Steading of the Hill Giant Chief

(Dungeon #197)

Adventure Background
Giants have been raiding the civilized lands in large bands, visiting death and destruction upon villages, towns, and
farmlands. Entire militias have been conquered, whole crops wiped out. These marauding bands consist of mixed groups
of hill giants, stone giants, frost giants, and fire giants, as well as ogres and other monsters allied with the giants.

Determined to repel the invaders, local lords have begun hiring brave adventuring parties. The first few groups didn’t fare
so well. Some were crushed beneath the boulders and jackboots of rampaging giants, while others went into the wilderness
and never returned. However, a new band of adventurers has assembled to punish the marauding giants and banish them
from the civilized lands!

The closest giant stronghold—and the greatest immediate threat to the safety of nearby settlements—is a great timber
fortress populated by hill giants, known simply as the hill giant steading. Nosnra (pronounced noz-en-rah), a grossly fat
and thoroughly despicable hill giant chief, rules from this stronghold. Sly and vicious, the hill giant chief routinely
plunders farms, ambushes merchant caravans, and threatens trade roads. He has gathered ogres and other vile creatures to
his banner and uses them as fodder during his brutal raids.

Nosnra’s alliance with more powerful kinds of giants, such as frost giants and fire giants, is a matter of grave concern.
Many suspect a sinister influence at work, a secret motivational power behind the unusual banding of different races of
giants.

In exchange for their help, the characters are given all of the mundane adventuring equipment they require and are entitled
to keep whatever treasure they find. They are advised to follow any clues that point toward the sinister hand suspected of
uniting the giants. Only by shattering the alliance can they put down the giant uprising for good.

Beginning the Adventure

The hill giant steading is located among the secluded foothills of the Crystalmist Mountains. Feel free to change the
steading’s location and the name of the mountain range to better serve the needs of your home campaign. Suffice to say,
the steading is close enough to the civilized lands to be a source of great concern.

It is assumed that the characters have safely arrived at a spot near the hill giants’ stronghold—a small cave, well hidden,
where they can remain undetected while they plan their offensive. If the party decides to take an extended rest between
forays against the hill giant stronghold, they can rest safely at the hidden cave—provided they take moderate precautions
not to leave a plain trail.

Quests
In addition to killing any foes they encounter in and below the hill giants’ steading, the characters can pick up the
following quests.

Major Quest: Find the Hidden Strongholds

13th-level Major Quest (800 XP/character)
The stone giants, frost giants, and fire giants have hidden strongholds in the mountains. Look for a map or some other
clue that reveals where these allied strongholds are located.

A map hidden in the hill giant chief’s treasury (area 12C) marks the locations of the Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane, the
Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, and the Hall of the Fire Giant King. The characters must retrieve the map to complete
this quest.

Minor Quest: Rescue Zandor Caskerhill

13th-level Minor Quest (200 XP/character)

The hill giants have captured Zandor Caskerhill, a human merchant who has ties to the local nobility. Locate and rescue
him.

Zandor is being detained in the dungeon below the steading (in area 7E) until Chief Nosnra decides
whether to ransom him. The characters return him safely to civilization to complete this quest.

Minor Quest: Find the Abandoned Temple

13th-level Minor Quest (200 XP/character)

The hill giants built their stronghold atop an old dungeon complex, within which is rumored to be an abandoned temple.
Find this temple, explore it, and bring back proof of your discovery.

The characters must find the abandoned temple in the dungeon (area 9C) and recover the gem from the altar to complete
this quest.

Special Quest: Free the Dwarf Slaves

Special Quest (see below)

The hill giants have captured several dwarves, and the dwarven clanholds have posted generous rewards for their safe
return.

For each dwarf slave that the heroes escort safely from the steading, the party receives a 500 gp reward in lieu of XP.

Running the Adventure

This adventure is location-based. All the encounters are keyed to the maps of the hill giant’s steading and the dungeon
below it. As the characters explore these locations, refer to “The Steading” (below) for information on the contents of each
room.

The adventure is designed to allow characters to take short rests between encounters. However, those needing an extended
rest might need to withdraw from the dungeon to avoid incessant attacks.

The characters might be reluctant to yield ground and allow the giants to fortify their defenses while they take an extended
rest, but that’s the choice they must make. As the DM, you need to decide what happens while the characters take an
extended rest, and the extent to which the giants recover from the characters’ last assault. It is strongly advised that you
not punish the characters for taking an extended rest by “reloading” every encounter.
Instead, consider adding one group of reinforcements (see “Giant Reinforcements,” below), and have the giants take a few
sensible precautions to prepare for the characters’ return.

Treasure
The treasure found in this adventure was assigned using the parcel technique of treasure distribution described in the Rules
Compendium™ (page 298), ensuring that the characters get the appropriate amount of treasure for their level. Feel free to
replace listed items with other items of similar level.

In addition to treasure, giants often possess mundane items of little worth. These items add color and realism to the
adventure. As the characters loot corpses and plunder treasure chests, feel free to throw in a few items chosen or rolled
randomly from the following table.

MUNDANE TREASURES
d20 Mundane Items
1 Handaxe blade (used as a hand chopper)
2 Metal helm (used as a bowl) and wooden spoon
3 Moldy and stinky wheel of cheese
4 Shabby cloak (wool or hide)
5 Bone comb
6 Iron cooking pot
7 Drinking horn
8 Skinning knife
9 Haunch of meat
10 Mangy fur pelt
11 Small bag of salt
12 Old sandals
13 Waterskin (full)
14 Cask of ale (half-empty)
15 Necklace of animal fangs or finger bones
16 5-foot length of chain
17 Bag of skulls
18 Bag of dried mushrooms
19 50-foot coil of hemp rope
20 Carved wooden idol

Giant Reinforcements
Not all of the hill giants who live in the steading are present when the characters attack. A number of them are out on raids
and hunting expeditions, and each time the characters take an extended rest during their conquest of the steading, they run
the risk of encountering reinforcements.

A typical “gang” of reinforcements includes three hill giants and eight bugbears. You should feel free to stage the
encounter with these forces anywhere in and around the steading.

Use these encounters sparingly. Too many encounters with reinforcements will result in the characters amassing more XP
and gaining levels faster than anticipated.

3 Hill Giants Level 13 Brute

Large natural humanoid (earth, giant) XP 800 each
HP 159; Bloodied 79 Initiative +5
AC 25; Fortitude 27, Reflex 23, Will 25 Perception +7
Speed 8
STANDARD ACTIONS
Greatclub (weapon) - At-Will
Attack: Melee 2 (one creature); +18 vs. AC
Hit: 3d10 + 11 damage.
Sweeping Club (weapon) - Encounter
Attack: Melee 2 (one or two creatures); +18 vs. AC
Hit: 3d10 + 11 damage, the giant pushes the target up to 2 squares and
knocks it prone.
Hurl Rock (weapon) - At-Will
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +18 vs. AC
Hit: 2d8 + 10 damage.
Skills Athletics +16
Str 21 (+11) Dex 8 (+5) Wis 12 (+7)
Con 19 (+10) Int 7 (+4) Cha 9 (+5)
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Giant
Equipment greatclub, 5 rocks

8 Bugbears Level 10 Minion Skirmisher

Steading Hunters
Medium natural humanoid XP 800 each
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion Initiative +10
AC 24; Fortitude 23, Reflex 21, Will 20 Perception +7
Speed 7
STANDARD ACTIONS
Spear (weapon) - At-Will
Effect: The bugbear shifts 1 square before or after making the attack.
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +15 vs. AC
Hit: 9 damage, or 12 damage if the bugbear has combat advantage against
the target
Str 20 (+10) Dex 16 (+8) Wis 14 (+7)
Con 16 (+8) Int 10 (+5) Cha 10 (+5)
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Giant, Goblin
Equipment leather armor, spear

Captured!
If the entire party is wiped out by the steading’s defenders, the adventure isn’t necessarily over. At your discretion, the
characters can be stripped of their gear and hauled off to the dungeon cellblock (area 7E) for safekeeping until Chief
Nosnra figures out what to do with them.

More likely than not, characters who do not seize upon the chance to escape will be eaten. However, if the characters
convince their captors that they are worth something alive, Nosnra might be tempted to ransom them or put them to work
as slave labor in the mines (area 10), thus giving the heroes more time to plan their escape. Once they escape, the
characters
can try to recover their stolen gear, which is kept in
area 7B.

Players whose characters were killed can create new characters, if they wish—survivors of another party captured by the
giants.

Escaping captivity can be a skill challenge that uses the Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perception, and Thievery skills
(moderate DCs). No one skill can be used more than three times (successfully or not), and the party must achieve 6
successes before 3 failures to escape. If the characters fail the skill challenge, they can try again after an extended rest.

The Steading
When the characters first see the steading, read:

A massive timber stronghold hides among the hills. The well-worn trail that you’ve been following ends before a pair of
15-foot-high doors made of ironbound logs. Thicker logs comprise the walls of the stronghold. The wooden roof inclines
toward the middle, reaching a height of 30 feet at its peak. The stronghold has no windows, but a squat watchtower
overlooks the entrance. Smoke rises from numerous stone chimneys.

A log guardhouse stands apart from the main stronghold, but connected by a palisade wall of vertical logs 15 feet high.
Heavy log doors set into the palisade lead to a courtyard lodged between the two buildings.

The hill giant stronghold has two levels: an upper level (areas 1–6) and a dungeon level (areas 7–12).

Upper Level Features

(Areas 1-6)
The outer walls of the timber stronghold are fashioned from 5-foot-diameter logs laid horizontally. Inner walls use 3-foot-
diameter vertical logs, and doors are ironbound log affairs 15 feet high, 6 feet wide, and 1 foot thick. The dirt floors are
covered with stone tiles. Ceiling height varies from about 16 feet at the outer walls to 30 feet at the center. Blackened
rafters support the roof.

Rain falls often in the hills, and mist settles over the steading at night. The wood is damp, and it doesn’t ignite when
exposed to fire (although it takes fire damage normally).

Climbing: A character can climb the outside walls of the steading (Athletics DC 14). Running or charging across the
sloped rooftop requires a DC 14 Acrobatics check, and any character who fails this check falls prone and slides 1d4
squares toward the nearest outside wall.

Fireplaces: Smoky plumes rise from large stone fireplaces along the steading’s outer walls. Sneaky characters can enter
the stronghold by climbing down a chimney (Athletics DC 14). Any creature that enters a fire or starts its turn there takes
10 fire damage and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). A creature can take this damage only once per turn.

Heavy Doors: Opening a log door requires a DC 14 Athletics check because of the door’s size and weight. A character
can forgo the check by choosing to open the door as a standard action instead of a minor action.

Illumination: Giants and ogres need light to see, and there are no windows in most areas of the steading. Oil lanterns
hanging from the rafters illuminate all rooms and hallways.

Oversized Furnishings: Most of the furnishings in the steading are sized for 12-foot-tall hill giants. Exceptions are noted
in the text. Tables, benches, door handles, and other room fixtures are typically twice as high, long, and wide as their
human-sized equivalents and roughly eight times the weight. Small and Medium creatures can scuttle under or clamber
over giant-sized furniture, treating the squares they occupy as difficult terrain. The furniture can also provide cover.

Sneaking through the Steading

The inhabitants of the steading are enjoying the success of their recent raids, and the last thing they expect is an attack on
the stronghold. Characters can take advantage of the steading’s lax defenses to sneak around unseen.

If the characters make an effort to sneak their way through the upper level and dungeon level of the steading, have each
character make a Stealth check each time the party enters an occupied area. Compare the results to the passive Perception
of the area’s most perceptive inhabitant (or active Perception check, if the creature is actively
guarding the area). If half or more of the characters beat the Perception check, the party moves through the area
undetected.

If a character does anything that might draw attention to the party, such as picking a lock or snatching an item, the effort
counts as a failure on the group skill check in that area.
If the characters try to bluff their way through the steading (by disguising themselves as orcs, for example), have them
make group Bluff checks instead of Stealth checks.

1. Main Entrance

Combat Encounter Level 12 (3,700 XP)

If the characters approach the steading openly, the giants in the watchtower (area 1B) see them and
strike a gong that wakes the sleeping guards below (in area 1A). Characters can lure the guards outside
by hiding near the entrance. The guards are eager to fight and throw open the main doors with
anticipation.
If the characters manage to sneak up to the main entrance undetected, they can quietly open the front
doors and attempt to sneak past the sleeping guards inside (see the “Sneaking through the Steading”
sidebar).

Light: Bright light (oil lanterns).

Monsters: 3 hill giants, 1 hill giant rockthrower, 4 ogre steading warriors.

If the characters enter the hall undetected, read:

You crack open the great doors of the steading and peer into a large hall illuminated by lanterns hanging from thick
rafters. Stone flagstones cover the floor, and across from the entrance a giant-sized staircase climbs up to the watchtower.
Hanging from pegs mounted high on the walls are ratty fur cloaks, capes made of stitched hide, and leather satchels.
Three enormous sets of doors lead to deeper areas
of the steading.

The characters hear sounds of the revelry occurring in area 2A.

If the characters enter the hall without alerting the giants in the watchtower, add:
Loud snores fill the room. Amid several empty casks and mugs, you see a slumbering hill giant and several sleeping
ogres.

If the giants in the watchtower detect the characters and awaken the guards, add:
Bleary-eyed ogres stand ready, axes in hand. Behind them, a hill giant yawns as he pulls a large rock from a sack. Two
more hill giants descend the tower staircase.

The sleeping giant and ogres have been drinking, and empty mugs and wine casks litter the area. Characters who enter the
hall without being detected can sneak past the sleeping guards by succeeding on a group Stealth check opposed by the
guards’ passive Perception. Apply a +2 bonus to the heroes’ check results because the guards are deep sleepers. If the
guards awaken, their shouts of alarm alert the watchtower giants, who quickly descend the stairs to join the battle.

1A. Entry Hall: Various giant-sized cloaks, capes, and bags hang from many pegs along the walls. The bags contain
assorted mundane items (see “Treasure,” page 3). A giant-sized staircase with a wooden railing climbs up the watchtower.
The stairs are difficult terrain to ascending characters and normal terrain to descending characters.

1B. Watchtower: The top floor of the watchtower is 30 feet above the floor of area 1A. Standing in the middle of the
room is a bronze gong tied to a thick wooden frame. The two hill giants stationed here strike the gong if they see strangers
approach the steading. Five-foot-wide gaps in the tower walls allow the guards to see in all four cardinal directions.

Tactics: The rockthrower hangs back and hurls rocks while the others rush up to smash enemies with their greatclubs. The
ogres engage from flanking positions.

Hill Giant Stat Block

Hill Giant Stat Block

Ogre Stat Block

Development
The other occupants of the steading do not hear sounds of combat in this area. Characters listening at the closed doors to
area 2A hear the giants celebrating.
2. Hall of the Chief
Combat Encounter Level 16 (7,800 XP) and/or Skill Challenge Level 14 (2,000 XP)

Chief Nosnra spends most of his time in this vast hall, holding court. He is celebrating another successful raid with
copious amounts of food and wine. Joining him is Laerthar, an emissary of the stone giant thane. The hall is filled with
noisy giants, distracted by the revelry. The noise in the hall is such that its occupants do not hear sounds of battle
elsewhere in the steading.

Light: Bright light (oil lanterns and fire pit).

Monsters: Nosnra, Ironjaws (dire bear), Learthar, 2 hill giant hunters, 3 hill giants.

When one or more characters can see 2A, read:

Great doors open into a vast, smoky hall. Six log pillars and a web of blackened rafters support the ceiling, which reaches
its apex 30 feet above. A great fire pit dominates the hall. Roasting over the pit is an ox, two sheep, and four pigs impaled
on spits. Behind the fire pit stands a long trestle table cluttered with haunches of meat, chunks of
cheese, bread, and clay mugs. Around the table are five chairs, three against the back wall and one on each end.
The middle chair is larger than the others and covered with furs. Empty barrels, crates, and chests litter the hall, their
contents plundered from caravans and villages.

If the great hall is occupied, add:

The hall is filled with noise and rank odors. Hill giants laugh, shout, wrestle, and joke with one another. Presiding
over the chaotic din is a monstrously fat hill giant, who appears half-asleep in his thronelike chair. At one end of the table,
a stone giant picks at a plate of food. Under the table sleeps the biggest bear you’ve ever seen.

2A. The Great Hall: A character who searches can find the secret door in the southeast corner (Perception DC 20). A
thorough search of the hall turns up two gold bracelets (500 gp each) and a silver comb set with small gems (100 gp). In
addition, Ironjaws the dire bear wears a jeweled collar (1,500 gp).

Fire Pit: This pit is difficult terrain. Any creature that enters the fire pit or starts its turn there takes 10 fire damage and
ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). A creature can take this damage only once per turn.

2B. Armory: Thirty helmets, twenty-six heavy shields, twenty-two spears, nine greatclubs, three greataxes, and ten suits
of hide armor are stored here in disarray. All of this gear is sized for Large humanoids.

2C. Cloak Room: Fur cloaks and leather bags hang from wooden pegs along the walls, and pairs of stitched-hide boots
are strewn upon the floor. The apparel is sized for hill giants and ogres, and characters searching the bags find an
assortment of mundane items (see “Treasure,” page 3).

Tactics: Hanging on the wall behind Nosnra’s throne is a great crossbow the size of a small ballista. He uses this weapon
as a ranged weapon and a melee weapon, loading it with his minor action each round. However, if he hits while using it as
a melee weapon more than a few times, the weapon breaks. Therefore, once he faces melee combatants, he pulls out his
greatclub and uses it instead. Nosnra’s failing is that he believes he is invincible in his stronghold, so he fights to the death.

Ironjaws is never far from the chief ’s side as the creature tries to defend its master.

Laerthar has no love for the chief, but he respects the alliance between Nosnra and Arnak, the stone giant thane.
Consequently, he fights to the bitter end, using petrifying ray whenever possible and saving rock storm for when he can
catch two or more enemies. When hemmed in by foes, Laerthar resorts to using his staff to push them back.

Hill giants try to push enemies into the fire pit.

Dire Bear Stat Block

Nosenra Stat Block

Laertha Stat Block

Hill Giant Hunters Stat Block

Hill Giant Stat Block

Skill Challenge:
Negotiating with Nosnra
The hill giant chief is an ill-tempered brute who doesn’t usually negotiate with non-giants. Characters who wish to
converse with Nosnra need some kind of leverage; otherwise, he simply attacks them. Nosnra listens to the characters if
they bloody him and kill all the other creatures in his hall, or if they capture his wife (found in area 3D). The negotiation
should be roleplayed as a skill challenge.

Level: 14 (2,000 XP).

Complexity: 2 (6 successes before 3 failures).

Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Heal, Intimidate.

Bluff (DC 21, standard action; three successes maximum): The character dupes Nosnra into believing he should comply
with the characters’ wishes.

Diplomacy (DC 15, standard action; three successes maximum): The character appeals to the chief ’s vanity by making
him feel superior.

Heal (DC 10, standard action; two successes maximum): The character allows Nosnra to regain 40 hit points or his wife to
regain 30 hit points.

Intimidate (DC 29, standard action; three successes maximum): Suggesting the party’s superiority in combat, the
character bullies Nosnra into capitulation.

Secondary Skills: Insight, Nature.

Insight or Nature (DC 21, minor action): The character determines, either by watching Nosnra closely (Insight) or by
relying on knowledge of hill giants (Nature), whether it is better to trick, flatter, or threaten Nosnra. This check cannot
grant a success or failure on the skill challenge, but success provides a +2 bonus to the character’s next Bluff, Diplomacy,
or Intimidate check made during the same turn. Failure imposes a –2 penalty to such a check.

Success: Nosnra grants three requests minus the number of failures on the challenge.

If the characters ask for safe passage out of the steading, the chief makes sure that none of the steading’s defenders attack
them as they withdraw.

If the characters demand the release of Zandor Caskerhill (area 7E), Nosnra has the prisoner brought to them. If they
demand the release of all dwarf slaves, Nosnra complies and has the dwarves rounded up. Liberating Zandor ot the dwarf
slaves completes a minor quest (see “Quests,” page 2).
If the characters ask for the locations of the frost giant and fire giant strongholds, Nosnra gives them the map from area
12C. Gaining this map fulfills a major quest (see “Quests,” page 2). If the characters insist on accompanying the chief
while he recovers the map, Nosnra and Feramaug, the iron dragon in area 12, attack them on their way out.

Failure: Nosnra attacks the characters and fights to the death.

Development
Gatherings here are raucous, so a full-scale battle here isn’t likely to attract much attention. On the fifth round of combat,
an orc slave from the kitchen enters the hall through the western doors and promptly leaves. If it escapes, it takes refuge in
the kitchen but doesn’t alert the giants or ogres there.

3. Giant Lodgings
Combat Encounter Level 15 (6,000 XP)

This wing of the steading houses most of the hill giants, and it also contains quarters for the chief and his wife.

Morzul (the chief’s wife) and the other adult hill giants are asleep in their bedrooms. However, the young hill giants in
area 3A are awake and active, playing games and roughhousing. Although immature, these young hill giants stand 7 feet
tall and are more than a physical match for the average human. They emulate the adults by attacking any intruders they
see.

Light: Bright light (oil lanterns and fireplaces).

Monsters: Morzul (hill giant earth shaman), 3 hill giants, 1 hill giant avalancher, 12 young hill giants.

When the adventurers approach area 3A, read:

You hear many giantish voices laughing and shouting. A large open area contains many beds and more than a dozen
young hill giants, each one a mere 7 feet tall. They play crude games and wrestle on the floor. A fire blazes in the hearth,
and the walls are adorned with trophies: animal skins and furs, racks of antlers, and mounted heads of beasts and
humanoids, including some humans and dwarves. A number of large doors lead to other areas of the stronghold.

3A. Giant Den: This room contains twelve beds sized for young hill giants. The walls are festooned with hunting trophies,
including heads and skulls (human, dwarf, animal, and monster), skins, furs, and nonmagical arms and armor.

3B. Hill Giant Quarters: Four beds sized for hill giant adults fill this room. Animal furs cover the beds.

3C. Subchief’s Bedroom: Nosnra sent his subchief, Sly Gulla, to receive orders from King Snurre. The subschief took
most of his valuables with him, leaving behind a great bed covered with furs and a locked wooden chest (Thievery DC 20
to open) holding 2,000 gp in valuables and coinage.

3D. Chief’s Bedroom: This room is hung with rugs and skins. Against the north wall stands an enormous bed sized for
Chief Nosnra and his wife, Morzul. It also contains a bearskin rug and a pair of locked wooden chests (Morzul has the
keys to both). One holds a gem-studded helm (2,500 gp), an ivory drinking horn with platinum filigree (2,500 gp), and
1,000 gp. The other contains a shield of warding (or another level 14 magic item) used as a tray, three pieces of jewelry
(500 gp each), and 1,000 gp. Each chest can be unlocked with a DC 20 Thievery check.

In addition to the chests, Morzul wears a gold amulet set with jewels (1,500 gp) that was a gift from
her husband.

A character who searches can find the secret door in the western wall (Perception DC 20). This door is
otherwise treated as a normal heavy door (see “Upper Level Features” above).
3E. Chief’s Den: The chief reserves this room for private meetings and meals. Two padded chairs, each one covered with
stitched human skin, face the fireplace, above which is mounted the head of a great white stag. Between the chairs stands a
round table with a pair of bronze flagons atop it. A bearskin rug covers the floor in front of the fireplace. A secret door in
the western wall can be found with an active DC 20 Perception check; it is otherwise treated as a normal heavy door.

3F. Ironjaws’s Den: The chief ’s pet dire bear sleeps here on occasion. A mound of straw serves as
its bed.

3G. Secret Staircase and Letter: Stone steps lead down to the chief ’s treasury (area 12). In the niche past the stairs is a
large, unlocked wooden trunk containing twenty-one scroll tubes made from hollowed bones. One scroll tube contains a
letter to Nosnra, written in Giant, from someone named Obmi (see below). The other twenty tubes are empty.

Chief Nosnra,

His Majesty King Snurre commends your relentless attacks on merchant caravans and farms, as well as your brutal
assault on the borderlands keep, but now he demands your finest warriors for a bold new raid against the humans. He
wants to see their towns burn! Have your best troops rally at Howling Crag by the next full moon, and one quarter of the
victory spoils will be yours. Your subchief sends his regards, along with your portion
of the reward from the last raid.

Obmi

Tactics: The adult giants are accustomed to the young giants making lots of noise, and they tend to ignore it. However, if
combat erupts in area 3A, one of the adult giants (determined randomly) awakens and investigates. If it sees that the young
giants are being attacked, it shouts an alarm, awakening all of the other adult giants in this area of the steading.

Morzul orders her fellow giants to attack enemies that fall prey to her earthen chains and earth wave. If Morzul is
bloodied, she tries to flee to the chief ’s hall (area 2A) to warn her husband that intruders have entered the steading (see
“Development” below). If she believes her husband is dead, she flees to Varrg (area 6) instead.

The other adults wade into combat to draw attention away from the young giants. The young giants are eager to fight
creatures smaller than they are, and so they elect not to run but instead use shove and club against the interlopers.

Hill Giant Stat Block

Morzul Stat Block

Young Hill Giant Stat Block

Hill Giant Avalancher Stat Block

Development
If Morzul succeeds in warning her husband of intruders in the steading, the characters might be in serious trouble as
Nosnra goes on the offensive and searches the steading for interlopers. Otherwise, combat here draws no reinforcements
from other areas.

Characters searching area 3G might find the letter addressed to Chief Nosnra from someone named “Obmi” (see the
preceding page). One of the locations referred to in the letter is Howling Crag; a successful DC 20 History check reveals
that this is the name of a remote stronghold ruled by Thane Arnak, lord of the stone giants (see “Warrens of the Stone
Giant Thane,” Dungeon 198).

4. Guest Quarters
Combat Encounter Level 10 (2,900 XP)

Honored guests of the chief reside here during their visit to the steading. At present, this area provides quarters for
Laerthar, the stone giant emissary, his two bodyguards, and a handful of ogres assigned to watch over them.

Characters can move through the area without drawing attention to themselves by sticking to the hallways and staying out
of the various rooms. If they loiter in the hallways, the characters might be seen by orc slaves moving between the great
hall (area 2A) and the kitchen (area 5A).

Perception DC 13: Characters who listen at the door to area 4A and succeed on the check hear the two giants talking about
a recent raid and laughing at the stupidity of the hill giants and ogres. The ogres have been drinking copious amounts of
ale and are sleeping. Characters listening at the doors to the ogres’ dens hear snoring with a successful check. (Sneaking
past the sleeping ogres without waking them requires a DC 14 group Stealth check.)

Light: Bright light (oil lanterns and fireplace).

Monsters: 2 stone giants, 6 ogre steading warriors.

The following description of area 4A assumes that the stone giants haven’t been alerted to intruders:
The walls of this spacious room are adorned with racks of antlers, cured animal furs and skins, and the heads of various
beasts, monsters, dwarves, elves, and humans. Three long, giant-sized beds heaped with furs are pushed into the corners
of the room, and sitting on two of them are a pair of chortling stone giants. A large wooden chest is pushed against the
east wall between them. A blazing fire crackles in the hearth across from the door.
A thick rope hangs from the ceiling by the door, but it is not immediately obvious (DC 14 Perception check to spot). The
rope connects to a bell in area 4B. If the rope is pulled, the bell rings, and a weary ogre guard answers the summons 2
rounds later.

4A. Stone Giants’ Quarters: Mounted on the walls of this room are various trophies (heads, antlers, and skins) intended
to make the occupants feel at home. Furnishings include three giant-sized beds heaped with furs and a locked wooden
chest. Laerthar (area 2A) has the key to the chest, which can also be unlocked with a DC 20 Thievery check.

The chest contains ten 500 gp gems, 700 gp, and a stone tablet engraved in Dwarven. It contains a message is written to
Laerthar from Belastraya, sister of the stone giant thane. It translates as follows.

Laerthar, my love,

Go to the hill giants. Help Nosnra plan his raids. Make sure he does not lose sight of our greater goal. Do this for your
thane. Do this for me.
Belastraya

4B. Guards’ Quarters: Each room contains four nasty, flea-ridden beds covered with dank furs, plus an assortment of
worthless trinkets (see “Treasure,” page 3).

A staircase in the northwest corner descends to area 7. Torches placed in wall sconces illuminate this uneven, mold-
encrusted staircase. The stairs are scaled for Medium characters; treat them as difficult terrain while ascending or normal
terrain while descending.

Tactics: The stone giants arise and attack any intruders who enter their room, and they also respond to shouts of alarm
from the nearby ogres. The same is true of the ogres, who react quickly to the shouting of the stone giants.

The stone giants mark enemies and use stone bones to reduce the damage from incoming attacks. They use staggering
sweep against two or more enemies in range and hardened threat as opportunity allows. Both they and the ogres fight to
the death.

Stone Giant Stat Block

Ogre Warrior Stat Block

Development

No reinforcements come to the aid of the giants or the ogres. However, if the characters loiter in the hallways, they might
catch an orc slave from the kitchen (area 5A) moving through the area on an errand. The slave flees back to the kitchen if
it spots intruders and alerts the ogre taskmasters, who don’t take the slave seriously and opt to ignore the threat.

5. Kitchen and Dining Hall

Combat Encounter Level 13 (4,900 XP)

This wing of the steading is alive with frantic activity, as cooks and slaves busy themselves preparing the next meal for
Chief Nosnra, his guests, and the steading’s other inhabitants.

Light: Bright light (oil lanterns and fireplaces).

Monsters: 2 hill giant cooks, 3 ogre taskmasters, 15 orc kitchen slaves.

If the characters peer into area 5A, read:

Smoke fills this odorous kitchen, which features two large trestle tables covered with pots, kettles and bowls. Counters
along the walls are likewise cluttered with wooden utensils, jugs, mugs, and plates. Barrels are piled near the tables, and
various cheeses, smoked meats, and sausages hang from the blackened rafters. Simmering in the hearths are two fat iron
cauldrons overflowing with hot broth. In front of the hearths stand a pair of hill giants wearing stained leather aprons,
screaming instructions at a host of orc slaves and their ogre taskmasters.

If the characters peer into area 5D, read:

This dining hall contains a massive oak table surrounded by eight giant-sized chairs. The chairs at the end of the table are
draped with furs and look more impressive than the others. Mugs, plates, and candelabra litter the tabletop. Animal furs,
racks of antlers, and mounted heads adorn the walls. A copper dragon’s head is mounted above the fireplace.

Nosnra might be chief of the hill giants, but the cooks know who holds the real power in the steading, and they’re not
afraid to throw their weight (and their pots) around. The giant cooks oversee the preparation of food but actually do very
little work. The ogre taskmasters do a lot more to keep the orc slaves busy. The slaves hurry about frantically, leaving the
kitchen singly or in pairs to deliver food and drink to the great hall (area 2A) or to tidy up the dining hall (area 5D).

5A. Kitchen: The hill giant cooks keep stacks of barrels near their oversized worktables. These stacks provide cover. The
barrels, which were stolen from nearby villages and merchant caravans, contain water, wine, flour, honey, oil, and salt.
Each barrel is 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 200 pounds.

The kitchen counters are 7 feet high and provide cover. It costs 1 extra square of movement to move on top of a counter.

5B. Larder: A thick curtain covers the doorway of this area, which is empty except for a dozen animal carcasses hanging
from hooked chains slung over the rafters.

5C. Bedroom: Two giant beds covered with furs fill this room. Ogre taskmasters sleep here when not on duty.

5D. Dining Hall: Chief Nosnra and his wife have guests for dinner in this room. When they dine here, Nosnra and Morzul
sit at opposite ends of the table. Orc slaves move between this hall and the kitchen frequently.

Tactics: The hill giant cooks grab nearby cooking supplies to use hurl pot and hurl barrel while barking orders to the
ogres. If enemies get too close, the cooks grab the cauldrons from the hearths and splash their enemies with scalding
cauldron. They move away to continue their throwing, resorting to wielding their wooden tenderizers when forced into
melee. If they run out of pots or barrels, they can move to tables or counters to grab more ammunition.

The taskmasters use their spiked chains to restrain enemies and keep them away from the hill giant cooks, while using
bully to slide their orc minions around the kitchen.

The orc slaves gang up on soft targets, brutally attacking with stone knives. If all the ogre taskmasters are killed, the
remaining orc slaves flee. (They scatter in all directions and generally stay out of the party’s way.)

Hill Giant Cook Stat Block

Ogre Taskmaster Stat Block

Orc Kitchen Slave Stat Block

Development

Combat in this area does not attract reinforcements from other parts of the steading, since other denizens find the cooks
unbearably surly and domineering.

6. Courtyard and Barracks

Combat Encounter Level 15 (6,100 XP)

This courtyard serves as a rallying point for the steading’s hill giants, who gather here briefly before heading out on raids.
It also serves as a pen for their dire wolves. The adjoining barracks contains beds for hill giant hunters, raiders, and scouts.

The dire wolves are lying about in the open courtyard, but they are light sleepers. The hill giants are between raids and
resting in the barracks.
Light: Bright light (daylight, oil lanterns, and fireplaces) or darkness (courtyard at night).
Monsters: Varrg, 5 trained dire wolves, 2 hill giant avalanchers.

When the characters enter or peer into the courtyard (area 6A), read:
Between the main building and a more modest giant-sized dwelling is a muddy courtyard closed off by two 15-foot
wooden palisade walls set with heavy wooden doors.

6A. Courtyard: The dire wolves have free run of the courtyard but spend much of their idle time sleeping on the patches
of grass that run alongside the buildings.

The courtyard has two “gates” that are actually sets of 15-foot-tall double doors made of lashed wooden logs. They are
barred from the inside. The wooden bar that seals each set of doors can be slid away with a DC 20 Athletics check (a
standard action). The wolves cannot slide the bars.

6B. Barracks: Ten giant-sized beds line the walls of this room. The ceiling slopes upward to a peak of 20 feet and is
crossed with wooden rafters. The hill giants who occupy the room hang their cloaks and satchels on wooden hooks driven
into the walls. Characters searching the room find assorted mundane items (see “Treasure,” page 3).

6C. Varrg’s Quarters: Varrg, the hill giant werewolf, lives here. Nosnra relies on Varrg to train the dire wolves, but the
two hill giants rarely see eye to eye. To his credit, Varrg keeps mainly to himself but is responsible for planning most of
the raids. His room contains a fur-draped chair, a fur-covered bed, and a curtained alcove hiding a locked wooden chest
(DC 20 Thievery check to open). The chest contains a +3 holy symbol of battle (or another level 15 uncommon magic
item), five 500 gp gems, a gold statuette of a centaur (1,500 gp), 3,500 gp in loose coins, and two potions of vitality.

Tactics: Varrg is a legend among hill giants, feared even more than Chief Nosnra. However, he relishes the hunt and
disdains a leadership role. His regeneration makes him fearless. Early in the battle, he uses savage howl to benefit his
allies. Varrg changes form as needed to remain mobile with speed of the wolf.

The dire wolves are smart enough to flank enemies and gang up to gain combat advantage.

The hill giant avalanchers are loyal to Varrg and try to stay mobile so they can stomp prone targets into paste with
stomping shift.

Varrg Stat Block

Greater Moon Frenzy Stat Block

Trained Dire Wolves Stat Block

Hill Giant Avalanchers Stat Block

Dungeon Level Features

(Areas 7-12)
The masonry work down here is quite good, certainly superior to orc or giant work. Characters note that most of the
stonework is old, patched in places with new mortar or shored up with newly hewn stone.

Ceilings: All passageways are arched, with the peak of the arch about 17 feet overhead. Larger rooms have 30-foot
ceilings, while smaller areas have 20-foot ceilings. The rough-hewn caverns to the east have uneven ceilings ranging in
height from 15 to 30 feet.
Doors: Unlike the doors of the steading above, the doors of the Dungeon Level were not designed specifically with hill
giants in mind, although some of them are quite large. Doors that span 10-foot openings are 10 feet tall and made of iron-
reinforced darkwood, fitted with iron hinges. An adult hill giant must duck to pass through such a door. Doors that span
20-footwide openings are 15 feet tall and made of smooth black stone with heavy iron hinges.

Noise: The smithy (area 8A) is very noisy, as is the torture chamber (8B). The characters can hear the sounds of
hammering and metalworking, as well as screams. These noises can mask the sounds of combat in other areas on this
level.

Rocky Debris: Throughout the dungeon are piles of rocky debris—the result of old collapses or recent excavations.
Rocky debris is difficult terrain.

Torches: In sconces along the walls, torches light all rooms and passageways unless noted otherwise.

Wide Tunnels: The wide passageways that connect areas 7A, 8A, and 10A have stone buttresses every 20 feet.

7. Dungeon
Combat Encounter Level 13 (4,750 XP)

Prisoners the hill giants have captured are brought here, where the prisoners are incarcerated or put to work. A hill giant
named the Keeper maintains order with the help of bugbear minions.

The Keeper, his pet apes, the bulk of the bugbear jailers, and all the prisoners are usually found in their separate rooms and
cells. If you’re using miniatures, place the minis for these creatures on the map only when the characters see them.

Light: Bright light (torches), darkness in the prison cells.

Monsters: The Keeper, 2 carnivorous apes, 1 bugbear jailer captain, 10 bugbear jailers.
Other Creatures: Zandor Caskerhill, 10 human prisoners.

When the characters see area 7A, read:

Smoky, sputtering torches illuminate a spacious square room. Four thick pillars support the 30-foot-high ceiling. Benches
and tables have been pushed against the walls, leaving most of the area clear. Brass gongs hang from
wooden frames in the southwest and southeast corners, and a bugbear stands in front of each of them. Ironbound
wooden doors and gaping hallways lead to other areas of the dungeon, and from somewhere in the darkness, you
hear plaintive sobbing.

The two bugbear jailers strike the gongs (a standard action) if they see intruders or escaped prisoners. One round after the
gongs sound, the remaining bugbear jailers spill into the room from area 7C. The Keeper, the carnivorous apes, and the
bugbear captain appear the following round.

If the characters remain unseen or take out the guards before they sound the gongs, they can deal with the dungeon’s
defenders in smaller groups.

7A. Marshaling Area: This room is primarily used as a place where slaves are rounded up and sent about their tasks
under guard. It is also used for the revels of the off-duty dungeon crew. A few smoky torches burn along the walls.
Benches and tables are pushed out of the way, revealing a black stone floor worn by the tread of countless feet. Standing
in the southwest and southeast corners are two brass gongs hanging on wooden frames. The bugbear jailers strike these
gongs to sound the alarm.

7B. The Keeper’s Chamber: The Keeper is a ghastly hill giant—hunchbacked, twisted, and with one good eye. Wicked
and remorseless, he is never seen without his two pet carnivorous apes. His room contains a giant-sized bed covered with
furs, a table, a chair, two crates of torches, a bearskin rug, and a locked wooden chest. Stone shelves mounted above the
entrances of this room serve as perches for the carnivorous apes.

The Keeper has a large, locked wooden chest (DC 20 Thievery check to open) in his quarters. It contains an assortment of
worthless items (see “Treasure,” page 3), nonmagical gear taken from various slaves and prisoners, and a +4 amulet of
protection (or another level 16 uncommon magic item). The Keeper also wields a +3 thundering battleaxe.

7C. Bugbear Barracks: Fourteen human-sized beds fill this room, and several bugbear jailers sleep here at any given
time. Flea-ridden animal skins cover each bed.

7D. Bugbear Captain’s Room: This room contains a single human-sized bed for the bugbear captain who serves as the
Keeper’s second-in-command. A table and two chairs are pushed against the west wall. The table has a spilled mug of ale
on it.

7E. Cellblocks: Each cell is a 10-foot-square cubicle bereft of furnishings except for rusty chains and shackles affixed to
the walls. A sturdy, windowless, locked iron door seals each cell (DC 20 Thievery check to unlock, or DC 29 Athletics
check to break;

unlocking the cell is impossible from inside). The Keeper and his bugbear captain hold the keys.

The last cell in the eastern cellblock leads into a network of caverns (area 10B).
All prisoners wear shackles on their ankles. While shackled, a prisoner is slowed. Shackles can be unlocked (Thievery DC
20), or they can be broken (Athletics DC 29). If the characters successfully free one or more prisoners, see “The
Prisoners,” below.

Tactics: The first time he attacks with his +3 thundering battleaxe, the Keeper uses reign of thunder. He uses outta my way
to move enemies into squares where they grant combat advantage to his carnivorous apes, or to clear a path for himself.
Meanwhile, the hungry carnivorous apes vie for flanking positions.

The bugbear captain uses intimidating sneer against the first enemy within range, then charges that enemy. On subsequent
rounds, the captain continues using intimidating sneer to draw attacks. The bugbears rally around their captain, flanking
enemies for the benefit of the captain’s predatory command aura.

Carnivorous Apes Stat Block

The Keeper, Hill Giant Jailer Stat Block

Keys
The Keeper has a, ring of keys. One key unlocks the chest in area 7B, and the others unlock the cells and prisoners’
shackles.

On the bugbear jailer captain’s belt is a similar ring of keys that lacks a key for the chest in area 7B.

Bugbear Jailer Stat Block

Bugbear Jailer Captain Stat Block

Prisoners
Ten of the prisoners are humans abducted from farms, villages, and merchant caravans. They have nothing to offer their
rescuers except their gratitude, and they look to the characters to help them escape the steading alive. These prisoners
know the layout of the nearby areas, but not areas 10–12, which they have never seen. They can also warn characters
about the dungeon’s monstrous denizens, including the Keeper, the hill giant torturers, and the fire giant smith. If the
characters inquire about dwarf slaves, the human prisoners tell them that the giants have put several dwarf slaves to work
in the smithy (area 8A) and the mines (area 10). If the characters ask them about an abandoned temple rumored to lie in
the dungeon, the prisoners can point them in the right direction (to area 9C) but refuse to go there, claiming that the temple
is “an evil place.”

Rescuing Zandor Caskerhill is the goal of a minor quest (see “Quests,” page 2). Zandor’s once noble demeanor has been
shattered, reducing him to a gibbering fool afraid of his own shadow. He fears that, if he leaves his cell, the giants will eat
him. It takes a DC 15 Diplomacy check or Intimidate check to coax the merchant out of the cell, and even then, he clings
to the character who “frees” him, refusing to let go for fear of being left behind. When confronted by monsters of any
kind, he screams like a maniac and tries to run in the opposite direction. In short, getting Zandor out of the dungeon and
the steading alive is a real chore unless the characters resort to knocking him unconscious and dragging him along (a tactic
that does nothing to improve his demeanor).
If Zandor is safely returned to civilization, it takes months for him to regain his senses, and the ordeal leaves him angry
and embarrassed. If he feels that the characters mistreated him, he stays away from them. If the characters helped him
without resorting to violence, Zandor uses his noble connections to help them any way he can.

Zandor Caskerhill Stat Block

Human Prisoners Stat Block

8. Smithy and Torture Chamber
Combat Encounter Level 12-13 (3,875-4,475 XP)

A fire giant smith named Smolderheart forges armor and weapons for the hill giants and their ogre allies. He relies on
dwarf slaves to help with menial labor and uses orc slaves to watch over the dwarf slaves. If any of the slaves get out of
line, two hill giant torturers lurk nearby to set them straight.

This part of the dungeon is particularly noisy. Sounds of metal striking metal issue from the smithy (area 8A), but the
noise is muffled by horrid screams emanating from the torture chamber (area 8B).

Light: Bright light (torches).

Monsters: Smolderheart, 2 hill giant torturers, 5 orc ruffians, and (possibly) 1 fire elemental.
Other Creatures: Javok, 5 dwarf forge slaves.

If the characters can see area 8A, read:

Giant-sized weapons and armor lie scattered along the walls of this hot and smoky room. A large iron stove serves as a
forge, and in front of it stands a giant with flaming-orange hair and charcoal-colored skin. He wears a chainmail apron,
and he holds a white-hot axe blade steady atop an anvil using a pair of iron tongs. Then, he strikes the blade with his fiery
hammer. Shackled dwarves and several orc slaves, all covered with soot, are helping the giant bypumping the bellows and
assembling armor.

If the characters can see area 8B, read:

This area contains an iron maiden, a wooden rack, iron boots, thumbscrews, chains, whips, branding irons, and
strappados. Two hill giants wearing black hoods torture a half-orc strapped to the rack. One of them tightens the winch
while the other lashes the half-orc with a scourge. Mounted above a pit of hot coals in the center of the room` is a heavy
iron spit to which a gagged dwarf has been tied.

The hill giant torturers must succeed on a DC 17 Perception check to hear sounds of combat in the smithy, while the fire
giant and his slaves hear sounds of combat in the torture chamber with a DC 21 Perception check.

All dwarf slaves wear shackles on their ankles. While shackled, a creature is slowed. Shackles can be unlocked (Thievery
DC 20), or they can be broken (Athletics DC 29).

8A. Smolderheart’s Smithy: This smoke-filled area contains a large iron stove that serves as a forge. The fire giant
Smolderheart rarely leaves this room except to escort exhausted slaves to and from area 9A.

Forge: This furnace is a 10-foot-high iron cube with an opening on its eastern face. Magically bound within the forge is a
fire elemental that can be unleashed if the forge is damaged sufficiently (AC/ Reflex 3, Fortitude 15; immune to fire,
necrotic, poison, psychic, forced movement, all conditions, ongoing damage; hp 100) or a character trained in Arcana
succeeds on three DC 20 Arcana checks (each check is a standard action). A character inspecting the forge can, with a
successful DC 20 Arcana check, recognize the true nature of the forge and how to free the elemental bound within. The
unleashed elemental is enraged and attacks the nearest creature. It won’t attack its liberator or any creature its rescuer asks
it not to attack (Intimidate or Diplomacy DC 20; DC 29 if the rescuer does not speak Primordial and cannot otherwise
communicate with the elemental). It fights until destroyed or until it has no enemy targets. If it survives, it tries to escape
the steading, causing as much damage as possible on the way out.

Any creature that enters the forge or starts its turn there takes 15 fire damage and ongoing 10 fire damage (save ends). A
creature can take this damage only once per turn.

Water: Two stone basins near the forge contain water used for cooling hot metal. Against the south wall is an iron-framed
bed where Smolderheart sleeps from time to time. The water basins and bed are treated as difficult terrain.
Smithed Items: Piled against the walls of the room are some of Smolderheart’s creations, including giantsized weapons
(nineteen longspears, forty-one spears, sixteen battleaxes, and nine two-handed swords) and various pieces of giant-sized
armor.

8B. Torture Chamber: This area contains various implements of torture. The two hill giants who work here are torturing
of pair of prisoners when the characters first arrive. A disobedient dwarf slave is chained to the iron spit in the torture
chamber, while a half-orc prisoner named Javok is strapped to the rack, screaming in anguish.

Pit of Hot Coals: A creature suspended over the smoldering coals takes no damage but is restrained until it escapes (DC
20) or is cut free. Releasing a creature tied to the spit requires a standard action. Once freed, the creature is weakened until
it takes an extended rest or until it receives the benefit of a Remove Affliction ritual.

Any creature that enters the coal pit or starts its turn there takes 5 fire damage. A creature can take this damage only once
per turn.

Iron Maiden: This iron coffin has a lid lined with iron spikes. Its square is difficult terrain, and the iron maiden can
provide cover. If a Medium or smaller creature is pushed pulled or slid into the iron maiden’s square, that creature must
succeed on a saving throw. If the saving throw fails, the iron maiden’s lid snaps shut on the creature, dealing 10 damage
and ongoing 5 damage. The character stops taking ongoing damage only once the iron maiden’s lid is opened (Athletics or
Thievery DC 20; DC 29 from inside).

Wooden Rack: A creature strapped to the rack is restrained until it escapes (DC 29). Releasing a creature tied to the rack
requires two standard actions. A creature tortured on the rack is, upon its release, weakened until it takes an extended rest
or until it receives the benefit of a Remove Affliction ritual.

8C. Torturers’ Quarters: This area contains a pair of giant-sized beds covered with musty furs and two large, unlocked
wooden chests. The chests contain assorted mundane items (see “Treasure,” page 3). In addition, one chest contains a sack
of 500 gp, and the other contains a potion of vitality.

Tactics: Smolderheart orders the orc skullclubbers to attack intruders while he tries to grab an enemy with smoldering
tongs and then strike the grabbed foe with flaming warhammer.

If the hill giants investigate sounds of combat in area 8A, they flay enemies with their scourges. If the opportunity presents
itself, one of the giants tries to bull rush a character into the iron maiden (see area 8B).

Smolderheart The Fire Giant Smith Stat Block

Hill Giant Torturer Stat Block

Fire Elemental Stat Block

Orc Ruffian Stat Block

Javok Half-Orc Scout Stat Block

Javok
Javok is a scout who was captured by the giants while on a reconnaissance mission. He recently tried to lead the orc slaves
in a revolt against his captors, but the uprising was put down quickly. He grabs a large knife off the corpse of one of his
torturers, fights alongside the characters, and even sacrifices himself to ensure their survival. Until he takes an extended
rest or receives the benefit of a Remove Affliction ritual, Javok is weakened.

If the characters ask Javok to escort freed slaves and prisoners to safety, he does so without hesitation. Javok can propose
the idea if the players don’t come up with it on their own, but ultimately he does whatever the characters ask of him with
little concern for his safety.

Dwarf Slaves
Escorting the dwarf slaves safely from the steading garners the characters a minor quest reward (see “Quests,” page 2).

If the characters think to ask the dwarves their names, they give their names as Thoot Grimhold, Dwern the Sly, Gobb
Brightshield, Nyzan Silvervein, and Zorn “Big Z” Ironbeard.

9. The Temple and Environs

Trap/Hazard Encounter Level 7 (1,600 XP)

These areas are unlit, and characters entering them feel a palpable sense of foreboding. The source of this dread isn’t
obvious until the characters reach the abandoned temple (area 9C), which the hill giants unearthed several months ago.

Light: None.
Trap: Wall of Madness.

When the characters enter area 9B, read:

The walls of this collapsed corridor bear faded murals depicting figures clad in violet robes. The figures march solemnly
toward the north. Tentacles protrude from their robes where arms and legs should be.

When the characters arrive at area 9C, read:

This dark room is strangely free of dust and lined with green stone veined with purple. Four pillars of similar colored
stone are carved to resemble knots of tentacles that unfurl and spread across the vaulted ceiling. Empty alcoves line the
north and south walls, and an altar of translucent yellow stone stands at the far end of the room. Behind the altar is a deep
alcove with a concave back wall made of glassy, violet stone. You see a monstrous form reflected in its surface, and then
you realize that the reflection is yours.

A DC 21 Religion check reveals that the temple is likely to be dedicated to an evil godlike being known as the Elder
Elemental Eye. A DC 29 Religion check is required to know that this entity also goes by the name Tharizdun.

9A. Slave Quarters: Moldy straw pallets cover the floor of this hall. The giants allow their slaves to rest only a few hours
before setting them to work in the smithy (area 8A) or the caverns (areas 10B and 10C).

9B. Collapsed Hall: The walls that run north to south bear faded murals. The murals depict figures clad in violet robes
marches solemnly toward the north. Tentacles protrude from the robes where arms and legs should be.

9C. Abandoned Temple: This temple was built hundreds of years ago by worshipers of the Elder Elemental Eye. The
translucent yellow altar feels greasy to the touch but has no obvious effect upon those who touch it. If a character places a
holy symbol of the Elder Elemental Eye on the altar, the symbol sinks into the altar and transforms into an amorphous
blot. After a few seconds, this blot coalesces into a purple gem with black veins. The gem rises up to the top of the altar,
where it can be removed safely. The gem is worth 1,000 gp. If the characters have no such symbol, they can obtain a gem
by triggering the wall of madness trap (see below).
Every time the altar receives the appropriate offering, it creates a new gem. However, a single creature can receive the gift
only once.

Wall of Madness
When a character goes behind the altar, read:
This concave, violet wall draws your eye, and as you gaze into its reflective surface, an amorphous form with writhing
black tentacles appears within. You suddenly feel the urge to do something . . . terrible.

A character who enters the concave area triggers a trap. If a character bearing the Elder Elemental Eye symbol scar
touches the altar, the scar disappears from the character’s flesh, and the character loses all daily powers until he or she
takes an extended rest. The altar then disgorges a 1,000 gp gem (as described above).

Development
The characters need to recover only one purple gem to complete a minor quest (see “Quests,” page 2).

10. Southern Caverns

Combat Encounter Level 14 (5,150 XP)

These natural caves wend their way through the rock. The giants have begun mining them for ore, with the help of slaves
and a pair of knowledgeable stone giant overseers. The slaves and overseers carry lanterns to help them see in the dark.

Light: Dim light (sputtering torches).

Monsters: 1 cave roper, 2 stone giant mine overseers, 10 orc ruffians.
Other Creatures: 10 dwarf mine slaves.

As the characters approach area 10A, read:

Dungeon masonry gives way to rough-hewn walls streaked with veins of pale green crystal. Mining sounds come from
deeper inside the caverns.

The stone giant overseers are using dwarf slaves to mine for ore. They have split the miners into two groups. The giants
have also negotiated a truce with the roper and use it as a guard. Do not place the roper until it’s spotted (DC 28
Perception check) or until it attacks.

Areas 10A and 10C have 20-foot-high ceilings. Ceiling height in area 10B ranges from 15 to 20 feet.

Rubble: These squares are difficult terrain.

Sinkholes: Each of these naturally formed pits is 30 feet deep (Athletics DC 15 to climb).

10A. Guard Post: A roper guards the main entrance to the southern caverns, snaring and devouring unescorted slaves and
other passersby not allied with the giants. It hides by assuming the form of a jagged mound of rock that rises naturally
from the floor.

10B. Mining Teams: Dwarf slaves and orc ruffians are scattered throughout these caverns, stone giant overseers watching
over them.

All dwarf slaves wear shackles on their ankles. While shackled, a creature is slowed. Shackles can be unlocked (Thievery
DC 20), or they can be broken (Athletics DC 29).
10C. Overseers’ Cave: This cave contains two 5-foot-high ledges that serve as beds for the stone giant overseers.
Between the ledges rests a large, locked stone chest (Thievery DC 28 to open). The chest holds an assortment of mundane
items (see “Treasure,” page 3) as well as a golden skull with gems for eyes (1,500 gp), a cured displacer beast fur (1,500
gp), and 1,200 gp in loose coins.

Tactics: The roper attacks the first character to come within its reach (the squares it can reach are shaded on the map). If it
grabs one or more enemies with its tentacles, it uses reel to pull them into adjacent squares so that it can bite them.

The stone giant overseers are close enough to the roper to hear sounds of battle in its area. The orc ruffians watch the
dwarf slaves while the giants confront intruders. If one of the overseers is taken down, the other commands the orcs to join
the battle.

The giants use stone burst to create difficult terrain that they ignore. In melee combat, the giants prefer to call forth sharp
rocks from the floor with stone skewer.

Orc Ruffian Stat Block

Stone Giant Mine Overseer Stat Block

Cave Roper Stat Block

Dwarf Mine Slaves Stat Block

11. Northern Caverns

Combat Encounter Level 13 (4,800 XP)

These caverns are home to four umber hulks.

Light: None.
Monsters: 1 umber hulk bewilderer, 3 umber hulk tunnelers.

When the characters reach area 11A, read:

Veins of green crystal run through the walls of this cavern, which is bisected by a glittering stream of water that flows
toward the north. The umber hulks are hidden at the bottom of sinkholes and should not be placed until their presence is
revealed. The giants occasionally offer the hulks prisoners as tribute to keep them from encroaching on the southern
caverns (area 10).

Ceiling height in area 11A ranges from 20 feet (near the sinkholes) to 30 feet (in the middle of the cavern). The ceiling in
area 11B is 15 feet high; in area 11C, it’s 20 feet high.

An underground stream cuts through the middle of the main cavern before spilling into a cistern (area 11D). The stream is
3 feet deep and treated as difficult terrain.

Umber Hulk Bewilderer Stat Block

Sinkholes: Each of these naturally formed pits is 20 feet deep (Athletics DC 15 to climb).

11A. Umber Hulk Cavern: The stream that bisects this cavern flows toward the north. Two sinkholes, one on each side
of the stream, serve as lairs for the umber hulks. At the bottom of the southernmost sinkhole is a brass scroll tube
containing a ritual scroll (Drawmij’s Instant Summons). The northernmost sinkhole contains a ceremonial crystal dagger
with an amethyst set in its pommel (1,500 gp) and a corroded holy symbol shaped like an equilateral triangle with a “Y”
inscribed in it (the branches of the “Y” touch the sides of the triangle). A DC 21 Religion check confirms that the symbol
represents the Elder Elemental Eye, an ancient evil power. A DC 29 Religion check is required to know that the Elder
Elemental Eye is also known by the name Tharizdun.

Umber Hulk Tunneler Stat Block

The holy symbol can be used to activate the altar in area 9C. Both the holy symbol and the ceremonial dagger were
possessions of an Elder Elemental Eye cultist who perished here decades ago.

11B. Collapsed Hall: This tunnel collapsed long ago, before the hill giants built their steading above the dungeon. The
sound of moving water can be heard to the north and east.

11C. Cistern: The underground stream pours into this room through a 5-foot-wide crack in the southeast wall and
disappears through smaller, impassable fissures to the southwest. A shallow pool of cold water forms in the middle of the
room. The hill giants draw their drinking water from this source.

Tactics: The umber hulks climb out of their sinkholes when one of them sees the characters’ lights or senses the
characters’ footsteps. Each tunneler selects an enemy and uses snatch and run to isolate its prey, tearing it apart with its
claws and relying on rebuffing gaze to keep others away. The bewilderer uses claw against victims of stunning gaze. It
uses staggering gaze to send enemies toppling into nearby sinkholes. The umber hulks do not pursue prey beyond areas
11A–C.

12. The Chief's Treasury

Combat Encounter Level 13 (4,000 XP)

Chief Nosnra keeps most of his treasure here, his allied iron dragon as a guard. Ceilings throughout this area are 20 feet
high.

Light: None.
Monsters: Feramaug.

As the characters approach area 12A, read:

Beyond a raised wooden portcullis is a spacious 20-foothigh room supported by four pillars. The walls and pillars bristle
with iron spears to a height of 15 feet. You see two other passages leading from the room, with similar portcullises
hanging above them.

With a DC 20 Perception check, characters notice fresh and old bloodstains on the floor and on the heads of the spears.
(The blood comes from prisoners that Nosnra fed to the dragon.)

Feramaug is unusual in many respects. Chief Nosnra befriended her long ago, and the two have remained staunch allies
over the years. When one of the three portcullises is lifted (see below), Feramaug moves quietly to the mouth of her cave
and makes a Stealth check to avoid detection. Do not place the dragon on the map until she is revealed.

12A. Feramaug’s Playground: Wooden portcullises set into the ceilings above the entrances are normally in the lowered
position. They drop or raise when the lever in area 12B is pulled. Manually lifting a portcullis requires DC 29 Athletics
check. A portcullis can also be destroyed (AC/Reflex 3, Fortitude 15; immune to necrotic, poison, psychic, forced
movement, all conditions, ongoing damage; hp 100). The walls and pillars of this room have cruel iron spears jutting out
of them, fashioned by the fire giant Smolderheart (area 8A). The spears are secured with mortar and very sturdy. These
walls of spears rise to a height of 15 feet (halfway up the walls and pillars). Any creature that enters or starts its turn in a
square bristling with spears takes 10 damage. A creature can take this damage only once per turn.
12B. Feramaug’s Lair: The iron dragon sleeps at the back of this cave, the floor of which is littered with the bones of
past victims (mostly prisoners provided by Chief Nosnra). A large wooden lever in the dragon’s cave lowers and raises the
portcullises in area 12A.

12C. The Chief’s Treasury: This vault contains three large, locked wooden chests (Thievery DC 20 to open), as well as
one final trap to catch the unwary.

One chest contains a suit of +4 sunleaf leather armor (or another level 17 uncommon magic item), a bejeweled gold
scepter (7,500 gp) wrapped in a gold-embroidered vest sewn with gems (2,500 gp), and a cask of excellent wine (500 gp).

The second chest contains a +3 rod of reaving (or another level 15 uncommon magic item) resting atop a folded +4 cloak
of resistance (or another level 17 uncommon magic item).

The third contains a platinum brooch shaped like the holy symbol of Lolth (2,500 gp) and four 500 gp gems resting on a
bed of 4,000 gp. Buried under the gold is a wooden scroll tube containing a map. The map is drawn on a ragged piece of
dwarf skin and marks the locations of the hill giant steading, the stone giant warrens, the glacial rift of the frost giants, and
the hall of the fire giant king.

Tactics: When the characters try to cross the room, the dragon emerges from her lair under a veil of invisibility and uses
breath weapon, hoping to impale enemies on the chamber’s iron spikes. Until her breath recharges, she uses lightning jaws
followed by elusive invisibility. Feramaug fights to the death to defend the treasury (area 12C).

Feramaug Adult Iron Dragon Stat Block

Development

Recovery of the map that shows the location of the frost giant and fire giant strongholds completes a major quest (see
“Quests,” page 2).

Concluding the Adventure

Once the characters defeat Chief Nosnra and learn the locations of the other giant lords and their strongholds, they can
return to civilization to spend their hard-earned gold and collect on their various quests. They have a few days to recover
from their ordeal before they are once again called upon to break the enemy alliance, this time by confronting its most
reluctant member: Thane Arlak of the stone giants. In the course of exploring the steading, the characters will likely
stumble upon clues that foreshadow events to follow:

Letters: Characters might find a couple of significant letters in the steading, one addressed to Chief Nosnra and the other
addressed to the stone giant Laerthar. The former refers to the fire giant king by name and was written by someone named
Obmi. The latter makes mention of the stone giant thane and is signed by someone named Belastraya.

Obmi: Characters who research the name Obmi and succeed on a DC 28 History or Streetwise check deduce that “Obmi”
is most likely Obmi Ironwhisper, a scheming dwarf noble who was exiled from his clanhold many years ago. The
characters encounter him in “Hall of the Fire Giant King” (Dungeon 200).

Belastraya: Characters who investigate the name Belastraya and succeed on a DC 28 History or Nature check know that
Belastraya is the sister of Arnak, the stone giant thane.
The Elder Elemental Eye: Characters who explore the abandoned temple (area 9C) have a close encounter with the Elder
Elemental Eye, which plays a pivotal role in the unfolding story. They encounter a larger temple dedicated to this ancient
force of evil in “Hall of the Fire Giant King.”

Author's Endnote: Updating a Classic

In reimagining “Steading of the Hill Giant Chief,” I’ve inflicted some violence to the maps and encounters to make the
adventure a fun and balanced 4th Edition experience, acknowledging that this creates some mapping challenges for
Dungeon Masters with limited tabletop space. I hope that DMs with fond memories of the original read this latest
incarnation and feel the same overwhelming desire to run the adventure as I felt back in 1980, when I read Gary Gygax’s
adventure for the first time.

—Christopher Perkins

The Adventure Continues...

“Steading of the Hill Giant King” can be played as the first adventure in a four-part series. The subsequent chapters of this
series are briefly described below, giving you an idea of where the campaign is headed.

"Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane"

Wherein the characters turn one giant lord against the others, cracking the enemy alliance.

"Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl"

Wherein the characters plumb the depths of an icy rift and confront the tactical mastermind behind the giants’ raids.

"Hall of the Fire Giant King"

Wherein the characters challenge the mighty fire giant king and discover the secret power behind the throne.

Author Bio
Christopher Perkins is the D&D Senior Producer at Wizards of the Coast LLC. He writes: “Ever since I started working
on 4th Edition, I’ve been aching to update the classic G-series of D&D adventures, breathing new life into Chief Nosnra,
Jarl Grugnur, and King Snurre while adding some memorable villains and twists of my own.” Chris dedicates this
adventure to the memory of Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, two great inspirations.

Original Adventure Designer

Gary Gygax

Developer
Chris Sims

Editor
Ray Vallese

Managing Editor
Kim Mohan

Producers
Christopher Perkins, Greg Bilsland, Stan!

Digital Studio Consultant

Dan Helmick

Art Directors
Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette

Illustrators
Eric Belisle, Noah Bradley, Goran Josic

Cartographer
Mike Schley

Graphic Production
Angie Lokotz, Erin Dorries