bearing the hotel’s brand and I sidle over to see what they’re carrying.
Case after case of iced-down beer and a couple of cases of various high-octane potables; and over there? A couple of boxes of mixers…ah, soda…pop…carbonated citrusy goodness.
“OK”, I sigh, “All is as it should be. Now the field excursion may begin.”
My teammates filter outside as does their luggage. I suggest they get out and keep what is necessary for preliminary outcrop excursions; such as a backpack or knapsack, hammer, acid bottles, field notebooks, Brunton compass, lighters, cameras, personal tobacco products, and the like in the bus. That way, we don’t have to go tearing through all the luggage at every stop.
I pull out a bundle of 100 Hubco™ large geological dual-sample bags. That’s right: ‘dual’ sample…
I distribute these to everyone on the team. I ask that they devise their own numbering system and make absolutely certain I have a copy of it when we’re done. I’ll be correlating and curating all the samples when we get back to the world.
I ask that a cooler of drinks are left on board the bus, rather than in the hold. It’s humid, sticky, and muggy today. We must expend valiant effort in remaining hydrated and this will help.
Luckily, the bus has on-board lavatory facilities.
We are seated on the bus, my 10 collective team members, myself, our 4 ‘guides’, ‘Yuk’, ‘No’, ‘Man’, and ‘Kong’; our driver, relief driver, one incredibly shy national geologist, Myung-Dae Soo, and four of the shiny suit clan.
The hotel wheels out a large cart laden with pastries and a huge coffee urn. A bit of a “Bon Voyage” from the casino and bar crowd, as they put this together for us when they heard we were leaving.
“Hey. That’s really nice of them.” Dax notes.
Dax handed over our raw “elevator waiting” funds as we didn’t have time to run it through the casino-machine before we left. We donated over 75,000 won to our friends at the bar, casino, and massage parlor. The ones delivering our going away present assured us it would be divided equitably.
“It best be”, I laughed, “You never know when one of us might be back!”
There was a collective horrified look on their faces for the merest moments. Then they all laughed and said that they hoped we would return someday soon.
“Nice folks”, I thought, “Stupid as shit country, but nice folks.”
We had all separately left tips for the room maids, bellmen, and matrons back before we checked-out.
There was a flurry of handshaking and goodbyes. Not a bad hotel experience here in the so-called land of Best Korea.
Serious dark coffee was passed out amongst the riders, but Ivan, myself, and Dax were already giving one of my emergency flasks a workout.
Ivan smiled and said: “We drink our coffee the Russian way. That is to say we had vodka before it and vodka afterward. HA!”
Ivan and I are cut from the same bolt.
Faux-doughnuts, pseudo-bear claws and fake-long johns all distributed; the bus is fired up, and rumbling. We are exhorted to watch our drinks as we pull away from the hotel and into the wilds of Northern Korea.
I’m humming away:

On the road again -Just can't wait to get on the road again,
The life I love is bashing rocks in the field with my friends.
And I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again.
Goin' places that we've never been,
Seein' things that we may never see again…
--
“Rock?”, Dax inquires.
“Yes?” I reply.
“Do please shut up.”
“Music hater”, I muse and comply.
We’re rolling down the highway, as it were, headed generally north. We all have cameras of one kind or another; and rather than relieve us of them, they quietly and without much fuss, slowly darken the windows.
They claim it’s to keep the sun out and temperatures down, but just before things go all black, we’re seeing sights and scenes of the true North Korea. They’re trying to keep us from seeing that en route to the outcrops.
This new bus has some sort of electronic tint-control gizmo for the windows. However, if one has a pair of polarizing sunglasses, as all good field geologists do, you see right past that and can view the passing scenery unencumbered.
I return from a quick beer-recycling loo trip and am amused to see 10 Western scientists, sitting in a blacked-out bus, all wearing polarizing sunglasses.
It was just the surreal note this trip needed as we left the confines of the capital city.
We traveled north, and the empties pile began to grow. We had a few trash bags we had liberated from the hotel, but the shiny suits were very insistent that every empty can, bottle, and bag, yes they had beer in bags…had to be repatriated to a box in the far back of the bus.
Evidently, they either were paid a bounty on each container or were accountable for each vessel. They were soon to realize just the capacity for drink that a group of 11 seasoned very Senior Field Geologists, and one stowaway geologist-in-training can amass.
As we ply our way northward, we see the agricultural side of North Korea. The contrast between rural areas and the capital was striking. There were miles of rice paddies being harvested by people with sickles in their hands. And no cars on the highway. It was most destabilizing for this Westerner.
I think we saw a maximum of three tractors, as most of the work was done with ox power, there was very little evidence of rural electrification. Oh, hold on. We saw many more tractors, I should correct that: we saw three running and not rusted into oblivion tractors.
The farmers we see are using equipment that is quite literally medieval - single-share plows pulled by large, cranky bovines; sweeping sickles to bring in the harvest, and twin-engine, bilateral, botanical-fired ox-carts to transport it. It’s hard to believe that this third-world level of poverty exists in the same country that’s capable of building rockets, nuclear weapons, and tall, well-appointed hotels.
But when we stop at a motorway service station for fuel - a bizarre alien spaceship-like building squatting over the empty carriageways - we do encounter a jangmadang, or semi-official market. Here they are selling cans of knock-off Vietnamese Red Bull and Malaysian-made King Cobra™ Cola.
It reminds me of Russia right after the wall fell. Off the Trans-Siberian Railway in Krasnoyarsk, the Gateway to Eastern Siberia. You can buy Chinese hams, Chinese sodas, Chinese knock-off liquor, and those bloody delicious little bullets of Vitamin-C, Chinese mandarins.
Here, it’s similar. You can get most anything you desire, except it isn’t of Korean manufacture. That stuff is even too shitty to pawn off on tourists.
Instead, it’s knock-off Malaysian, Chinese, or Indonesian beer, wine, or soft drinks.
“Tiger-brand energy drink. Now with 40% more real tiger.” Here? I believe them.
Vodka from everywhere not known for its vodka distilling prowess. Rural hotel shops sell nastily stale crisps, gummy gummies, filling-ripping ‘chewy’ taffy or caramel, and biscuits with a severely limited choice. Rural hotels do not have full electricity so beer is warm and often tossed on the table, waiting for tourists to arrive - as is the food. We were warned to be prepared for cold rice, cold fish, cold potato – and plenty of kimchi and tofu.
Back on the road again, we’re passing small burgs that are not on any of our maps; even the ones we traded for back in the hotel that are specially marked: “For Internal Use ONLY!”.
They were amazingly the same. Clean. Bright. Uncluttered. And attended by cadres of prim, uniform-clad, though non-military people. They were all doing a day’s work keeping everything neat and clean.
There were no cars, trucks, forklifts…only rickshaws and ox-carts. However every one of these ‘towns’ were identical, and exactly, as Ivan pointed out, ‘X’ number of minutes apart.
“Watch! Is so!”, Ivan said. We passed one of these villages, and exactly 3 minutes later, an exact copy. Three minutes later? Another one. 3 more minutes? Xerox-city.
“What the fuck?” Dax asked.
“Potemkin village.” Comrade Dr. Academician Ivan replied.
A Potemkin village is any construction, literal or figurative, whose sole purpose is to provide an external façade to a country which is faring poorly. It is for making people believe that the country is faring better, although statistics and data would suggest otherwise.
“Russia pioneered the process,” Ivan noted with no small amount of pride. “During Cold War with West, entire cities were built, moved, raised, and razed. Ever hear of Krasnoyarsk-25? Atomic Research City? Supposed place of weapons study and manufacture. Huge ‘accident’. Entire city demolished, total populace relocated supposedly, after massive nuclear calamity.”
“Is that true? Cliff asks.
“No. Not at all.” Ivan smiles, “Deliberate misinformation. At least for K-25. It was diversion for actual towns where accidents; nuclear, biological, or worse, had happened. West so concerned about K-25 because it was big, near big capital city of Krasnoyarsk and suitably located out in the taiga. Easy to spot, easy to watch. Kept Western satellites busy while real towns of I-33, U-10, and AR-13 out in the forest were quietly demolished and people relocated or mass buried after some horrible, horrible accidents...”
“You think it’s the same here?” I asked Ivan.
“No, Dr. Rock”, Ivan smiled, and helped himself to my freshly constructed, but untouched, Yorshch, “This is all fake and bluster. Make West think everything is all A-OK, is that right idiom?”
“Yep.” I reply, “Precisely.”
“Make West believe all is OK and green”, as he winks at me, “And bustling and growing. Cover up what is real case here. We all see it and we see right through. Shoddy even for Asians.”
We all had to snicker and smirk as the shiny suit squad, who sat up at the front of the bus, and were not supposed to be listening; reacted like every cell in their bodies were just hit with a drop of pure lemon juice.
“Comrade Dr. Academician. Decorum, please.” I snickered.
“Oh, fuck them!”, Ivan replied, “I am old Russian. They try and pull burlap over my eyes? St. Petersburg? Moscow? Krasnoyarsk.? I’ve been there, seen them. They think this display of tawdriness…Even goofy American and Canadian can see the fakes they are. Britisher? I’m not so sure…”
“Damn, Doctor., I said to Ivan, “You’re just making friends all over the planet today.”
We all knew it was in jest; but the shiny suit squad certainly had their feathers ruffled and either didn’t care or wanted us to know we were under their observation.
“Fuck them twice”, Ivan said, “Ask them for bottle opener. I’m too lazy to search for my field jackknife.”
I hand him my pocket Leatherman and he pries the top of another bottle of ‘Budveiser’ beer.
“They can’t even make fake the name correctly”, he smirks and drains the bottle.
‘Town’ after ‘town’ and even that parade gets uninteresting. We’re headed north and finally come to a crossroads.
The bus driver, who must be a regular paranoid-maniac because he actually stopped to look for oncoming traffic, which we have seen precisely none since leaving the capital city, made a hard right. We’re heading back and up into the hills, leaving the bright lights of the big city far behind.
After an hour or so of driving, we pull off to the left-hand side of the road.
“Rock, Ivan, Cliff…holy shit, look at this!” Dax was uncharacteristically excited.
It was an open field that leads to a series of low outcrops of polychromatic, obviously sedimentary rocks. Magentas, greens, purples, rust-reds, browns, blacks, olive greens…holy shit. A real sedimentary pile.
We filed out of the bus with our field gear. The shiny suit squad started in with a bullhorn.
“You will wait for tour guides!”
“You will listen to group leaders!”
“You will not stray from the designated paths set up…”
No one heard them as the group of 11 remaining Western geoscientists were already across the highway and hieing for the exposures like outcrop-seeking multiple-warhead re-entry vehicles.
“You must wait!” we heard from exasperated voices back at the bus. “You must stop!”
“You must piss off!” Cliff said, “This is what we’ve been waiting over two weeks to see!”
“They are very angry with us”, Myung-dae the young Korean geologist said. “I find that just too bad.”
“And you are?” I asked.
Myung-dae Soo, the young Korean geologist, introduced himself.
“Well”, I said, “Welcome aboard. I’m Dr. Rock.”
“They are very, very angry”, he repeats.
“So? Are you tagging along to give them internal reports?” I asked.
“No, Doctor”, he replied, “I too am a geologist. I want to get away from those assholes and see some real rocks.”
“Who are you with?” I ask, “What group?”
“I am 5th-year student at Pyongyang College. I am not officially here. We were told in class that you were coming. I decided to see if I could join you. This morning, I was standing by bus and they thought I was hotel worker or orderly. I was given cooler full of beer and told to find place for it on the bus. I did and after that, just stayed in the back. I am stowaway. I am ashamed, but I had to see for myself. But, I like Western field trips so far!”
“No shit? Well, then”, I said, “Double welcome aboard. None of this ‘I am ashamed’ shit. You’re a geologist, but you haven’t even worked through your first field-evening get-together with us. But this is no pleasure cruise. It’s real work, real geology, real serious science shit. You savvy?”
“Yes, sir, Doctor Rocknocker from Sultanate in the Middle East.” Myung-dae smiled.
“And you fucking stay close to me”, I smirked.
I fired a couple of BLAAATS! from my portable air horn.
“Field Meeting! Field Meeting! Assholes & Elbows!” I called aloud.
Everyone gathered within earshot.
“OK, guys, here’s the deal. We do not know how long we’ve got here. So, let’s split up into teams. Geophysicists, go do your structural thing. Stratigraphers? Field relations. Geologists? Let’s go talk to some ronery-rooking-rocks. No offense, Mr. Myung.”
Myung-dae was laughing up a storm. He got that reference. He later told us all around the campfire he thought ‘Team America’ was a “fucking hilarious movie.”
Oh, we are going to be a real bad influence on this poor kid.
The groups spontaneously broke up into 4 or 5 sub-groups. They headed for areas they thought were important and they were photographing, measuring, pounding on rocks, and arguing within minutes.
“No, you idiot! It’s continental. Look at those adhesion ripples.”
“The fuck you know. It’s only a little low-level eggbeater tectonics. Where the fuck would you get continental collision-size energy around here?”
“Oh, the fuck you say. It’s non-marine. Those are mud cracks. Look at the sandy aeolian infill, fer chrissake.”
Formal? Proper? Detached Doctors of Geology?
Not when you’re in the field. It all goes out the window when different opinions collide like subducting plates.
“The music of my people!” I said to Morse.
“I thought that was the ‘Safety Dance’?” he chided.
“We’re a big family. We can have more than one.” I snickered.
We’re wandering around the site, with individual purpose.
We are looking for or looking at items of interest.
We’re hacking at the outcrops.
We’re all looking at…things.
It’s hard to describe. Get a load of geologists or geology students out of the office, lab, or classroom; stick them out on a bare expanse of heavily weathered rock and it’s simply…numinous.
We’re rebuilding worlds here.
This rock says this.
This rock says that.
And you’re not fluent in that dialect. Here, let me interpret for you…
We’re at each other’s throats, in the academic-metaphorical sense. Tempers have been known to run hot. There has been the occasional bloody nose or rocks sailing down an outcrop without the obligate “HEADACHE!” call. Hammers and Marsh Picks have ended up swimming without the owner’s knowledge.
But once we’re back; settled in the hotel room, tavern, or around the campfire, we’re all a Band of Brothers again. It’s an odd thing to watch; as if you’re not of the clan, you’d need an interpreter. It defies all boundaries: political, sexual, educational, geographical, linguistic, social, et cetera.
We’re all geologists first. We share the common scientific bond of Geology.
That’s why Geology is the First Science.
Plus we tend to drink a serious fucking whole bloody awful lot.
We’ve all been on that ‘crawlin’ home puker’.
We’ve also been to the ends of the earth: the deepest depths, the highest heights, we deal with the greatest pressures, the hottest temperatures; we’ve been to the mountain, we’ve seen the elephant, and we’ve held a bear’s nose to dogshit.
We wear the scars attained in our travels like badges of honor.
We’re God-Damned Scientists.
Back off, man. Geologist comin’ through.
Anyways, I’m looking at the bedding-plane boundaries between the purple unit and the underlying olive-green unit. The upper unit it looks, to me, continental in origin. Fluvial, perhaps. The lower unit is much finer-grained. Marine mudstone, perhaps? But what age?
The cadged Korean Geological maps are worse than useless. They never would go down to the outcrop scale. Consulting them, they don’t even note these exposures in a field sense.
Myung-dae, who is working about 35 meters down-section from me calls out, “Doctors! Sirs! Look here! I’ve found something!”
We all wander over as he is hacking away at the dusty, eroded rock. He stands and dusts off his find.
It’s a very large, nearly 1-meter diameter, coiled fossil cephalopod.
I wander over for a closer look. Dax, Cliff, Morse, and Ivan do as well.
“Blimey! Will you look at that? Outstanding, Mr. Myung!” Cliff says.
“Well, that confirms it. This layer, at least, is marine. Look at that suture pattern”, I say, dusting off an unweathered bit.
“Look at the radius of coiling.”, Cliff joins in.
We’re slowly wresting information out of this silent witness.
“Ornamentation?”, Dr. Ivan asks. “Knobs, bosses, and excrutions?” Oh, yes.”
In unison, we declare: “Hyphoplites!”
Morse adds, “And therefore…these rocks are middle Cretaceous. Marine. Not bad…”
“Need to get some samples for geochemical analysis. Dig deep, gentlemen, we need unweathered samples for TOC (Total Organic Carbon) content.”, Dr. Erlen Meyer notes.
With that, we have a relative age of the rock, a good idea of its depositional environment, and therefore extent, ideas of field relationships, and an indication of some of its fauna.
Could it be source rock worthy?
Samples? Best get diggin’, Beaumont.
That unit is right smack in the middle of this pile of rocks. Dax and I will work up-section and Ivan and Cliff will work down-section. We’re going to see what lies above, what lies below, what trends we can discern, and develop an idea of what happened here some 100 million years ago.
This is what happens when you get geologists out in the field with the proper amounts of field gear, outcrops, and alcohol.
Overall, the deeper down-section, and therefore, earlier in geological time you go, the more marine the rocks are. Conversely, the higher you go in the column, i.e., up-section, into younger rocks, the more continental it appears.
We find fragments of marine fish fossils, sea-crocodile scutes and teeth, heaps of mosasaur coprolites, i.e., fossil shit piles, and other indications that the lower, older rocks are Lower Cretaceous ocean basin-fill.
But up higher; we find mud cracks, rain prints, land turtle shells, land-snails (Bellerophontid gastropods), and what may actually be a fossil feather. All indications of a more continental, i.e., fluvial (river), floodplain, lacustrine (lake), and paludal (swamp) deposition.
That’s my particular bailiwick.
I’m ‘elephant walking’ along the upper outcrops looking for fossils. You basically bend over at the waist and sweep from left to right as you take exaggerated step after step, scanning the ground looking for…well…it takes years, but once you see it, you never forget it.
“Fossil sign”.
A disjunct endemism. Something not in situ. Something out of place. A bit of a different, out of context color. Out of context texture. Out of context size. Out of context context.
Something that looks like it shouldn’t ought to be there.
I’m picking up 1 cm. square hunks of what look like an ordinary rock. I taste them. Well, I stick them to my tongue. If it liquefies and runs away, it’s ordinary mudstone, shale, or the like.
If it sticks…well, it might just be fossil bone.
“PTWTWOO!”
“Damn right, Rock”, Cliff says from behind me, “Fucking North Korea tastes terrible.”
“Still, it’s the best way I know to…” I paused.
“Got something?” Cliff asked.
“Look here.” I said, “Anthill. Big, nasty buggers. Look around the edges. Pieces of flat, cream-colored rock on this gaudy purple stuff. Tongue test? They stick like cockleburs. Let’s look upslope, see if there’s a drainage…”
There it was, a nice little drainage incised about 1.5 meters deep into the nearly horizontal rocks we were walking on.
“Any float?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Cliff said.
We followed the weak, little drainage that was cut into the outcrop, up another couple of meters.
There were very scrappy, very small, very scattered pieces of that same cream-colored rock. Some were ornamented with a scroll-work or some sort of striations. Most un-geological. More biological. We followed the trail, up here, around here, over there.
Cliff noticed it first, a soccer-ball sized lump of completely out-of-place crème-colored ‘rock’ working its way out by gradual erosion of the variegated pastels of the continental rocks upon which we were treading.
I got there first and began to clear the area with my Estwing.
“Careful. Careful”, Cliff admonished.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mind your Mincies. [Mince pies = eyes]”, as I’m swinging away at the reluctant, reticent, rocks.
The excavation grew, slowly. From the rounded dome, we could see small sutures that had developed…
Then condyles, fenestrae, then more ‘bone’. Then a jaw, teeth, vertebrae…
“HOLY DOUBLE-DAMN SHIT!” I tootled my air horn. We needed the group to see this.
It was a skull. A dinosaur skull. A small, non-avian dinosaur skull.
Everyone has crowded around and looked at the small quarry we had just built.
“Whatcha got, Rock? Cliff?” Joon asked.
“Fuck me, but I think we’ve got us a dinosaur skull,” I said.
Professor Doctor Academician Ivan walked over and cleared the area.
As Professor Emeritus, he had pole position priority.
“I agree.” is all he said.
I cleared the area and let others take a whack at opening up the quarry.
We may have been low on power tools, but we had a surfeit of opinions.
“OK,” I said, “Let’s look at the facts…”

1. Age? Cretaceous. Probably lower to lower-middle Cretaceous.
   
2. Continental deposits. That’s very fine sand we’re hacking away. Fluvial, without a doubt. Or, possibly aeolian; there’s no such thing as a geological certainty. Dunes? Ephemeral creeks? Low floodplain? Geo-talk… .
   
3. Small size. Potentially a juvenile?
   
4. Nope. Not a juvie. Sutures are closed, fused. This is, well was, an adult; perhaps a subadult, given its size.
   
5. In situ? In place? Or washed in?
   

Hard to tell when all you’ve exposed is half the critter’s brain box.
“Look at that!” Myung-dae exclaimed, “Squamosal bones and the inner parietals…temporal fenestrae. It had a frill; a small one.”
“OK,”, I said, looking closely at the exposed scrappy remains, “Fucking-A Bubba. Nailed it.” I said, giving him the thumbs up.
“Ceratopsian. Look at those greens-grinder molars. There’s some small osteoderms on the skull; knobby old bastard. Early critter.” I continued.
Others looked around and confirmed my observations.
“Reminds me of Protoceratops from when I was back in Mongolia,” I said.
Dax chimed in with, “Looks something like Psittacosaurus from back in the Cretaceous Belly River of Canada.”
Drs. Ivan and Morse agree. “Most assuredly. It is definitely proto-ceratopsian. Young adult, as Dr. Rock notes by the cranial sutures. Do they have a record of proto-ceratopsians here?”
Myung-dae replies, “I have read reports of Korean proto-ceratopsian found in South Korea. Not long ago, 2019, it is called…ah… Auroraceratops. It is a genus of bipedal basal neo-ceratopsian dinosaur.”
“Bipedal?” I query. “Well, there’s a fine how do you do. All the proto-ceratopsians I’ve known were obligate quadrupeds.”
“Well”, Ivan, Dax, Cliff, and Morse agree, “That should give the shiny suit squad something to report. That’ll keep them the hell out of our hair for a while.”
We photograph each step as we excavate the critter. It’s more or less in situ, buried where it fell. Probably killed by a sand slip off a dune, or a river sandbar slip and burial. It’s not complete, but we do have the skull and a good portion of the post-cranial elements to about just before the pelvis. A good pectoral girdle, skull, jaw, frill, forelimbs, forefeet…easily half-a cute little herbivorous dinosaur. About the size of a smallish Highland Coo or large Great Dane.
We flag it with the team particulars, it’s GPS position, and carefully rebury the animal. We don’t have any of the equipment nor time to excavate it properly, but we can conserve it. Of course, we’ll be informing the proper authorities of our discovery.
I have an absolutely ancient Polaroid instant camera. Before re-internment, I take several pictures of our “Koreasaurus”, as we’ve dubbed the animal, with items for scale; like a hammer, cigar, and oddly enough, a photographic scale. Then I get a photo of the whole crew standing around, drinking warm beers from their individual day packs, smiling about the find ‘they‘ made.
We hear the melodious tootle of the bus’s horns. We make sure to pack out all our trash and wander back to our terrestrial transport.
“You were gone too long!” the chief shiny suited character goes all ballistic on me.
“Watch yourself, Herr Mac.”, I calmly said, “You’re going to burn your nose on my cigar.”
“You left without your handlers…err…guides!” he fumed.
“Hey, Scooter. Cool out. We’re geologists. We never get lost.” I said.
It sometimes just takes us longer to get back than it took us to leave…
“Your impertinence will be reported.” He smoldered.
“Report this, Mother Chuckler”, I observed and held out the pictures of our newly discovered Koreasaurus.
“Show those photos to your handlers,” I said in a mocking tone. “We found a brand new species of God-damned dinosaur for you geezers. It took us less than two hours. You can spin it that it’s a new, never-before-seen species of very specialized dinosaur found right here in beautiful Korea del Norte. Be quite the scientific coup, don’t you think? Trust us. We won’t say anything.”
He immediately shut up and went into conference with the rest of the shiny suit squad.
“Doctor”, one of the clan covert asked, “This is a new dinosaur?”
I had a thunderbolt of an idea.
“Oh! Yes, it is. I’d stake my reputation on it. You’ve had no concerted search here for the beasts and well, with the normalizing of relations between your country and the world, it allowed your specialists to perform real science. In fact, on the bus is the young North Korean geoscientist who made the discovery.” I said. “Give me a minute. I’ll go and get him. I think he was off taking a shi…ah, using the lavatory. Just give me a minute.”
I did have an idea. A wonderful idea. A wonderfully evil idea.
Back on the bus, I ordered the doors closed.
“Gentlemen! Ears and eyes! Please.” I said loudly.
Continuing…
“The shiny suits have their knickers all a-twist because we don’t want to listen to them; the assholes. Fuck that. I’ve got an idea. Let’s make our young acolyte here, Mr. Myung-dae Soo, a national hero. He would probably get his ass in a crack for sneaking on board the Western bus today the way he did. Well, double fuck that. Let’s all say he found the dinosaur. Let him take the glory for the homeland. No one else will ever need to know.” I said smiling.
“Fuck Yeah! You bet! Замечательное! Ihmeellisiä! Maravilhoso! Geweldig!”
Good to know we’re all on the same page. Geologists. You can always count on them…
“Mr. Myung-dae Soo? Front and center. Time to go and become ‘Hero of Best Korea’.” I smiled.
He was absolutely terrified.
“Doctor…I …don't…wait…no…” he stammered.
Cliff, Dax, Ivan, and I trotted him out to confront the shiny suit squad.
“Don’t worry, Myung. We’ve got your back. Trust us.” I said in a low conspiratorial tone.
The shiny suit squad turned as one and gave Mr. Myung the Stink Eye treatment.
“Here you go. The man of the hour. Mr. Myung-Dae Soo, young geologist and up and coming paleontologist.” I say loudly and with the utmost honor.
They look at him and the Korean erupts in rapid-fire staccato bursts.
Cliff just wanders in and interjects, “Yes. Righto. Top form. Found the float. Tracked down that dino like he was on safari. Highest marks. Good man!”
Dax adds more fuel to the fire. “Like he knew where to go, knew where to look. He’s a natural.”
Dr. Academician Ivan blustered forth: “Excellent scholar. Excellent field man. Banner geologist.”
I couldn’t have added more. The shiny suit squad was gobsmacked.
I asked Myung-dae what they were saying.
“They were talking about reprisals. Reporting to authorities. Then, they stopped. You have them completely confounded.” He said.
“How so?” I asked, quietly.
“Between an international incident where we don’t listen to our handlers and this potential important scientific discovery.” Mr. Myung-dae reported, trying hard to parse the evolving situation.
“Yes”, I added to Ivan’s bluster.
To the shiny suits: “I’ve worked as visiting Dinosaurian Vertebrate Paleontology Curator at all the major American museums. This is a find quite unlike anything known. It is a watershed discovery. It will help unravel the evolution and distribution of the clan Dinosauria for the whole Korean Peninsula. Perhaps, even with international impact on the recent finds in China.”
I laid it on with a trowel.
I hit all the buzzwords.
“Yes. Yes, perhaps.”, the head shiny-suiter said. “I will report this bit of very good news to the proper authorities. Myung-dae, with us. We require more information.”
“Ah, we’d prefer him to ride in back with us if you don’t mind. Scientific courtesy, old man. He needs to be classically de-interviewed after such a find.” I insisted, making certain I stand as tall, wide, and menacing as possible while smiling like a damned Cheshire cat, one smoking a very large cigar.
“Very well. We are not far from our evening stop. We can talk later.” He agreed.
We all moseyed, laughing silently, back to the bus; literally supporting our young hero Mr. Myung-dae as he seemed to have gone all wobbly of late.
Myung-dae was ashen-white. He looked like he had just given birth to a basketball. He was visibly shaking.
We get on the bus and I whip up a stout Yorshch for the young hero of the hour.
“Here! This is for you. If you’re going to be a world-class geologist, you’d damn sure better start acting like one.” I smile broadly.
There were hoots, cheers, and cat-calls.
Beers were popped, bottles uncorked; cigars, cigarettes, and pipes lit.
“Damn Skippy!” some anonymous reveler added.
Myung-dae slurped a good half the drink. I offered him a cigar. He stopped shaking enough to accept the novel offer.
Remember “crawlin’ home puker”? He’s taken his first step into a larger world.
OK, just to recap. Here are the dramatis personae left on the bus…
Bus driver (Kim) and his relief (Won).
My team and I. That’s 11 Western geoscientists: Morse, Cliff, Volna, Ack, Viv, Graco, Erlen, Dr. Academician Ivan, Joon, Dax, and myself.
Then there are our guides: Yuk, No, Man, and Kong.
Our stowaway hero geologist-in-training: Myung-dae Soo, aka, “Mung”.
And the four members of the shiny suit clan: Pak, Mak, Tak, and Jak. At least, that’s the names we used when we addressed them.
The bus was rumbling down the deserted highway. We were headed more or less due east, passing the occasional Potemkin Village. They knew we cracked their code long ago, so they didn’t bother with darkening the windows any longer.
We are passing a series of highway road cut outcrops. We’re only going approximately 35 or 40 miles per hour. Suddenly, Morse jumps out of his seat and runs up to the driver.
“STOP! STOP! Back up! We almost missed it!” he barks in heavily Russian inflected English.
The driver, shaken to the core, just slams on the brakes. The bus grinds to a stop. Good thing there’s no traffic out here.
Or anywhere else, for that matter.
Jak of the suit clan jumps up and asks “What is the problem?”
“How could you miss that?” Morse shouts. “Huge fault. Mineralization. I saw that from a glimpse. We must return to investigate.”
“Is not possible. We have appointment at the hotel.” Jak replies.
“Fuck that!”, Morse shouts. I guess he’s just really into faults…
I wander up and try to defuse the situation.
“OK, guys, cool out. Let’s be reasonable. Do it our way. Go back to that road cut. We spend a half-hour there then we go on to the hotel. The hotel will still be there when we arrive, won’t it? Even if we’re a bit late?” I ask.
Jak looks to Pak, who converses with Mak and Tak. They know they’re outgunned.
The driver shifts the bus into reverse and we back down the luckily deserted highway over a mile to the outcrop in question.
We had to admit, it was a mother beautiful normal fault. In perfect, textbook cross-section.
Morse and Joon were on it like white on rice; given the mineralization along the fault plane. All sorts of implications for the thermal and geological history of the area. But with just one exposure like this, more or less just a real interesting geo-oddity.
We spent precisely 30 minutes at the exposure, and when our handlers requested we re-board and head to the motel, we complied like nice, normal sort of folks.
I believe the appropriate maxim here is: “Lull them into a false sense of security…”
Once more down the road we travel. Beers popped, bottles uncorked; you know, the usual.
Forty-five minutes later, we pull into, I kid you not, a replica US of A 1950s Motor-Inn.
“Mr. Myung”, I ask, “What the hell is this?”
To be continued…

Hey, I do a bunch of world building and homebrew for the campaign I run for my friends, and I figured I'd share it if anyone wants to use it.
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The Undercity? Yeah, it’s dangerous! You’ve got the redcap goblins, they aren’t much a danger by themselves, but they’ll give ya a hell of a time if a group gets you alone don’t you know? The Coldwrought clan moved down there some decades ago of course, and then… well, I don’t believe it myself of course, but they say stone giants still wander around down there. Gives me the shivers!
-Elsta Barrlow
The Undercity of Kol Taram is a city that was never meant to be: it exists in a massive drainage system built to protect Kol Taram above from spring melts from the nearby River of Colors. Across the Fallen Bridge on the other side of the cavernous drain channel, stone giants live a secluded life. The Coldwrought Crime Clan rules the Undercity with an iron fist, based out of their hotel/dungeon “The Dark Hive.”
Woven between these dangers (and so many more) there are, of course, wonderous things, too: Yawmbo, the bugbear keeper of The Dark Hive, can acquire near anything you need; Cadence Clearwater, the skinny, high-strung tiefling can craft a specialized tattoo that allows anyone to summon a familiar; within the simple lean-to that Kev the Kenku has an assortment of interesting items plucked from the streets, amongst them the odd thing of interest.
The Undercity Always Flows
Many have tried to map The Undercity, but nobody has yet succeeded. Due to the violent, and untrusting nature of many of the denizens, The Undercity is constantly tearing areas down, and building anew. A night doesn’t pass without at least two incidents of arson, and any especially loud squabbles that border on riots result in the stone giants across the Broken Bridge lobbing boulders amongst the city which also result in frequent “re-zonings.”
The best way to orient yourself to The Undercity are to look for the towering, 10-story high pillars that serve as both buildings and anchors to a fluid city.

• The Glowing Pillar
• A Pillar of the People
• The Goblin Gables
• The Statuary
• The Dark Hive Pillar
• The Pillar of Stairs

While there are many other structures outside of these super-structures built to support the weight of a mountain, most major buildings congregate around them.
The Ring of Rejects
The Undercity was not meant to be inhabited, but once The Squall began to rage, and a permanent winter has set in, there is no chance that the River of Colors will flood. Those not of dwarven descent often found that Kol Taram was a place they could never thrive, and many found their ways, by exile or by choice, to this so-called sixth ring, the Ring of Rejects.
The Broken Bridge
The only support structure to have ever fallen within the drainage system has left a massive, 100’ wide bridge of uneven and broken stones across the 120’ deep drainage ditch. Across it lives, hidden by piled boulders, a small hermitage of stone giants… or so the legend goes. The Broken Bridge is said to be their method of assault, should the violence in The Undercity ever spill over.
Refugees of Kol Taram
After Kienscale was awoken, and Kol Taram sacked, many of the citizens who knew of the Undercity and the methods to reach it, left the city through this dangerous route. Some lost their lives, most their possessions, and few chose to stay. Those few form around The Glowing Pillar, the mages of The Bearded Consortium dispelling whatever errant arcana had caused the faint light to radiate out from it, allowing the displaced dwarves to fashion out a makeshift fortress. There, elements of The Stoneguard gather, training the remaining citizens and gathering allies to eventually take back their city.
Controlled Anarchy
There are no set laws in The Undercity, save the unspoken, universal threat of the stone giants that might again assault the city should it grow too riotous. The Stoneguard keep order around the areas of The Glowing Pillar, and The Coldwrought Clan has enforcers keeping the money flowing and outside influences in check. The Goblin Gabbles is thoroughly ridden with goblins, who obey their own laws, a strange and violent pecking order that keeps their infighting at a steady level, and their threat to the city as a whole limited.
A Dark City
The Undercity features prominently races with darkvision, so aside from The Glowing Pillar and the Pillar of Stairs, there are not frequent sources of light. Those that do dot the inns, streets, and doorways of homes tend to be gas lamps turned to their lowest setting, or sweet, earthy Smolderwart, a pale white moss that burns for hours with a faint light and fragrant smoke.
Guide to the Undercity
I lived in the Ring of Copper once, you know? Me, a fat greenskinned goblin! No matter how good I became as a smith, it became obvious I’d never be more than skilled labor.
So I moved, moved to the Undercity. Every day, death lurks, maybe not nearby, but around every corner you smell him: a feral, red cap’s knife or maybe one of the Lumare’s creepy hands around your neck; but when nobody pretends to like you, it’s a lot easier down here to know who to trust.
-Miggblin, owner of Miggblin’s Custom Bladework.
The danger of The Undercity, especially to humans and the aarakocra, cannot be understated. That said, outside the Coldwrought Clan, deception is not often practiced: this is a place where the sword will often prevail over the pen.
The Natives
The Ring of Stone is already within the realm of The Underdark, and The Undercity serves as a place for its citizens and those from the service to mingle. These places were not always occupied by sentient races: before Kol Taram came to be, the cavernous dark was occupied by hideous creatures dreamed into existence by a beholder in the Second Age. Thriving amongst the dark and deadly hellscape of this underdark were the Lumare, grey-skinned humanoids, more spindly than graceful, with unnaturally flexible joints which cause them to have a strange, exaggerated gait, and the ability to easily scale the stony walls of the underdark. Nearly wiped out by dragons, and again when The Undercity boomed into existence after the defeat of the Parroa Rebellion, they hold a place of awe and respect, even amongst the rabble of The Undercity. They are said to be able to read minds, and know your actions before you do.
The rest of the creatures that belong to The Old Ones are less beloved, and wandering too far into the dark nooks of the city may find you face to face with them:
Wandering Old Ones
d4
Result
1
Dreamcrawler: Crawling along the walls, ceilings, and under bridges, these hands with bony, exposed, skeletal tips for scratching. (CR ½)
2
Fearwalker: Eyeless, bipedal humanoids with long, hooked ears, exaggerated mouths, and a taste for fear. They stalk the frightened, lost souls that wander into their domains. (CR 3)
3
Shadowstare: A flat creature of shadow that clings to a wall or under a shelf, though when it’s one massive eye opens it can be as dangerous as any beholder’s gaze. (CR: 5)
4
Zombie Beholder: (CR: 5)
Spellcasting Services
There are not many spellcasters in The Undercity, as the red cap goblins have a superstitious fear of magic, and they tend to target magic-users with more murderous intent than others. As such, there are no established spellcrafting services. The Bearded Consortium has powerful mages, but they are geared toward returning Kol Taram to its former standing; the Purple Terror who lurks in the city above keeps them wary.
Living and Lifestyles in The Undercity
‘Poverty’ is an easy term to toss around within the Undercity: many of the abodes are squalid, temporary structures of pitiful design. This can be deceiving, however, as The Undercities denizens are loath to show off anything of value. These items, beautiful or rare or expensive, are carried on one’s person, or hidden carefully away. As such, it is hard to determine a person’s real wealth.
Education and Learning
Due to the transient nature of The Undercities populace, traditional schools aren’t common. The Undercity is no place for children. Within the Kol Taram garrison, safe in the halls of the Glowing Pillar, dwarvish children resume lessons under the direction of Headmaster Heurd Rocknose. There are rumors of a Lumare training ground somewhere deeper within The Underdark called The Alabaster Terrace, where the Lumare hone their unique abilities, though none have seen it. Most who call themselves “lifers” who were born and raised in The Undercity take on apprenticeships.
Shopping
There are no markets or centers of commerce, though what stores do exist tend to cluster close to, or within, the massive pillars that support the cavernous roof of the space The Undercity occupies. The Washed Market outside of The Dark Hive may be the only exception: under careful watch of Coldwrought enforcers, an open-air black market, a warren of tables, takes place on every Wednesday. Nothing living is to be sold but narcotics, stolen jewelry, historical artifacts, unsavory meats, and dark secrets can be found. While outright violence is not tolerated, the Coldwrought Clan does not concern itself with petty theft, and will take no action against thievery.
Tax Day
There is not a tradition of open celebration of holidays within The Undercity. The only “special” day is Tax Day, which can happen at strange intervals but usually once or twice a month. On this day, Couldwrought enforcers spread across the Undercity in groups, beating up locals who cannot pay for their “taxes.”
Sports and Games
The Undercity does attract it’s fair share of gamblers and unsavory types that are happy to make a quick copper at another’s expense. The Dark Hive features poker tables, Bluffer’s Cup, and for those with the pieces, a private Gragram room.
Gragram
An ancient dwarvish game that requires pieces scattered across the northern parts of Dominion, lost with the falls of two of the original citadels. Those who can find pieces will bet on fighting them with others; the pieces are enchanted, and can do harm only to each other; the pieces rebuild themselves after one day.
Bluffer’s Cup
Each player has three tiles: the shield, the sword, and the hand. It is a rocks, paper, scissors with betting and deception involved.
The Square of Might
Operated by The Coldwrought Clan, The Square of Might is a small fighting arena with two tiers of seatings. Fights may be arranged, with the loser being paid, the winner being paid more, and the house taking most. Fights are not typically to the death, but True Boughts are fought to the death.
People of Prominence
There is no recognized government, or set of laws outside of the unspoken ones that seem universal within the Undercity. Instead, there are people of prominence whose spheres of influence have shaped the behaviors of those around them.
d6
Person
1
Yawmbo - A bugbear with oiled and styled hair brushed back across the fine black vest he wears over a brown-furred torso, Yawmbo speaks little, but is surprisingly intelligent. He works as a broker, and can obtain most things for players, in return for them completing tasks for the Coldwrought Clan, though this is never explicitly stated.
2
Chief Schneek - At 24, Schneek is ancient by goblin standards. He is blind now, but could once read the fortune of the Undercity using rat bones. He despises magic users, such as The Hidden Hag, who he blames for taking his site. His eyes are made of stone.
3
High Mage Wucrut Coalbeard - 322, Wucrut is a chauvinist, old-guard High Mage who resents the introduction of women to the Bearded Consortium. He is a powerful evocation mage, and proved himself in the Battle of Skaar against the Fire Giant Legion.
4
The Hidden Hag - Deep within The Statuary Pillar, amongst its hallways of petrified humanoids, shifting living statues, resides a pale, veiled woman known as The Hidden Hag. None have seen her face, though rumors speak of looking upon her resulting in the many statues around her abode. She keeps to herself, but hers is the only pillar with a good radius of emptiness around it.
5
The Stalker - The lone Lumare who makes permanent residence behind The Stalker’s Perch. He is quiet, speaks few words, but communicates mostly through his eyes. His insight is unparalleled, and he hunts down those who would cause particular trouble in the streets of The Undercity.
6
Dorgram Coldwrought, Patriarch of the Coldwrought Clan - The most dangerous man in The Undercity, Dorgram Coldwrought is 121, and has been groomed from birth to run the Coldwrought Clan. He is merciless, speaks slowly, but his words have great gravity. He always wears dull navy gloves with gold cappings around the knuckles, and around one eye is heavily tattooed to make it appear as if the flesh is peeling away to reveal bone.
Holy Places
The Undercity is a place that slows for freedom of worship, and nowhere is that more obvious than the Madruuc Lambus, undercommon for “Market of Gods.” Dug into the ground itself, a cave-like series of shafts and small caverns dedicated to the many gods that others worship. Less crime happens here, as those who defile a chamber of a deity are likely to find trouble with their followers.
Within the boundaries of The Glowing Pillar and Fort Taram that has risen up to house the dwarven refugees of Kol Taram, there is a simple stone church known as “Last Hearth,” a simple place to keep the flame of the Dawnfather’s Horizon Cathedral burning while the city is under siege.
Just outside of the city, in a cave that requires spider climb to access, there is a large altar designated for Lolth, and many drow slip away in secret to worship here.
A City of Factions
The huge, 100’ wide pillars that support the weight of Mount Taram above this system of gargantuan drains generally form the center points for factions, though not always. To call any of these groups outside of The Coldwrought Clan and the Red Cap Goblins organized is a stretch, but each of these groups has the resources, manpower, or prestige to lay claim to at least a small slice of The Undercity.
The Shadow Scavs
The Undercity was born of need; those who could never find a place amongst the elitist dwarves above, moved to a place where they could rise up as high as any other. Many did not wish to move below, however, bought south the help of those in dark places to get materials restricted to them. These people came to be known as The Shadow Scavengers, or Shadowscavs for short.
They are a motley group of thieves, smugglers, and fences with the occasional use of Autis, a warforged enforcer usually hidden beneath a large jacket and hat, to protect magical items. Their symbol is a pair of crossed, upside down pickaxes.
Ally Benefits:
- Material costs for smithing-related projects are reduced by 15%
- You may purchase the Rat Tunnels map from any Shadowscav leader for 10gp
Stoneguard
A small contingent of Stoneguard, the law keeping force and military of Kol Taram above, escorted refugees down to the Undercity. They currently man Fort Taram, the Gateway Garrison, and a small defensive position outside of The Pillar of Stairs to safeguard against any scouts from the invasion above.
They are hardy warriors, with stone-coated half-plate and either two-handed mauls or one-handed war-hammers and shields. Their leader is The Stonewarden, Vaddarus, a younger male dwarf who always plays it safe.
Ally Benefits:
- You may be accompanied by a Stoneguard about the boundaries of the Undercity if you wish. They will provide you with some protection from the Red Cap goblins and various other entities.
- Access to the Stoneguard Armory, which sells basic armor and weapons at 10% off the base market price.
The Coldwrought Clan
Of all the factions in the Undercity, The Couldwrought Clan is the most powerful and the most dangerous. The actual family members of the Coldwrought Clan number maybe two dozen, but they employ countless other dwarves, goblins, kenku, drow, and anyone else willing to back their clan up for the price of a little gold.
Led by Dorgram Coldwrought, the family patriarch, they grow wealth with hidden desires to take back the citadel above that cast them down.
Ally Benifts:
- You can hire a Coldwrought Enforcer at the price of 5gp a day.
- You may stay at The Dark Hive free of charge, with one fine meal per day included.
The Bearded Consortium
Once one of the two primary powers within Kol Taram, The Bearded Consortium has stood for 500 years as a men-only convocation of powerful magic users, primarily wizards. They are powerful evocation magic users, but have flaunted more political power than actual magic in recent centuries.
In a large upset of tradition, with the fall of Kol Taram, Zelga Stonestaf, a female dwarf, has been made a full member. In this time of desperation, many welcome to powerful, blunt woman who wears a porcelain mask.
Ally Benefits:
- -10% to all components needed for a spell tagged as evocation.
- Access to the Consortium Militia armory, where scrolls of spell levels 1-3 can be purchased, at the DMs discretion.
The Six Great Pillars
As said before, the easiest way to break up the ever-shifting mass of humanoids that make up The Undercity is by the most proximate Great Pillar to their location.
The pillars themselves have been carved and built into over time, with the Goblin Gabbles being the most haphazardly worked and porous-looking, and the Pillar of Stairs being the most well-kept. It’s difficult to break down the pillar neighborhoods in terms of economic lines, but those who live within The Dark Hive tend to be very wealthy; those who live around the People’s Pillar count themselves as the most squalid in an already poor town.
Getting Around
While The Undercity is not massive in terms of it’s horizontal footprint, many of the pillars have carved stairs, and ascend stories into the dark with warrens, housing, and even small shops for those who know where to look. While it takes no more than two hours to walk from end-to-end, climbing to the top of The People’s Pillar may take nearly a day for those unfamiliar. As a general rule of thumb:

• It takes approximately 30 minutes to walk from one pillar’s neighborhood to the next.
• Climbing a Pillar takes approximately 15 minutes a story once it’s familiar to a traveler.

Statuary Pillar Locations
Place
Description
The Stoneyard
A church-like building of old casketwood, and fenced in areas of earth where the dead are interred. The Stoneyard is a gravesite that is backset by the Statuary, and even features statues scavenged from within the Statuary pillar itself. Part of the trio of reputedly haunted buildings that make up Quarry Row.
The Gentle Repose
At one time, The Repose was a beautiful structure, built to house the noble Clan Grandcrest who all succumbed to madness. The one beautiful, Victorian-style home has now been transformed into a hotel, of sorts, though ghosts can frequently be seen walking through walls to different rooms.
Goblin Gables Locations
Place
Description
Deek’s Cart
Every Wednesday, Deek, a meek, skittish goblin, will bring a wheelbarrow-sized cart of belongings stolen by the Red Cap goblins to the Dark Market, but those in the know will tell you that Deek lives under the Goblin Gables. He even deals directly with the Shadowscavs.
Pillar of the People Locations
Place
Description
Bloodworm Farm
One of the few edible things deep underground that grow readily are blood worms, each about four inches long and the width of a middle finger. They are protein rich and taste very iron-heavy. They are grown in troughs, and eat both dead organic matter and rust.
Commoner’s Infirmary
A large tent, similar to a circus tent, though its slowly become a more permanent fixture in The People’s Pillar neighborhood. It is a field hospital, with a limited supply of medicine and an even more limited number of people trained in the healing arts.
Mudbath House
The earthy, deep pits of thermally heated mud. For an added fee, they can even properly wash after.
The Glowing Pillar Locations
Place
Description
Ireworks
The single forge now operates on behalf of the Taram Resistance. It expands slowly but surely, all the wire pumping out armor and weapons night and day.
Kevin
Kevin is a kenku who has set up a tent on the outskirts of The Glowing Pillar neighborhood. Most of what he has is junk, but now and then, he seems to come by a treasure or two.
Undercut
A general store that sells damaged and broken goods well below market price.
Rois Quarry
A large, three layer deep quarry for mining grey granite for bricks.
The Bleedin’ Stout
Named for its signature drink, The Bleedin’ Stout is a traditional dwarvish drinking hall, with a large chandelier, and features a sort of bloodworm pasta with a red pepper sauce that burns the iron flavor right out.
The Training Yard
Amidst the buildings of Fort Taram, there is a large stone courtyard dedicated to 24-hour combat exercises.
The Dark Hive Locations
Place
Description
The Dark Hive
The Dark Hive itself is one party casino, one part sprawling hotel/dungeon that houses The Coldwrought Clan’s interests. On the fifth story of the tower is the Coldwrought Apartments, where the crime family lives, and deals with their top clients.
The Dark Market
Under careful watch from the Coldwrought enforcers, every Wednesday sees a large
Square of Might
To the west of the pillar proper, perhaps ten minutes walk, is a large, iron cube. There are vents on the top, which allow steam from the gathered crowd to escape. Within, there are seats for roughly 60 people, and a raised marble square where organized fights take place.
The Gourmand’s Kitchen
This small, eight-seat establishment operates within Coldwrought territory, and provides one meal a week, every Friday Night. It is highly exclusive, and few know what occurs within these walls… there are rumors that many of the items on the menu are harvested from the streets of The Undercity and beyond...
Further, due to the nature of The Undercity (violent and volatile) many shops rise and fall quickly, or change locations. The following merchants may be located anywhere within The Undercity, or not at all, at the DM’s discretion.
d6
Merchant
1
The Shoddy Scholar - A small shop filled with second-hand books piled on every available surface. Run by the deep gnome Gildroby Middleweasle who knows exactly where every title is, and exactly what's in stock. Specializes in fiction.
2
Feathered Lands - A tiny store, with a single drafting table, a desk, and a few shelves of rolled up, large, scrolls. Mi-Zhan, a middle-aged drow woman shaved bald, though constantly fussing with her head, can create and provide maps of Underdark locations.
3
Hchvat Marganum - Infernal for “Blown Glass”, Hchvat Marganum is just that: a glass blower. Owned by the tiefling Partillin, proud and sarcastic, it can produce glass of master quality.
4
Liquid Courage - A medium-sized Inn of a poor quality. Ownership frequently changes (at least once a week), resulting in odd, mis-matched decor.
5
The All Sleeper’s Domain - A medium-sized tent with comfortable pillows piled throughout. 10gp will get you a pleasant dose of Dreamer’s Stick, a minty, chewy reed that can induce a hallucinatory dream state. Many can’t quite remember where they’ve left all their things when they leave.
6
Cadence’s Tattoo Parlor - Always moving, the rapid-speaking, stream-of-consciousness speaking tiefling, Cadence Clearwater runs a tattoo parlor wherever somebody can track her down. She specializes in a tattoo that can summon a semi-spectral familiar (1,000gp, plus the ashes of 10gp worth of incense, herbs, and charcoal.) once per day.
Dungeons of The Undercity
The Undercity, by its very nature, might be considered a dungeon, depending on your disposition and willingness to overlook rampant violence. However, there are areas in both the developed pillar communities and the surrounding caverns that present particularly perilous settings.
The Statuary
Though the hag who is rumored to wander the halls of the pillar known as The Statuary has expressed nothing more than a desire to be left alone, the statues that dot the hallways, rooftop, and even surrounding The Statuary itself, were all adventurers, criminals, or sight-seekers who ignored her wishes and sought the various treasures said to remain from the Drow military outfit that used to inhabit the tower. The pillar itself was designed to be defended, with a pair of staircases twisting around each other through the center, visible to each level that passes. Not all statues remain still, either; gargoyles, mimics, and ropers all take residence here.
Stone Giant Settlement
Behind large piles of stones that obscure the settlement proper from the other side of the Broken Bridge, are massive steps that lead to a sunken-in portion of earth, hiding the true height of the giant’s large community-structure: similar to a pyramid, though each brick features fine linework to give the entire thing the appearance of being made my miniature stones. Within lives a small community of stone giants, who call themselves Draj-Larc, “The Dark Dwellers” in giantese. They live a quiet, secluded life, and seek to elevate their home to even finer heights, the leader chosen every 500 days by who has provided the most improvement to their lair.
The Dark Hive
An appropriate name for a complex, five-story-high maze of apartments, functional rooms, workshops, and storage areas. The Coldwrought Clan runs the entire structure, though as it expands ever-upward, even they don’t know the true extent of the pillar’s workings anymore. Many of those missing from the uneven streets of The Undercity still live (in the better scenarios) within The Dark Hive. Past the first level, which is largely a dark, smokey casino, intruders will be met with fierce resistance from the Coldwrought Clan and those in their employ. The complex nature of The Dark Hive does carry with it one advantage: There are no means to sound an effective alarm outside of a very localized area.

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Updated - 7/10/20
127 Hours
12 Monkeys
12 Years a Slave
1941
2001: A Space Odyssey
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
2 Fast 2 Furious
2 Guns
300
300: Rise of an Empire
30 Days of Night
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Always
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Argo
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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers in Goldmember
A Walk Among the Tombstones
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BACKDRAFT
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Bad Moms
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Bad Words
Batman
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Batman: The Killing Joke
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Ben Hur
Better Living Through Chemistry
Big Fish
Birdman
Blackhat
BlacKkKlansman
Black Mass
Black Swan
Blade
Blade: Trinity (Rated)
Blade II
Blade Runner (Final Cut)
Blade Runner 2049
Blast from the Past
Blazing Saddles
Blockers
Blow
Blue Jasmine
Blumhouse's Truth Or Dare (Unrated)
Born on the Fourth of July
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Bridesmaids
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Bruce Almighty
Bullitt
Caddyshack
Can't Hardly Wait
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Casablanca
Casino
Casper
Cast Away
Central Intelligence
Chappie
Charade
Chariots of Fire
Children of Men
CHiPs
Chronicle
Citizen Kane
Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans
Cloud Atlas
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Colossal
Con Air
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Constantine
Contagion
Contraband
Cool Hand Luke
Cowboys & Aliens
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Crazy Rich Asians
Creepshow
Crimson Peak
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Dallas Buyers Club
Daredevil (Director's Cut)
Dark City
Darkest Hour
Darkman
Dark Shadows
Das Boot (The Director's Cut)
Date Night (Extended Edition)
Dawn of the Dead - Unrated Director's Cut
Dawn of The Planet of The Apes
Dead Man Down
Death Becomes Her
Demolition Man
Despicable Me
Despicable Me 3
Detroit
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
Dick Tracy
Die Hard
Dirty Harry
Disobedience
District 9
Doctor Dolittle
Doctor Zhivago
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (Uncut)
Dog Day Afternoon
Dolphin Tale
Dolphin Tale 2
Dr. Seuss: The Lorax
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dracula (1931)
Dracula Untold
Drive
Driving Miss Daisy
Due Date
Dumb and Dumber
Dumb and Dumber To
Dune
Dunkirk
Elf
Empire of the Sun
End of Watch
Enemy of the State
Enough Said
Entourage
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Evan Almighty
Everest
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Eye in the Sky
Fallen
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Far and Away
Fast & Furious
Fast & Furious 6 - Extended Edition
Fast Five - Extended Edition
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Field of Dreams
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Darker (Unrated)
Fifty Shades Freed
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fight Club
Final Destination 5
Focus
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Unrated)
Frank & Lola
Frankenstein
Freddy vs. Jason
Free State of Jones
Friday the 13th
Fright Night
Full Metal Jacket
Game Night
Gangster Squad
Gattaca
Geostorm
Get Hard
Get Out
Get Smart
Gifted
Gigi
Girls Trip
Glory
Godzilla
Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Gone in 60 Seconds
Gone with the Wind
Goodbye Christopher Robin
Goodfellas
Grand Hotel
Grandma's Boy
Grand Prix
Gran Torino
Gravity
Green Lantern
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Green Zone
Gremlins
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Groundhog Day
Grudge Match
Grumpy Old Men
Hail, Caesar!
Hancock
Hanna
Happy Death Day
Happy Feet
Happy Feet Two
Happy Gilmore
Hardcore Henry
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harvey
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Her
Hidden
Hitchcock
Hitman: Agent 47
Hitman (Uncut)
Holiday Inn
Home
Hook
Hop
Horrible Bosses
Horrible Bosses 2
Hot Fuzz
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Ultimate Edition
How The West Was Won
How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon 2
I, Robot
I, Tonya
I Am Legend
Identity
In Bruges
Inception
Independence Day: Resurgence
Inglourious Basterds
Inherent Vice
Insidious: Chapter 2
Insidious: Chapter 3
Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
In the Heart of the Sea
In the Name of the Father
Into the Storm
Isle of Dogs
IT
It Could Happen to You
J. Edgar
Jack the Giant Slayer
Jason Bourne
Jaws
Jennifer's Body (Unrated)
Jerry Maguire
Jersey Boys
JOBS
Johnny Mnemonic
Jonah Hex
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Joy
Jumanji
Juno
Jupiter Ascending
Jurassic Park III
Justice League
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Kick-Ass 2
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut Roadshow Version)
King Kong
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Knight and Day
Kong: Skull Island
Krampus
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda 2
Kung Fu Panda 3
Last Action Hero
Lawrence of Arabia (Restored Version)
Leave No Trace
Legend
Legend (2015)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Legends of the Fall
Les Miserables (2012)
Let's Be Cops
Lethal Weapon
Liar Liar
Life of Pi
Little Fockers
Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow
Logan
London Has Fallen
Lonely Hearts
Lone Survivor
Lost River
Love Actually
Lucy
Machete
Madagascar
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Mad Max: Fury Road
Magic Mike
Magic Mike XXL
Mallrats
Mama
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Mamma Mia! The Movie
Man of Steel
Maps to the Stars
Mars Attacks!
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Max Payne (Unrated)
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Meet Joe Black
Me, Myself and Irene
Megamind
Megan Leavey
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Message in a Bottle
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Million Dollar Baby
MindGamers
Miss Congeniality
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Mistress America
Monsters vs. Aliens
Monte Carlo
Moon
Moonrise Kingdom
MORGAN
Mortal Kombat
Moulin Rouge
Mr. Deeds
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Mrs. Miniver
Murder on The Orient Express
Mutiny on the Bounty
My Best Friend's Wedding
My Girl
My Girl 2
My Summer of Love
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
National Lampoon's Vacation
Natural Born Killers
Neighbors
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
New Year's Eve
Nightcrawler
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Freddy vs. Jason
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Nights in Rodanthe
Ninja Assassin
Nocturnal Animals
North By Northwest
Notting Hill
Oblivion
Ocean's 11
Ocean's 8
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Twelve
Office Space
Once Upon a Time in America
Open Season
Open Season: Scared Silly
Our Brand is Crisis
Outbreak
Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim Uprising
Pan
Pan's Labyrinth
Panic Room
Paper Towns
Papillon
Papillon (2019)
Parker
Paul (Unrated)
Pearl Harbor
Penguins of Madagascar
Phantom Thread
Pillow Talk
Pitch Black - Unrated Director's Cut
Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect 2
Pitch Perfect 3
Pitch Perfect Sing-Along Edition
Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Predator
Predators
Predestination
Pretty Woman
Pride & Prejudice
Prince of Darkness
Prisoners
Project X
Prometheus
Psycho (1960)
Public Enemies
R.I.P.D.
Rampage
Ready Player One
Real Steel
Rear Window
Red Sparrow
Repo Man
Riddick - Unrated Director's Cut
Rise of the Guardians
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Risky Business
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood (Unrated)
Rock of Ages
Run All Night
Rush
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 3
Safe House
San Andreas
Savages
SCARFACE ('83)
Schindler's List
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Search Party
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Serenity
Seven
Seventh Son
Sex and the City: The Movie
Sex and the City 2
Sgt. Bilko
Shaun of the Dead
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Side Effects
Sing
Singin' in the Rain
Sisters (Unrated)
Sixteen Candles
Skyscraper
Sleepless
Slither
Slumdog Millionaire
Smallfoot
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokin' Aces
Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball (Unrated)
Snatch
Snatched
Snowden
Snow White & the Huntsman
Son of God
Space Jam
Spartacus
Speed
Speed Racer
Spider-Man (2002)
Split
Spotlight
Spy (Unrated)
Starship Troopers
Stephen King's IT
Steve McQueen: An American Icon
Stoker
Storks
Street Fighter
Street Kings
Sucker Punch
Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad: Extended Cut
Sully
Sunshine
Superman: The Movie
Superman Returns
Super Troopers
Super Troopers 2
Surf's Up
Swordfish
Table 19
Tag
Taken (Extended Cut)
Tammy
Taxi Driver
Ted (Unrated)
Ted 2 (Unrated)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator 4: Salvation
Thank You For Your Service
That Thing You Do!
The Accountant
The Adjustment Bureau
The American President
The Animatrix
The Apparition
The A-Team
The Aviator
The Bag Man
The Beguiled (2017)
The Big Lebowski
The Big Red One
The Birds
The Birth of A Nation
The Blind Side
The Blues Brothers
The Bodyguard
The Book of Eli
The Boss (Unrated)
The Boss Baby
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Legacy
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Breakfast Club
The Bridge On the River Kwai
The Butterfly Effect
The Campaign
The Cell
The Chronicles of Riddick - Unrated Director's Cut
The Color Purple
The Conjuring
The Counselor
The Croods
The Danish Girl
The Darkest Minds
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Departed
The Deep
The Descendants
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil Wears Prada
The Dirty Dozen
The Exorcist
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fate of the Furious
The Fate of the Furious - Extended Directorís Cut
The Fifth Estate
The Fisher King
The Five-Year Engagement
The Fountain
The Frighteners
The Fugitive
The Girl on the Train
The Good Lie
The Goonies
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Great Gatsby
The Great Race
The Great Wall
The Green Mile
The Grey
The Gunman
The Guns of Navarone
The Hangover
The Hangover Part II
The Hangover Part III
The Heat
The Help
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Extended Edition)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Extended Edition)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Extended Edition)
The Host
The Hulk
The Huntsman: Winter's War - Extended Edition
The Ides of March
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
The Incredible Hulk
The Intern
The International
The Internship
The Interview
The Iron Giant (Signature Edition)
The Jerk
The Judge
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Last Samurai
The Last Starfighter
The Legend of Tarzan
The Legend of Zorro
The Lego Batman Movie
The Lego Movie
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
The LEGO Ninjago Movie
The Light Between Oceans
The Longest Day
The Longest Ride
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition)
The Losers
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Lucky One
The Maltese Falcon
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man with the Iron Fists
The Mask
The Mask of Zorro
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
The Maze Runner
The Meg
The Mountain Between Us
The Mule
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy (2017)
The Mummy Returns
The Natural
The Neverending Story
The Nice Guys
The Notebook
The Nun
The Nut Job
The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature
The Old Man & The Gun
The Other Guys
The Other Woman
The Phantom of the Opera
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Predator
The Prestige
The Professional
The Professional (Extended Cut)
The Proposal
The Purge
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
The Revenant
The Right Stuff
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Runaways (2010)
The Sand Pebbles
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Shape of Water
The Shawshank Redemption
The Smurfs
The Snowman
The Sting
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Theory of Everything
The Thing (1982)
The Thing (2011)
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Town
The Train Robbers
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Tree of Life
The Watcher
The Way, Way Back
The Wedding Singer
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wolfman (Unrated)
The World's End
The X-files: I Want To Believe (Special Edition)
They Live
The Young Messiah
They Shall Not Grow Old
This Is 40
This is Where I Leave You
This Means War
Thoroughbreds
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tiptoes
TMNT
To Kill A Mockingbird
Tombstone
Training Day
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Transcendence
Trash
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Trouble With The Curve
Troy
Trumbo
Turbo
Twister
Two Weeks Notice
U-571
Unbreakable
Unbroken
Unforgiven
Unknown
Unsane
Unstoppable
Upgrade
Vacation
Van Helsing
Veronica Mars
Vertical Limit
Vertigo
V for Vendetta
Videodrome
Walk the Line
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Wanted
Warcraft
War Dogs
War for the Planet of the Apes
Watchmen
Water for Elephants
Waterworld
We're the Millers
Wedding Crashers
Where the Wild Things Are
Wild
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Wonder Woman
Woody Woodpecker
Wrath of the Titans
Yes Man
Yogi Bear
Your Highness (Unrated)
Zathura

A little over a year ago I got a group of friends from work together to play through Storm Kings Thunder. We completed our final session, number 20, this past weekend. We had some players drop in and out but altogether it was a great adventure. Every week I would put a summary of the previous session in a calendar invite, so this is a somewhat edited breakdown of the sessions. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or formatting issues.
Spoilers for Storm Kings Thunder Below, Obviously
Seeking glory and interested in assisting Lady Nandar in her dealings with the elves, the party goes to the town Nightstone to the southeast of Waterdeep. Upon arrival, they discover the town has been abandoned save for goblins who are running amok. The party stealthily moves through the town, slaying the goblins as they look for survivors. They encounter a strange woman who does not appear to be what she seems. After clearing most of the town, the party heads towards the keep to look for any other survivors and see if they can learn what has happened.
1
The party meets a new Paladin party member who was staying in the keep during the recent events, as well as meet the surviving guards of Nightstone who are at each other’s throats. The party learns that the town was attacked by a flying castle that rained down boulders on the town, killing Lady Nandar. They also learn that the giants stole a strange stone that was in the town center before flying away. The townsfolk had fled to the nearby caves to seek shelter during the attack but have not returned, leaving the town empty and an easy target. Staying the night in the keep, the party sees as a group of riders approach the town and is let into the town by the strange woman they had met before. The party decides to say their farewells to the guards and leave the town in secret, with some of the party deciding to talk to the riders. Part of the party then meets Xolkin Alassandar, who introduces himself as the new lord of Nightstone. He offers the party a reward of position if they could get his “subjects” back for him. The party then heads towards the dripping caves.
1
Heading to the dripping caves, the party meets a monk who agrees to help them in their quest to save the villagers. They follow tracks in the forest to the caves and quickly learn that some goblins and their ogre friends have captured the townspeople. Most of the party decide to talk to the goblin leader, Boss Hark, while the monk sneaks around and discovers the townspeople huddled in the caves. The Boss, a cigar smoking goblin, offers them a deal that if they can kill the monster near the spring of the caves that he will let the villagers go. The party agrees and heads into the section of the caves, meeting up with the other party members. They soon encounter and slay the gray ooze of the caves, leaving the party paladins weapon damaged in the process. They then decide that they may be able to sneak the villagers out and work on a plan to get them past the ogre guards. Using a bit of magic and stealth, the party is able to make a path for the villagers to escape, but not without brining Boss Hark and his ogre’s attention. In a pitched fight with the boss, the party is able to slay the goblin, charm the ogres, and claim his horde for themselves. The party has saved the villagers from Boss Hark and his goblin band. The villagers seem intent on returning to their homes despite the Zhentarim takeover of Nightstone.
1
The party feels a cold chill on the breeze and has a flashback to their time in Waterdeep and the holiday celebration they had with the Cassalanter nobles. Enjoying some festive cheer, the festivities are nearly ruined when a prized singer is attacked by an imp. The party performs an investigation where they learn that the Cassalanter children have been influenced towards summoning the foul creatures. They are able to stop the incursion of imps and save the holiday party, scoring them some holiday themed gifts and information on assisting the town of Nightstone as we return to the present.
1
With the villagers returned to Nightstone, the party encounters the elves of Ardeep forest who enlist their assistance in driving a band of Kenku from a sacred tree. With the tree mostly cleared, the party only has a few more of the bird men to slay before claiming their prize from lady Elama and continuing their adventure.
1
After receiving hefty rewards from their adventures in the Ardeep forest and a shopping trip/repairs in the city of Waterdeep, the adventurers head northeast towards the town of Goldenfields to deliver a message to one of the slain villagers family members. However, the party soon finds themselves caught between a friendly cloud giant and a band of heavily armored dwarves. How will are party handle being caught between a giant and a hard place? What is Legolas going to do outside with a silver dragon flying around? We will find out in this session of Storm Kings Thunder.
1
Last session, our party was successfully able to defuse the situation between the giant Zephyros and the dwarven shock team. They learn that the Lords Alliance is moving to respond to the giant threat, with this group of dwarves being sent by Queen Dagnabbit of Mithril Hall. The party then arrived at Goldenfields, where they delivered news to Miros of the death of his parents in Nightstone. The party is given room and board at the Goldenfields Inn, ran by a hairy man known as “the Yeti”. They were not able to rest long however, as the town soon came under assault by an army of monsters led by Hill Giants. With the help of some friendly NPCs, the party was able to repel the attack. The battle of Goldenfields is not without casualties however, and the sorceress Naxene was slain by the Hill Giant assault. With some new friends and a promise of a reward from the Abbot of Goldenfields, where will our party go from here?
1
Last session, the party headed to the River Dessarin where they had credit on a casino river boat named the Grand Dame for their service in Goldenfields. As they rode towards the ship, they receive a letter attached to a flying snake from Xolkin Alassandar, one of the Zhentarim who has now titled himself Baron of Nightstone. Arriving at the boat, the party discovers that they are docked here for a wedding and will soon head back north to the town of Yartar. After securing passage north and gambling on the ship, one of the wedding members comes in dressed in tatters and speaking of fiends that came out of the air and attacked. The party runs to the rescue, first encountering a vicious wind weasel who kills Bryn’s owl. The party then comes upon the wedding party being played with by a wind demon and a devilish harp. The party successfully slays the fiends, but the devil harps final trick is played as one of the unconscious wedding party was booby trapped, killing several of the wedding goers as he was stood up. Returning to the boat, the party has four days of respite as the boat travels the 200 miles to Yartar. Going west, the party arrives in Triboar where they deliver the last of the Nightstone death notices. Buying Bryn a new owl, the party stays in the fancy inn of Triboar.
1
Last session, the party took a quest from the Lord Protector of Triboar, Darathra Shendrel, to hunt down a pair of stone giants that had attacked the town. Traveling towards the edge of the Sword Mountains southwest of Triboar, the party encountered two tribes of goblins having a dance off for dominance of the area, judged by the local hag Granny Pestilence. Continuing on, the party was able to locate the abandoned mine that the giants had turned into their home. Going down into the old dwarven mine, the party encountered a displacer beast, which the party dispatched using a slew of oil they had purchased in Triboar, taking its pelt as a trophy. The party then had a tough fight with the pair of stone giants in their new home, but were able to overcome them and take their heads and their Orb of the Stein Rune. The party then further explored the mine, locating a sunken tunnel that held a horde of gold ore as well as a passage to the Underdark. Returning to Triboar, the party exchanged the giant’s heads for a pair of enchanted daggers. They also learn of a previous adventurer who carried a Giant Slayer Greatsword who has now settled down near the city of Silverymoon. Seeking out powerful spell-casters to enchant a cloak of displacement, as well as looking to procure other magical services, the party heads east.
1
Returning to the town of Yartar to have their magic items identified and for information on crafting a cloak of displacement, the party discovered that a strange sickness was affecting some of the citizens of the town who had purchased potions from the local alchemist’s guild. Tasked with the local wizard with discovering the source of the sickness, the party found things amiss at the alchemist’s guildhall, with the guild members all appearing to be under a strange trance. After exploring the guildhall and assisting the guilds maid, the party headed to the workshop that was built over the River Dessarin. The first attempt to enter the building was repelled by a pair of water elemental guards. But after a small retreat and regrouping, the party successfully entered the workshop where they discovered the guild members working in a zombie like stupor under the enchantments of a Rusalka and her troll guard. After a pitched fight including several thrown potions creating wild effects, the monsters were slain and the Rusalka’s enchantment was broken. The party was rewarded a powerful potion for freeing the guild, as well as invited to be teleported to Moongleam Tower in Everlund where they can have their cloak crafted as well as potentially gain access to the teleportation circle network of the Sword Coast.
1
After being teleported to Moongleam Tower in Everlund, the party met Krowen Valharrow, a powerful wizard aligned with a group called the Harpers. After being pressed into Harper service, Krowen gave the party access to their teleportation network as well as agreed to assist in creating a cloak of displacement for the party. On leaving the tower to explore the town, the party heard a horrified scream and on investigating discovered a dead man whose insides were turned to gemstone. They also met Thanatos, a monk who happened to be in the area and who joined the party after they were all arrested and questioned by the town guard. Deciding to investigate, and with the promise of a 1000 gold reward for stopping the murders, the party split up to research the bodies and look into any witnesses and clues. They discover that the body’s internal organs were all turned to kyanite, a gem known for its ability to store energy, and also find clues to a fiendish ritual at the murder site. They eventually track the culprit to one of the gem cutter workshop in town, where Jelfi the gnome had made a pact with a gilded devil for extreme skill in the gem cutting trade. After capturing the gnome and slaying the fiends, the party turned in their evidence and prisoner for their reward.
1
The party’s skills in investigation and battle being proven, the Harpers give the party a new mission of subterfuge to test their abilities. Given a truth serum and tickets for a play in Silverymoon, the party is tasked with learning who the leaders of the Zhentarim in Waterdeep are from a visiting couple of nobles, Lord Orond and Lady Yalah Gralhund. Arriving in Silverymoon, the party rents out a room near the theatre and proceed to Silverymoon palace. Utilizing Eldermon’s noble background, the party is able to infiltrate the palace, albeit with some provisos to their stay. After befriending some of the staff and learning more about their targets, the party puts a plan in motion that gets them the required information, albeit a bit messily. After making a hasty escape from the palace, the party regroups at their rented room, scalp the tickets to the play for some quick cash, and head to their next destination, Zymorven Hall and the Giantslayer Greatsword. After a couple of days on the road, the party arrives at Zymorven hall to find the place destroyed, with obvious signs of battle with monsters. The Giantslayer Greatsword is missing and mysteriously some large object had been excavated and dragged out of the keep. Following the drag marks north until nightfall, the party catches up with a Fire Giant and the remnants of his monster army. They were dragging a huge adamantine gear back to a Duke Zalto, stating that it was part of an ancient construct called the Vonindod. The Giantslayer Greatsword was being wielded by a hobgoblin servant of the giant. Fighting these monstrous foes, the battle was interrupted by a Frost Giant who arrived at the scene. Backing up to regroup and watch, the new frost giant assisted the party in killing the monsters. After the battle, the frost giant introduced himself as Harshnag. Harshnag stated that he is on a quest to discover why the ordning was shattered and to put an end to the giant threat by speaking with the giant god Annam at a place called the Eye of the Allfather. He states that if the party would like to help he would appreciate the company in his travels before they all settle down for a long rest.
1
With their new frost giant companion, Harshnag, the party set off to talk to the giant god Annam and find a way to stop the giants rampaging across the Sword Coast. Harshnag told the party that they needed to travel to the Eye of the All Father, which lies high in the mountains called the Spine of the World, and that they would need warm clothes and a worthy sacrifice to the giant god. The party then headed back to Silverymoon, where warm clothes were bought and Eldermon was questioned about his sudden disappearance by the High Marshall of Silverymoon. Turning north, the party encountered a blind woman being led by a medusa as well as some bounty hunters which the party did not assist. Arriving at One Stone, the party found the giant relic they were searching for in a large rune inscribed boulder that was being used as a religious totem by the Sky Pony tribe. Using some stealth and magic, the party stole away with the stone, but awakened a Bulette who battled the Sky Pony tribe while the party escaped farther north. A few days later they arrived at Beorunna’s Well, a large underground cave with a sinkhole entrance, and home to the Black Lion tribe. This tribe was more hospitable than the Sky Pony tribe, offering them a chance to prove themselves to their god Uthgardt by killing a Manticore. After slaying the beast, the party was allowed to approach the shrine to Beorunna and there the party excavated a chamber under the shrine which held an ogre skeleton and a large mammoth tusk engraved with images of giants fighting dragons. The party brought the tusk out and with the help of Harshnag rode it to the surface. The party then turned west towards Mithral Hall. There the party stocked up on supplies for their journey into the mountains, as well as spoke with queen Dagnabbet about the Fire Giant threat. The party was promised a group of dwarf veterans to assist them if they discover the location of Ironslag, where the fire giants are constructing a war engine called Vonindod. After stocking up on rations, the party headed north, stopping by the Great Worm Cavern to pick up a 3rd giant relic, a broken shield made from a dragons scale. Their journey now bring them to the entrance to the Eye of the All Father, but what awaits them in the dark of this giant sized temple?
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Reuniting with their monk companion in the Spine of the World Mountains, the party reached the Eye of the All Father. Heading into the frozen temple to the giant god Annam, the party encountered the Great Worm Clan of barbarians attempting to gain entry. After a heated battle with the tribe, the party took a rest outside of the frozen doors of the temple. With Harshnag opening the doors, the party entered the main temple, where they found statues of the giant gods offering their weapons to Annam in front of a glowing archway surrounded by giant runes, however the Frost Giant Statues weapon was missing. After some experimentation and setting off a trap, the party decided that they needed to find the missing weapon to complete the puzzle. They first headed into the giant living quarters. Finding little in the rooms but a spider tunnel that they opted not to explore and a potential trap in the hallway blocking their progress to the final rooms. Using the bag of tricks to summon a weasel, the trap was triggered, sealing the doors and causing a giants stone ball to roll towards them. They were able to dodge the trap and finish exploring the rooms, eventually finding a Shard of the Ise Rune. The party then headed towards the other end of the temple, where they found the giant dining hall. Across the room they spotted the missing weapon, but lurking in the room was a Remorhaz. Using Pass Without a Trace on Harshnag, he was able to sneak past the beast and return the missing weapon unnoticed. Placing the axe upon the ise rune on the archway created a thundercloud tunnel leading deeper into the mountain. Inside they found a dead giant in the middle of the floor. Touching the body awoke his ghost, who informed them that he was murdered by his father when they came to talk to Annam and that they would need to clear the floor of ice and place their offerings to Annam in the center of the room to speak with the All Father. The party looted an Opal of the Ild Rune from his body and Harshnag took his armor. After clearing the ice and putting in their offerings, the party was able to discover that the reason the ordning was broken was that a dragon named Iymrith has infiltrated the court of King Hekaton, this going unnoticed by the complacent giants. If the party wishes to stop the giant rampage, they must go to the court of King Hekaton and root out the dragon infiltrator. To do this, they will first need to obtain a Conch of Teleportation from one of the giant lords. With their three offerings, the party was given three options of who to go after: Chief Guh of the Hill Giants, Countess Sansuri of the Cloud Giants, and Duke Zalto of the Fire Giants. The party opted to go after Countess Sansuri and were told her flying castle would be found floating above the Evermoors. With their path before them, the party left the room back through the cloud tunnel. As they crossed the room towards the exit past the statues of giant gods, the party saw as Iymrith entered the room. The dragon called The Doom of the Desert charged across the room and Harshnag jumped forward to give her battle, yelling for the others to flee. Casting a fog cloud to try to help and running out of the room, they heard the echoing strikes of the massive creatures change to the crash of stones as the massive temple collapsed. With Harshnag lost to them, the party must now decide their next course of action.
1
Escaping the Eye of the All Father temple, the party came down from the Spine of the World Mountains without Harshnag, who was seemingly killed by Iymrith, the Doom of the Dessert. Returning to Mithral Hall after an encounter with some fey displacer beast hunters, the party stocked up on supplies and did some shopping. After giving the bad news of Harshnag to Queen Dagnabbit, the party told her that they needed some means to reach the flying castle of Countess Sansuri. She told them that she was aware of a flying ship the party could use for such a task, but she would expect payment in the form of an elven treasury that her scouts had discovered from the time of the War of Many Arrows. The party accepted the task, and with a dwarf by the name of Deepdelver, they headed to the tower of Solanna Bael. Inside this elven tower, the party was asked a series of questions and challenges that scored them some powerful elven relics from a time of war, as well as access to the treasury in the tower. Heading back with treasure in tow, the party encountered a living campfire that allowed them to have a peaceful rest in exchange for a story. After the treasure was turned in, the party was given their airship and shown how to fly it and were also given the option of hiring a crew to man the ship in their stead.
1
In this once shot adventure, a group of dwarves in the Spine of the World Mountains are working hard at the Everforge Mining Company. This ideal dwarven life is interrupted however when a group of humans and kobolds raid the mining camp, kidnapping the matron Everforge. The party follows their trail to the ancient ruins of the dwarven forge in the mountains and using their stone cunning are able to navigate the ancient camp. They discover a young fire dragon and its worshippers intend to open up a gate to the plane of fire in the ancient forge. After a tough fight, the dragon is slain and the portal is successfully closed. As the matron celebrates her rescue in true dwarfish fashion back at the camp, a dwarfish scouting party returns to the camp with a strange giant they had discovered buried in the mountains.
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Stocking up on supplies and climbing aboard their new airship, the party scoured the Evermoors in search for the cloud giant castle of Countess Sansuri. After a few hours of flying, the party spotted the flying fortress and heard terrible roaring coming from the stronghold. Deciding on a diplomatic approach, the airship approached openly and asked for an audience with the countess, which was granted by the cloud giant castellan and her aarakocra minions. Setting up a signal to take off without them with Thanatos just in case, the party headed inside and were taken to the heart of the castle where they met with the Cloud Giant Countess. There the party tried to convince the masked giant that she should let them use her Conch of Teleportation to help King Hekaton. The party quickly learned that the countess is no friend to the Storm Giant King and that she intends to replace him as lord of the giants in a newly established ordning once she uncovers the location of a hoard of magic from her dragon prisoner. Piquing the party’s interest, they convince the countess to let them try to pry the information from the dragon. Countess Sansuri then led the party to the castles dungeon where they met Felgolos, an adult bronze dragon, who was muzzled and chained to a wall. After a bit of questioning, the dragon tells them that he does not know where this treasure that the countess is looking for is and that he only wants to be free. The party convinces the countess that perhaps she is making him nervous and she decides to leave, bringing in her castellan to supervise. With a failed attempt to use Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, a fight in the dungeon began with part of the party attempting to free the dragon while the other tried to bring down the Castellan before he could warn the other cloud giants. The results was the castellan dead, a wounded but free Felgolos, and a slightly beaten up party (Legolas now has an impressive scar from nearly being killed by the cloud giant castellan’s spear). The party rings the bell of silent carols, signaling Thanatos to take off with the airship, then free a group of caged gryphons to add to the chaos. Climbing aboard their new dragon friend, the party took to the sky and flew to the highest tower, where they knew the countess was keeping her Conch of Teleportation. Dropping the party off, Felgolos engaged the aarakocra guards while the party headed inside the tallest tower. Inside, they found the countess’ mask collection as well as a pair of invisible stalkers that were set up as sentries. Engaging in a confusing fight with the invisible enemies, the party slays one and causes another to flee while they head to the highest peak. Inside the tallest room they find the countess’ bedroom, complete with a stuffed Pegasus mobile above the bed. In the headboard of the bed the party was able to find a small empty chest, only a few inches wide. By the time this is found however, the living invisible stalker had returned and continued its assault on the party. Felgolos ripped off the roof of the tower and reached down, allowing the party to escape to the skies from their unseen enemy. As Felgolos soared away, they were able to spot the airship coming down near a hillock a few miles away. As they turned in that direction to make their escape, one of the cloud giants makes a successful ballista hit on the dragon, and the party crashes with their dragon friend into the Evermoors.
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Landing in the Evermoors, Thanatos turned the airship to pick up his wounded companions while Countess Sansuri and her brother Thullen gave chase. The two forces clashed with the party in the middle, but the party proved the stronger and knocked Thullen unconscious. Using the brother as leverage, the party convinced the countess to call upon her magical chest in exchange for his life. Tying the chest to the airship, the party fled the area and the countess returned to her castle to lick her wounds. Having saved the bronze dragon Felgalos, the party went to the Starmetal Hills where the dragon laired, and were able to pick up a magic item each for having saved the tortured dragon. Leaving him to recuperate in his cave, the party headed to Longsaddle where they believed they could offload their recently acquired treasure as well as repair their airship, which had been damaged in the fight with the giants. After landing, the party met Elvira Harpell, a member of the eccentric Harpell family of wizards who live in Longsaddle. After trying to climb aboard their airship, Elvira tells the party about her studies and about some of the mishaps in magic that her family has been responsible for, including the creation of a new lake in Longsaddle from a spell gone awry. Satisfied with having inspected the workings of the airship, she returned to the Harpell home. After conscripting a leather worker to repair their airship balloon, the party went to the Harpell home to have their magic items identified and to sell their horde of treasure. Afterwards they were given a tour of the home and met a strange Drow named Drizzt Do’Urden, a ranger of some renown. Needing to stay the night for their balloon repair, the party then went to the Failing Student Inn, where they purchased some drinks and met another Harpell who was experimenting with the polymorph spell. Purchasing a pair of the furry Harpell’s personal cocktail, Thanatos was transformed temporarily into a woman by the strange but tasty concoction. Bringing the airship crew members some tasty food and drink from the town, a night of merriment was had with the gender bending concoction. When the morning came, the balloon was repaired and the airship was ready to move. Now the party must decide, with the conch of teleportation they have direct access to the court of King Hekaton, but do they want to take care of any loose threads before going to root out the evil dragon Iymrith?
1
Taking their newly acquired treasure to the city of Neverwinter, the party bargained with Captain Xendros of the Succubus for some new magic items and potions for their upcoming fight. The party then explored the city, discovering the Winged Wyvern Bridge, the Harper controlled Plucked String Tavern, as well as were introduced to the Order of the Gauntlet. Learning that the Order was seeking rewards for giant heads, the party turned in a fire giant head and saw that the Order is keeping a leader board for giant bounties. Deciding to go out on a giant hunt, the party takes to the skies and meets the current board leader, Gauthrak, as well as the Blue Claw barbarians. The party also discovers that the local stone giants are coming from a place called the Dreadstone Cleft. Opting not to take on the Stone Giants on their home turf, the party sets up an ambush to the south. This leads to a pitched fight on the ground and air when a war party of 5 stone giants happens upon the party. Bruised but successful in their hunt, the party returns to Neverwinter to have their airship repaired from the battering of thrown stones.
1
Gathering around and blowing into the Conch of Teleportation, the party is teleported to the storm giant fortress known as Maelstrom. The party snuck around the fortress, learning that the fortress is underwater and situated around a giant maelstrom. They see that two storm giants are entertaining giant royalty in the main hall using a musical crab. They also learn that the dragon that they were had come to root out has taken the form of a storm giant and is advising a young storm giant named Serissa . Making their way to the throne room, the party is finally spotted by the giants gathered in the main hall. The two storm giants identify themselves as daughters of King Hekaton. They tell the party that Queen Neri, their mother, had been murdered by "small folk" and that their father is missing after leaving to search for the culprits. King Hekaton left instructions that his youngest daughter, Serissa, should take over the throne in his absence, passing up the older sisters. The party makes a case that they urgently must speak with Serissa, but the sisters say that it will be several days for such an appointment, but that they can stay as their guests while they wait. The party then spends a few hours in the human sized guest rooms of the storm giants, after which one of the giant sisters comes to retrieve the party saying that their meeting has been approved. The storm giant sister had no intention of bringing the party to her sister, however, and had an ambush setup for the party with the giant nobles from earlier. The nobles seemed hesitant to strike out at the party, giving the group a chance to make their case that they shouldn't fight. Telling the giants that they had spoken to the All Father and that a dragon had infiltrated their court and was behind what is happening was enough for the giants to sheath their weapons and let the party make their case to Serissa. Going to the throne room past a pair of hill giant guards, the party found Uthor (King Hekaton's brother) and Iymrith in giant form advising the young storm giant. The party brought their news that a dragon had infiltrated the court, while Iymrith stated that the party was behind the murder of the queen and the abduction of King Hekaton. The party caught on that Iymrith had overstepped and revealed that she knew what had happened to the king. As they were about to expose and convince the storm giants to turn on her, Iymrith grabbed the Korolnor Sceptor that Serissa was using to control the Wyrmskull Throne. With the Scepter taken, the throne lashed out at Serissa, paralyzing her. Knowing that fighting the storm giants and the party on their home turf would be foolhardy, Iymrith then teleported away with her new treasure. Uthor revealed to the party that they had to find King Hekaton, but that they only had one clue to what happened to him. At the place where Queen Neri was murdered, they had found a strange coin, a wooden coin painted gold with the image of a goose carved into it. Eldermon immediately recognized it as a gambling chip that was used on the Grand Dame Casino ship that the party had sailed on up the Dessarin River. After Uthor revealed the clue to the party, the two sisters of Serissa came in and took their places on the thrones in the room, seemingly unaffected by the fate of their sister. Uthor makes a case to release the party back to the sword coast, which the sisters relent and allow.
1
Returning to the Sword Coast by means of a teleportation spell, the party finds themselves by the Alchemists Guildhall in Yartar, the last known location of the Grand Dame. They find the casino ship is still docked in the river harbor of the town, and has also picked up some new security as several brawls have broken out on the ship. The guards confiscate the party’s weapons and allow them aboard, where they find some familiar faces drinking and gambling in the casino, their old friends "the yeti" and Oren Yogilvy of Goldenfields. Having some drinks and gambling on the ship, the party eventually talk to Lord Drylund and learn that he is a member of a secret organization that he means for the party to join. Meanwhile, Ren also talks to Lord Drylund and becomes employed by the Grand Dame as a wine server. Setting up to be initiated into this organization at night fall, the party uses Ren's employment and the distraction of an arm wrestling match with the guards to sneak their weapons on board using a bag of holding. Spending the rest of their day gambling and enjoying themselves, the time eventually comes to meet with Lord Drylund. He informs the party that he is a member of a group called the Kraken Society and that their boss sends them orders, including the orders that led to the death of Queen Neri. He then has Eldermon bow down in front of the aquarium with his pet octopus in it. In the reflection of the aquarium, Eldermon is able to see the image of a powerful Kraken named Slarkrethel who dominates the noble elf to his will, tying the minds of the elf and the kraken together. Legolas is next to bow in front of the tank, but unlike Eldermon he refuses to submit and the Kraken calls for his death. A short battle later sees the pet octopus dead and Lord Drylund captured and panicked. Lord Drylund tells the party that the kraken is in his head and will kill him for failing the monster. Before he is killed, Lord Drylund tells the party that King Hekaton is being held on a ship named the Morkoth that is sailing in circles around a group of islands called the Purple Rocks in the Trackless Sea. Lord Drylund is then killed remotely by his master. Worried about what will happen to Eldermon, the party goes to the Harpers where it is explained that Eldermon and the Kraken are psychically linked, and while they can sever the connection it would potentially go both ways and allow the party to gain insight on the kraken. Eldermon decides to keep the Kraken connection, trapping him in its tentacles for now.
Boarding their flying ship, the party takes a few days searching the trackless sea and eventually spot the Morkoth, a ship in the shape of a giant squid that has the Storm King chained to its deck. Opting to attack at range, a ballista battle takes place which nearly pops the balloon of the air ship, but with the opposing ships ballista disabled the party makes quick work of the crew members. Unchaining King Hekaton, the party informs him of what has happened and how Iymrith had betrayed him. He teleports the party back to Maelstrom using his Conch of Teleportation, rewards the party with Potions of Giant Size, and begins to bolster his honor guard for a confrontation with the ancient blue dragon. Now, the stage is set for a final showdown with the blue dragon Iymrith in her desert home. Will the party slay the dragon and bring glory back to the Storm King, restructuring the ordning and bringing peace, or will the party be slain in battle, leading to the reign of Iymrith as she claims the Wyrmskull Throne for herself? We will find out in this final session of Storm King's Thunder.
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In the final session of Storm Kings Thunder, the party retrieves their airship and learn that Harshnag had survived his battle with the blue dragon, being rescued from starvation by a mining company of dwarves. With final preparations made and final supplies gathered, the party meets the Storm King and his honor guard at the edge of the desert. With the ranger doing some scouting, the party discovers that 30 animated statues guard the dragon’s lair, as well as a pair of trebuchets. They also learn that some serpentine beings also appear to be living in the lair as well. The party then sets up a plan to stealthily take out one of the trebuchets, which will signal for the giants and airship to attack. With a less than stealthy approach, the party has a rough time with the statue guards but do finally manage to light one of the trebuchets on fire. With the signal given, the giants and airship begin to battle the remaining statues, leaving the party free to explore the tunnels below. Sneaking up on some snake men performing a ritual, the party sees a sacrifice and hear a prophecy in abyssal that they cannot understand. After the snake men leave, Eldermon approaches the sacrificial pit and discovers that there is nothing but spikes and bodies at the bottom. This does not go unnoticed by the Blue Dragon, however, and she suggests that he jumps in and sacrifice himself to the Night Serpent over being eaten by her. Seeing that the jig was up, Legolas drinks his potion of giant size and charges the giant, starting the final battle. Iymrith would not prove an easy opponent, as she burrowed under the party and used ambush tactics with her powerful lightning breath to keep the party guessing. Eventually the party was able to wear her down and slay Iymrith, surrounded by her giant sized foes. We then cut to the epilogue, the party is given a share of the treasure uncovered in the blue dragon’s lair and the Storm King once again takes his throne. Hekaton works to broker peace between the giants and the smaller peoples of the Sword Coast, under his leadership giant attacks lessen and the ordning is reestablished as it was before. The party uses the hide of Iymrith to reinforce their airship and then settle down for a rest after their harrowing adventure.
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