2024-04-27 Grimfum Enclave Chainbreakers
Player Characters
- Arkenciel
- Igneous
- Furifuru
- Ferravax
- Derulo
Summary
Wiznt told the PCs about Volnas's secret cave in the Magma Tunnels, which provided a hidden back entrance to Deepsmoke Caverns, home of many fire giants.
They visited Volnas's hut. The friendly fire giant welcomed them in.
Ferravax showed Volnas the stone she had purchased from a merchant in Pearl Cove.
Volnas recognized the design and told them the story of the Surtunhammar: a giant weapon of legendary power created to aid in battle against smallfolk when they were invaded by fire giants long ago. He described how its creator, Duke Lauvandr, dismantled it to avoid misuse. However, the fire giants following after him attempted to reassemble it to seize power. Volnas fled from the Grimfum Duchy when this happened, hence his ostracization from his people.
Ferravax asked about the secret tunnel to Deepsmoke Caverns. Volnas was unhappy that its presence had been shared, but told the PCs how to find and use it nonetheless. He asked that they don't lead the fire giants to it, since it could doom him- his kind considered him an embarrassment and would harm him.
The PCs left the next day to take the secret tunnel up to Deepsmoke Caverns. After two days of traveling upward through zigzagging tunnels, they found a huge decorated rectangular stone building.
They entered Duke Lauvandr's Tomb. They examined the reliefs and inscriptions on the walls, then looted 1000gp worth of gems. Two undead fire giants arose to defend the tomb, and the PCs destroyed them.
The party continued up the caverns, stopping to rest and recover on the way.
They arrived upon a platform that overlooked a multi-mile cavern of columns and fire giant buildings. One was near a hot spring, with a giant relaxing in a bubbling pool. Another building was near what appeared to be mines, with chained dwarves pushing minecarts full of ore under the command of a few giants. One building was near a large forge, and the fourth building was an especially large manor in the back. Another large tunnel led beyond the chamber on the far side.
They approached the hot springs stealthily through the cloud of steam, and saw a lone fire giant bathing in robes.
They prepared to ambush her, but she heard them coming, and questioned their purpose for being there as they drew weapons. She introduced herself as Baroness Fulzund Dioria, and offered to help them to avoid violence. Ferravax pressed her for information, and she admitted that she was in love with Duke Zundron, and wanted to replace his wife. She agreed that she would release the dwarven slaves if the smallfolk helped her become the new Duchess Grimfum. The party agreed to ambush the duchess in the mists if the baroness lured her out there.
Baroness Dioria entered the enormous house to change into armor.
While waiting, the PCs plotted how best to manipulate the fire giants while both obtaining the Surtunhammar and freeing the slaves.
Baroness Dioria returned in armor, carrying a staff.
Derulo conjured a gold-covered boulder that sang with magic. The baroness agreed this would be a useful distraction to confuse the Duchess.
The party took up ambush positions around the misty stone and stalagmites. The baroness led the duchess to the springs.
They jumped the duchess and her guards and defeated them. Baroness Dioria left to the manor to alert the Duke to the murder and fabricate a cover story (aided by eagle's splendor from Arkenciel) and the PCs retreated to the platform to recover over a short rest. Derulo took the Duchess's runic amulet, and Arkenciel identified it and discovered that it was effectively a holy symbol for the forgecaller.
They peeked over the platform to see Duke Zundron with five guards gingerly lifting the golden boulder with forge tongs. The giants hauled it away toward the forge.
They tried to sneak past a giant house while heading to the the mines where the slaves were held. They were caught by two giants on the way, but Furi's illusions and Derulo's convincing chain noises tricked the lazy giants into believing that the party were chained slaves returning to work.
They entered a wide room with a huge pit of stone. Nearly 100 ragged and blistered slaves, mostly dwarves, mined away at rocks in the 50 ft deep pit. Three fire giants were stationed around the elevated outer platform surrounding the pit. The one on the far side, 200 ft from the pit's entrance, sat next to a huge gong.
The PCs pretended to be new slaves, entering the pit and picking up pickaxes. The giants quietly watched with suspicion. The PCs inched toward the gong, and one fire giant followed into the pit as Arkenciel deployed her bone dog.
Furi animated the gong, which soared gracefully into the air to flee the giants. A fight broke out among the confused fire giants, and the bewildered slaves spread out of harm's way. Derulo conjured a sound-reducing foam object to safely hold the gong. The party fought the giants- Ferravax wrestled them to the ground while Igneous and Arkenciel chopped and blasted them down. Derulo kept one busy with animated carpets and boulders. The giants were defeated.
Furi blessed and inspired the slaves, who used their pickaxes to break free. The exhausted dwarves wanted to escape as fast as possible, and watched the party as they discussed how to escape. The one-eyed dwarf was found among them, and nodded to Derulo as the kenku imitated Malivette's familiar voice to him.
The party discussed how to navigate the slaves past the forge, where Duke Zundron and his entourage would be examining the now-disappeared golden boulder.
Derulo conjured a frame that could be broken down into 82 temporary slings, which were distributed to many of the dwarves.
As they led the prisoners toward the mine-side house, two giant guards stepped out to stop them. Another baron, named Embahr Granithen, stepped out and demanded to talk. Ferravax considered negotiating with him, but it quickly became clear that this baron, while he was willing to help against the Duke, wanted to murder the prisoners to harvest souls as a gift to Mazlataz. The dwarves fled to safety as the PCs froze and destroyed Embahr and his cronies.
They glanced inside the house, and Derulo flew his animated rock inside to grab a shiny giant-sized silver candleabra.
Furifuru conjured an illusory fire giant, and the party hid among the slaves aside from Derulo, who piloted his rock inside the illusion.
A giant stepped out of the forge and saw the illusory fire giant marching ahead with the slaves in tow. With Ferravax's words and Arkenciel's support magic, Derulo managed to con the giant guard into leaving them be for the moment.
They led the slaves to the exit of the atrium. They escaped, led by the one-eyed dwarf, while the PCs doubled back to search the Duke's manor for the Surtunhammar.
Knowing time was short, they rushed through manor, avoiding guards and exploring to find anything of value. One giant patrolled each of the two floors of the enormous building.
They uncovered a secret back passage upstairs. While in the secret area, they peered through an illusory one-way screen into a museum-like room with a handful of pedestals. Numbers were written on the screen, lining up with the exhibits.
They unlocked the magic hooks holding the Surtunhammar on display by touching the museum pedestals in the correct order.
Igneous avoided the upstairs guard and made his way into the bedroom. He found and stole a large lockbox from under the bed.
They snuck their way out of the foyer, holding fine towels, the lockbox, and the hammer. They rushed out toward the exit tunnel of the enclave chamber, leaving the Grimfum Duchy behind them in utter chaos.
Arkenciel picked the lockbox open and found a journal, gold, gems, and the magic sapphire used for the instant summons spell, keyed to the Surtunhammar. Furi dispelled it.
They caught up with the dwarves, and everyone escaped to Basaltthrone.
Arzenna's journal held information about the remaining pieces of the Incomplete Surtunhammar:
- "The traitor Volnas has the dragon head piece."
- "Frost giants took the volcano pediment from its fire giant owner, believing it to be regular art treasure."
- "The forge pediment is being passed around the dwarves above. I will take it from them."
- "The ruby pommel is said to be 'due north of the highest point of the world's hottest feature'. I have sent giants and adventurers alike to search directly north of Mount Stonekettle, Archestria's greatest volcano, but their incompetence has not yet yielded the missing piece."
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