Cloud giants bargain pdf download

Cloud giants bargain pdf download

Cloud Giant's Bargain,O. E. R�lvaag

Download Cloud Giants Bargain. Type: PDF. Date: October Size: MB. Author: blogger.comha. This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the Cloud Giants Bargain. Click the start the download. DOWNLOAD PDF. Report this file. Description Download Cloud Giants Bargain Free in pdf format. Account Download & View Cloud Giants Bargain as PDF for free. More details. Words: 20,; Pages: 34; Preview; Full text; -Patrick Rothfuss, playing the character Viari The Cloud Giant's Cloud giants bargain pdf download. Raw characters with no class levels wash up on the lost island of the pirate Sea King. They advance to first level and beyond. A successful DC 12 02/12/ · Cloud Giant's Bargain Pdf Download December 02, Post a Comment Post a Comment ... read more

Only a few are at work, wearing white hats and aprons as they pour ingredients into two large pots bubbling over an open fire. The fi rst goblin to spot you screams out a warning, in re· action to which the entire kitchen breaks into sudden chaos. The lounging goblins don aprons as they race back to work, running into each other and dropping pans and utensils in their panic. The goblin that spotted you addresses your group in a sniveling voice. We didn't know there were visitors. Such checks are made with advantage due to the trusting nature of the goblin servants. The characters can also attempt DC 15 Charisma Intimidation or Charisma Persuasion checks to convince the goblins not to alert the giants to their intrusion. A bribe of 15 gp or more gives advantage on such checks. The goblins have little information to share about the cloud giants, but they can relate that the garden has dangerous plants and that the dining hall has a dangerous pet.

OM T IP: FUN WITH GOBLINS If the characters succeed at the ruse of being taken for guests of the giants, you might wish to assign fun personalities to one or two of the goblins, then have those goblins accompany the adventurers into the next few areas they explore as humorous tour guides. If the goblins end up fleeing from the party, have them periodically appear in later encounters, perhaps hiding poorly under furniture or suddenly running wildly across a room. If the adventurers attack the goblins or fail in their attempts to win them over, the goblins ftee or hide themselves in the kitchen's many cupboards, correctly assuming that any heroes invading a cloud castle are more than a match for them. DIN I NG HALL As noted in area H3, opening the double doors into this room is a potential challenge. Gaining access to this area by way of the kitchen is much easier. An enormous table, carved from a single block of pinewood over a hundred feet long, dominates this elegant dining room.

Portraits of cloud giants line the walls between heavy drapes that cover all but thin portions of the windows, creating narrow beams of bright light. A fire burns brightly in a fireplace set between two doors at one end of the hall. Weapons and shields of human size are displayed above the room's great mantle. Two battle-scarred hell hounds sleep by the fire, close to the kitchen doors. Count Stratovan once bested a fire giant in battle, took that giant's pets as his own, and proudly installed them in this hall. Characters entering this area can spot the fiends lounging by the fire with a successful DC 12 Wisdom Perception check. Characters who enter through the kitchen have advantage on this check. The hell hounds wake and attack if any character makes a loud noise, draws near, or attacks.

With two exceptions see below , the weapons and shields above the mantle are all mundane gear bearing the marks of combat. Each piece is labeled with the name of some historical battle where giants were victorious against the small folk. TREASURE One of the melee weapons on display is of a type used by one of the party members. Crafted of black metal, stone, or wood depending on the weapon type , it functions as a sword of wounding even if it is not a sword. One of the shields is a sentinel shield with the sentinel minor property. It bears the symbol of a large eye and glows faintly when any giant is within feet of it.

TOWERSOFjUDGMENT connected by arched walkways that pass through smaller connecting towers. Characters will likely reach this cloud island from the walkways leading from areas C4 or H4, which connect at a small cloud island before leading to this island through area Pl. The characters have been instructed to approach this island only after they have discerned whether Olthanas is speaking truthfully about his intent to seek peace. However, the decision of when to approach is ultimately up to the players. As with the other islands, only one guard now dead is stationed in the Towers of Judgment. After Count Stratovan called the other giants of the cloud castle away to do battle, Majordomo Balakar eliminated the remaining guards to allow the characters to reach the audience chamber.

She plans to blame the adventurers for these deaths, just as she will blame them for Olthanas's death when it comes. As the characters approach the Towers of Judgment, read or paraphrase the following. Four magnificent towers rise out of the cloud island before you, gleaming in the bright sun. A fifth tower at the center of the island is th ree times as broad and soars even higher above you. Arched walkways extend between the exterior towers, encircling and connecting to the central tower by way of four smaller towers, all of them covered against the elements. A single walkway connects one of the island's outer towers to the two adjacent islands. The wooden door of this connecting tower is bound in brass and carved to depict angels in flight. SCO RING If the characters explored most of the Island of Contem- plation and the Towers of Hospitality, Instructor Tulahk congratulates them on all that they have done and awards them one rank. He especially congratulates players who successfully addressed any of the bulleted criteria from player handout 1.

The characters also gain a rank if they have established that the majordomo is evil and that their invitation is part of a trap by matching her handwriting to the note in the map room or finding the poison in her quarters , as well as discerning that Olthanas truly wishes for peace through his grandfather's words in the spa, the gargoyle in the temple, or later on in area PS in this section. If the characters rushed through the exploration of the Island of Contemplation and the Towers of Hospitality in order to come here, Instructor Tulahk encourages them to not be so hasty, speculating that the other areas of the castle are sure to hold useful information. This cloud island is composed of an enormous central tower the audience chamber, where Olthanas and Balakar await ringed by four other towers.

All the towers are CLOUD CTANT'S BARGAIN Arcana check confirms that this is the lair of a young white dragon. VAULT This chamber is fashioned from gray cloudstuff, with a huge white tomb at its center. That tomb seems to pull all of the available light into its surface, which is carved to depict a female cloud giant. Two side doors exit onto walkways. This tomb is the resting place of Olthanas's mother. He is very fond of her, and it was she who taught him compassion for the smaller folk of Faerun. The tomb is far too heavy to move, but it can be opened with a successful DC 20 Strength check. Within are bones wrapped in fine clothing, but all of it quickly disintegrates and is blown away by the wind.

Olthanas immediately becomes aware of the tomb being opened see area P6. TIP: CHANCE l litter the cracked and weathered floor. Drason Tactics. If the dragon is present, it lurks high above the floor, clinging to buttresses beneath the ceiling. If at least one character has a passive Perception of 15 or higher, the dragon does not gain surprise. Once combat starts, the dragon uses its breath weapon, then descends to do battle. It tries to fly away provoking opportunity attacks if it is reduced to below half its hit points. If it does so, it retains any damage it suffered when it appears again in area P6. If the dragon is absent when the characters come here, a successful DC 12 Intelligence Nature check reveals that the floors, walls, and scattered bones have been subjected to extreme cold. A successful DC 15 Intelligence CLOUD GIANTS BARGAIN overlooking a floor some forty feet below.

Every square inch of that floor is covered in treasure-chests spilling over with gleaming gold coins, shields, axes and hammers, scimitars and other blades, backpacks stuffed with potions, and more. and a door along the opposite wall. Sometimes an element of unpredictability can be fun. However, you are free to choose whether the dragon is present in this area rather than rolling. If the characters defeat or wound the dragon now, the fight in area P6 will be easier. If the dragon is encountered only in area P6, that final fight can become deadly if the characters are low on resources. Especially if your party is composed of new players, having them encounter the dragon now can be a good idea. You can also leave it up to the players to decide. If they discern the type of creature living here or decide to keep an eye out for it, roll a die each time they leave any area of the Towers of Judgment. On an even result, they see the dragon descend from the sky to enter area P2.

It then stays there until the characters attack or until it is summoned by the majordomo in area P6. A foul stench comes from this small tower. Animal bones A small balcony extends out from the door of this tower, A narrow walkway connects your balcony to another balcony DRAGON'S DEN Though the other three small, covered towers that connect the walkways around the central tower are empty, this one is sometimes occupied. As the characters approach, roll a die. On an even result, the young white dragon that lairs here is present. On an odd result, the dragon is away hunting. OM The stout, locked metallic doors leading into this tower can be opened only with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check made using thieves' tools. Using brute force to bash through the doors would take hours, and Instructor Tulahk can warn the characters that doing so is likely to alert anyone in the central tower or the observatory.

l Though it appears to be a rich treasure trove, this area actually hides a number of deadly threats. False Treasure. All of the wealth at the bottom of the tower is either fake painted wooden discs instead of coins, worthless art, and so forth or a magical illusion that is easily noted by anyone interacting with it. If the characters interact with the illusion by touching it or dispelling it, they can see that a couple of the chests and weapons appear to be real. However, these are actually two mimics and two flying swords. They attack at once if anyone ventures down to the floor. Hidden Guard. An invisible imp also lurks in this area, hovering over whichever walkway is opposite the balcony where the characters are.

When the time is right, or if the characters ignore the treasure, the imp accesses a control panel set into the wall. Any character sees the wall pop open just to the side of the door opposite theirs. A button is depressed, causing both doors in this area to close and lock before the room's trap activates. Deadly Trap. When the trap is triggered, the walkway across the room splits at the halfway point along a hidden seam. The balconies and each half of the walkway then begin to magically retract into the walls, a process that takes 3 rounds. If the flying swords have not already attacked, they soar upward when the trap is triggered, engaging the characters as they scramble along the retracting walkway.

If the trap hasn't been disabled by the end of the third round, the last of the walkway vanishes. Characters without access to flying magic fall 40 feet taking 4d6 damage and are attacked by the mimics. While the trap is active, the doors cannot be opened by any means. For characters who drop down to the floor intentionally or otherwise , climbing back up without the aid of a rope requires a successful DC 18 Strength Athletics check. A character who succeeds on an attack against AC 22 sue- cessfully hits the button and stops the walkways from retracting. The DC for this check is lS in the first round that the walkway retracts, increasing by S each round thereafter.

Savvy players might suspect that a second panel must be concealed on their balcony for the trap to be fully effective. A successful DC lS Wisdom Perception check spots the panel. With an action, any character can open it and push the button to stop the walkways. Olthanas's belongings include many books detailing the fanciful heroic deeds of FaerOn's small folk, including lords from cities along the Sword Coast. A diary can be found under the pillow if any character thinks to search the bed, or will be noticed by a successful DC lS Wisdom Perception check during a thorough search of the room.

In several entries, Olthanas talks of worrying about his father's worship of Memnor and his desire to attack the Sword Coast. He writes of wondering what can be done to create peace, and of his resolution to ask his majordomo for help. Pushing either panel's button a second time opens the doors and causes the walkways and balconies to extend to their starting positions. The imp curses loudly if the characters don't all fall into the pit, but it remains invisible. Unless it is somehow detected and attacked, it escapes as quickly as possible. Jewelry, fine cloth, and other valuables worth 1, gp can be found here.

However, if Olthanas is alive at the end of the adventure, he demands that any of these personal items claimed by the characters be returned. Each of the walkways leading from the small connecting towers to the audience chamber ends at an exterior balcony. From the balconies, unlocked doors lead onto an elevated viewing balcony inside the tower. A massive telescope fills the inside of this domed tower, resti ng upon a mechanical stand covered in clockwork gears. Huge rectangular wi ndows currently stand open, allowing the telescope to look outward.

The lifeless body of a cloud giant guard is sprawled beneath the telescope, but the body cannot be seen until a character approaches the device. A successful DC lS Wisdom Medicine check reveals that the guard was poisoned. If the check result is 18 or higher, the character making it confirms that this death occurred after the party's arrival at the cloud castle. The telescope has complex controls, but a successful DC 20 Intelligence Arcana check allows the characters to get it partially working. Allow the characters to look into three rooms of their choice in any part of the cloud castle except the audience chamber, providing them with rough visual details of those areas. The telescope then stops working and cannot be restarted. OLTHANAs's QUARTERS Both doors to this tower are locked, but each can be opened with a successful DC lS Dexterity check made using thieves' tools. The doors can also be broken down with a successful DC lS Strength check, but Instructor Tulahk warns the characters that the sound will be heard by anyone in the audience chamber or the observatory.

The two stories of this regal chamber are decorated with delicate and beautiful furn ishings, including gem-studded chandeliers and wind chimes, jeweled mirrors, and a bed frame created from wispy clouds. This must be Olthanas's private res idence. TREASURE P6. AUDIENCE CHAMBER You stand upon a viewing balcony some fifty feet above the audience room below. Two cloud giants are there, looki ng up at your arriva l. The younger gia nt, seated upon a throne, must be Olthanas. Dressed in serene blues and wearing a silver choker, he has a calm disposition that belies his massive size. The older giant standi ng beside the th rone must be Balakar, the majordomo who summoned you here. Tall and dressed in dark colors, she narrows her eyes as she looks you over. Several of the adventurers' previous choices while exploring the cloud castle can potentially affect the tone of the conversation between the characters and the giants. The characters stole any of his possessions area PS.

Though the young giant's instinct was to respond at once to any such affronts committed by the adventurers, Balakar convinced him to wait for the party to come to him, wanting to give the characters more time to engage in activities that would anger Olthanas. Based on the characters' actions, Olthanas's attitude might range from being pleased to see them, to reserved, worried, or deeply distrustful. I knew you would! Let me see your little weapons. Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean to offend! But given your actions in my home, are you truly heroes? Do your actions here represent the true nature of the small folk?

Only the wise counsel of my majordomo has quelled my rage. Explain your actions at once! Depending on Olthanas's disposition, she either builds mistrust or reinforces it. We employ some fine and brave cloud giants. No cloud giant would use poison. A coward's weapon, and simply not our style. How do we know it won't result in his ruin? That you won't turn against him and leave him to face the wrath of the count? If the characters share proofofthe mtfiordom o's culpability, Olthanas initially cannot believe their claims, then orders Balakar to surrender. The majordomo activates Olthanas's choker see below , blows a whistle to call the dragon, and attacks. lfOithanas turns against the party, Balakar urges him to fight, but the young giant does so only reluctantly.

The majordomo watches for 1 round, then activates the choker, calls the dragon, and attacks the characters. Choker Trap. The silver choker Olthanas wears is a gift from Balakar- and a deadly magical trap. When the majordomo activates it remotely no action required , the choker begins to constrict around Olthanas's throat, driving him to his knees. However, any attack that misses the choker has a 50 percent chance of dealing its damage to Olthanas. The choker's magic is treated as a 6th-level spell DC The Mlfjordomo. Balakar wades into battle, overconfident of her capabilities and not particularly concerned about tactics. She can easily be goaded into attacking certain characters or maneuvered into a position that is advantageous for her enemies. White Dragon.

The white dragon from area P2 appears on the third round. If it was previously hurt, but not killed, it appears on the fourth round of combat. The dragon was enslaved as a wyrmling and trained by the cruel major- 16 CLOUD GTANT'S BARGAIN domo, before being gifted as a pet to Olthanas. It initially follows the majordomo's orders. When the dragon appears, Olthanas tries to call to it and ask it to help him, even as the majordomo commands it to attack. The dragon's uncertainty is clear, and the characters are free to exploit it. Successful Charisma Persuasion checks can turn the dragon to the party's side.

This is a place where player ingenuity and roleplaying can shine. If the characters don't convince the dragon to stop following Balakar's orders, it can still be driven off. If it takes damage equal to half or more of the hit points it had when it entered this fight, it flees the battle. SCORING If the characters defeat Balakar and save Olthanas, In- structor Tulahk grants them a rank and is overjoyed by their accomplishments. He instructs everyone to create a personal and highly marketable slogan. OM TIP: ADJUSTING THE CHALLENGE LEVEL This combat has all the trappings of an epic battle, and is potentially deadly when played by the numbers. But even though a cloud giant and a young white dragon have a good chance of defeating five 6th-level adventurers, this encounter is not intended simply as an exercise in combat. The point of the encounter is to act as a crucible of pres· sure, forcing the characters to find the keys to victory.

These include making their initial arguments, roleplaying humility if they have inadvertently angered Olthanas, breaking the choker, and turning the dragon against the majordomo. lfthe characters fail to pick up on these goals, Instructor Tulahk can nudge them in the right direction. Unlucky dice can always turn against characters, however, allowing them to be overwhelmed. Over the course of the war, he meets with other giants, convincing good cloud giants to leave the battle. This has a vital impact on the war, and the heroes are celebrated for their actions. TREASURE If Balakar is searched, the characters discover a small tome bound in golden feathers in her pocket. The book tells the tale of a powerful demon named Miska the Wolf Spider, who helps the forces of chaos take over world after world. Miska is finally defeated by elemental lords known as the Wind Dukes, who use a powerful rod to imprison or destroy the demon.

This shatters the rod, with each of its seven parts scattering across the planes of existence. The fragments of this legendary Rod ofSeven Parts are said to be powerful artifacts in their own right, which can be combined to channel even greater power. This tome is offered to the characters by Olthanas, and is worth gp. If Olthanas survives and after the characters return any wealth liberated from his quarters , he offers the party 1, gp in art objects and jewelry as thanks for their efforts to aid him and his cause. Much of this wealth consists of objects belonging to his father that Olthanas no longer wishes to keep.

Additionally, the characters can keep any other treasure or magic items claimed in the adventure, many of which were Count Stratovan's trophies. In the aftermath of the adventure, the owners of Acquisitions Inc. review the characters' final ranks. If they have attained the rank of Grand Intern, the characters each receive a set of plain gray robes that go with that rank worth 1 sp. They also receive a coupon good for 50 percent off purchasing the deluxe version of those robes, for a final cost of only gp and with the robes valued at gp. If the heroes attained the exalted rank of Sub-Employee, the owners of Acquisitions Inc. Omin Dran, Binwin Bronzebottom, Jim Darkmagic, and Viari meet with them in person. It's a little awkward, but still special. REWARDS For Adventurers League play, make sure players note their rewards on their adventure logsheets.

Give your name and DCI number if applicable so players can record who ran the session. meaning you did not make any adjustments to the combat encounters and they successfully completed all objectives. The maximum total award for each character participating in this adventure is 7, experience points. Characters should attempt to divide treasure evenly whenever possible. Gold piece values listed for sellable gear are calculated at their selling price, not their purchase price. Consumable magic items should be divided up however the group sees fit. If more than one character is interested in a specific consumable magic item, the DM can randomly determine who gets it if the group cannot decide. Permanent magic items are divided according to a system.

See the "Permanent Magic Item Distribution" sidebar. For non-combat experience, the rewards are listed per character. Give all characters in the party non-combat experience awards unless otherwise noted. The gem in the ring tourmaline indicates the type cold. WEAPON OF WOUNDING Weapon any , rare, requires attunement Hit points lost to this weapon's damage can be regained only through a short or long rest, rather than by regeneration, magic, or any other means. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack using this magic weapon, you can wound the target. At the start of each of the wounded creature's turns, it takes ld4 necrotic damage for each time you've wounded it, and it can then make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, ending the effect of all such wounds on itself on a success.

Alternatively, the wounded creature, or a creature within 5 feet of it, can use an action to make a DC 15 Wisdom Medicine check, ending the effect of such wounds on it on a success. NON-COMBAT AWARDS Task or Accomplishment Avoid the magical trap in the temple XP per Character area C6 Avoid falling into the vault area P3 The minimum total award for each character participating in this adventure is 4, experience points. The target total award for a party of five 8th-level characters for each character participating in this adventure is 6, experience points. The characters should earn exactly the target amount if the party strengtti is average SENTINEL SHIELD Armor shield , uncommon While holding this shield, you have advantage on initiative rolls and Wisdom Perception checks. The shield is emblazoned with a symbol of an eye. The shield also has the sentinel minor property.

It glows faintly when any giant is within feet of it. SCROLL OF CONFUSION Scroll, rare See the spell description in the Players Handbook. OUD GIANT'S BARGAIN l7 SCROLL OF 0TILUKE'S RESILIENT SPHERE Scroll, rare See the spell description in the Players Handbook. DOWNTIME Each character receives ten downtime days at the conclusion of this adventure. DM REWARDS You receive XP, gp, and ten downtime days for running this session. Each character's logsheet contains a column to record permanent magic items for ease of reference. If there is a tie in the total number of permanent magic items owned by contesting characters, the item's owner is determined randomly by the DM. This letter does not constitute employment with Acquisitions Inc. You have been given the extraordinary opportunity1, through your great fortune, to win acclaim and recompense 2 from the world-renowned adventuring company Acquisitions Inc.!

Your Instructor will assess your performance strictly, upholding the highest standards for the quality we expect from prospective interns. Courage and wisdom Love Creation of merchandising opportunities Ability to coin slogans and catchphrases Ability to complete your assigned mission: Determine whether cloud eiant js honest. create eyed astine peace Your instructor will use a highly innovative and soffisticated 4 scoring system to assign points for your experiences. As you perform heroic feats of heroism and score these points of experience, you might5 advance in rank. The following ranks are possible: Rank 1: Sub-Intern Rank 2: Intern Rank 3: Grand Intern Rank 4: Sub-Employee Membership has its privileges!

We will notify your next of kin {Sep per member. Probably not money exactly. This is a spelling of sophisticated that is even more soffisticated than ·sophisticated. At the instructor's discretion; bribery not encouraged wink 6. Privileges may look suspiciously like new, unpaid labor. Permission is granted to photocopy this page for home game use. DM HANDOUT: CLOUD CASTLE MAPS The three islands that make up the cloud castle connect by way of walkways that come together in a central featureless island not shown on the maps.

Characters should begin the adventure at either area Cl or area Hl. Short arching walkway connects C2 to Cl. Cloud island is only slightly larger than the building. All rooms are made of magically hardened opaque cloudstuff, similar in appearance to white marble, flecked with gray. Round areas are towers, with two levels joined by circular stairway. It is not critical to depict both upper and lower stories, though it would be nice to do so. All rooms have windows. Scale is for giants maybe each square is 20'? C6 has a huge statue of a giant at the end opposite the doors, with blue tapestries leading from the door to it and two rows of pews on either side. Round towers are again each two-story, with circular stairway, except for H7, where stairs lead to a narrow balcony with cushions.

Area H7 is a spa, with pools of hot water on lower level. Area H9 has servant quarters to the north, past the open divider which could have a curtain partition. H6 is a luxury apartment and includes a tall mirror, but no stairs C l. The H8s nice guest chambers. Hl is a garden with dense foliage and trees and winding paths. A gate separates Hl and H2, with potted plants in H2. H2 is still fairly dense, with pools and sitting areas and a stone path down the middle and leading to the doors to H3. H4 is a simple guard room, the upper story only a catwalk. Towers ofJudgment Map Notes: Each of the round structures is a tower. The viewing areas lead out to balconies and arched walkways lead from them to small connecting towers. P2 is the den of a small dragon. The medium towers all have two levels, but doors are only on the upper area, connecting to the walkways.

Pl holds a sarcophagus for a female cloud giant. P3 has heaps of coins, chests, and treasure at the bottom, and only two balconies and a walkway on the second level. There are no stairs between the levels of P3. P4 is an observatory with a large rotating telescope. Stairs down are only for servicing the telescope's clockwork mechanism. PS are Olthanas's private chambers; 2-story with regal furnishings, including a bed made of clouds. For valid play, a player must have a character who has advanced to 7th- 9th level through previous Adventurers League play. If you're running this adventure as a part of a store event or at certain conventions, you'll need a DCI number.

This number is your official Wizards of the Coast organized play identifier. If you don't have a number, you can obtain one at a store event. Check with your organizer for details. When players create characters, they attach those characters to a storyline season, which determines what rules they're allowed to use to create and advance their characters. Players can continue to play their characters after the storyline season has finished, possibly participating in a second or third storyline with those same characters. A character's level is the only limitation for adventure play. org BEFORE PLAY AT THE TABLE Players that have characters outside the adventure's level range cannot participate in the adventure with those characters as part of official Adventurers League play and must use a pregenerated character. Players can play an adventure they previously played or ran as a Dungeon Master, but not with the same character.

Players must track their character's progress using an official adventure logsheet available at dndadventurersleague. If you have time, you can do a quick scan of a player's character sheet to ensure that nothing looks out of order. If you see magic items of very high rarities or strange arrays of ability scores, you can ask players to provide documentation for the irregularities. If they cannot, feel free to restrict item use or ask them to use a standard ability score array. Point players to the Dl! rD Adventurers League Player's Guide for reference. If players wish to spend downtime days and it's the beginning of an adventure or episode, they can declare their activity and spend the days now. Players should select their characters' spells and other daily options prior to the start of the adventure, unless the adventure specifies otherwise. Feel free to reread the adventure description to help give players hints about what they might face.

DOWNTIME AND LIFESTYLE At the beginning of each play session, players must declare whether or not they are spending any days of downtime. The player records the downtime spent on the adventure logsheet. In addition, whenever a character spends downtime days, that character also spends the requisite expense for his or her lifestyle. Costs are per day, so a character who spends ten days of downtime also spends ten days of expenses maintaining his or her lifestyle. Some downtime activities help with lifestyle expenses or add lifestyle expenses. DISEASE, DEATH, AND RECOVERY Sometimes bad things happen, and characters get poisoned, diseased, or are killed. Since you might not have the same characters return from session to session, here are the rules when bad things happen to characters. rD Basic Rules. If a character doesn't resolve the effect between sessions, that character begins the next session still affected by the debilitating effect. DEATH A character who is killed during the course of the adventure has a few options at the end of the session or whenever arriving back in civilization if no one in the adventuring party has immediate access to a raise dead or revivify spell, or similar magic.

A character subject to a raise dead spell is affected negatively until all long rests have been completed during an adventure. Hot baths filled with swirling water cover the floor of this steam-filled room. Through the steam, you can just make out stairs leading to a balcony. You also see an aged cloud giant sitting in one of the pools, the water up to his chest. He cocks his ear in your direction as he calls out in a shaky voice, "Who goes there? The characters can easily move back out of the room to avoid Olthanas's grandfather, Galadral, who has lost his keen sense of smell and is nearly blind. They might also attempt to fool the ancient giant by pretending to be someone else, making one or two Charisma Deception checks contested by Galadral's Wisdom Insight check. If the characters converse with Galadral, he can confirm that Balakar is a pious follower of Memnor and that she has always hated the smaller races of FaerCm. He knows also that Olthanas has long hated war and admired the heroes of the small folk "Far too much so, if you ask me".

He makes all attack rolls with disadvantage. Additionally, if Galadral takes more than hit points of damage, he passes out. The four barracks towers that open up off a central common room are all two stories tall and currently empty. With the exception of Olthanas's grandfather see area H7. You can have fun with this scene by letting Galadral's actions and reactions inspire the players to roleplay. Do you have a cold? During the conversation, the old giant might prattle on about something that connects to a character's flaw, or might speak out against a character's ideal. Doing so gives the players a chance to react "in character" and can make for a memorable encounter. All the doors are unlocked, revealing giant-sized furnishings beyond if they are opened. The tower adjacent to area H6 has a peephole concealed in its second level quarters, which are home to Olthanas's grandfather see area H7.

The peephole requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom Perception check to spot from this side. The furnishings here are sized not for giants but for their goblin servants. The area to the north serves as the goblins' sleeping quarters, and the doors into the dining hall area HlO are unlocked. This sprawling kitchen is filled with goblins, all of them lounging in chairs, munching on food, or napping on tables. Only a few are at work, wearing white hats and aprons as they pour ingredients into two large pots bubbling over an open fire. The fi rst goblin to spot you screams out a warning, in re action to which the entire kitchen breaks into sudden chaos. The lounging goblins don aprons as they race back to work, running into each other and dropping pans and utensils in their panic.

The goblin that spotted you addresses your group in a sniveling voice. We didn't know there were visitors. A character can pass the party off as legitimate guests of the giants with a successful DC 15 Charisma Deception check. Such checks are made with advantage due to the trusting nature of the goblin servants. The characters can also attempt DC 15 Charisma Intimidation or Charisma Persuasion checks to convince the goblins not to alert the giants to their intrusion. A bribe of 15 gp or more gives advantage on such checks. The goblins have little information to share about the cloud giants, but they can relate that the garden has dangerous plants and that the dining hall has a dangerous pet. If the characters succeed at the ruse of being taken for guests of the giants, you might wish to assign fun personalities to one or two of the goblins, then have those goblins accompany the adventurers into the next few areas they explore as humorous tour guides.

If the goblins end up fleeing from the party, have them periodically appear in later encounters, perhaps hiding poorly under furniture or suddenly running wildly across a room. If the adventurers attack the goblins or fail in their attempts to win them over, the goblins ftee or hide themselves in the kitchen's many cupboards, correctly assuming that any heroes invading a cloud castle are more than a match for them. As noted in area H3, opening the double doors into this room is a potential challenge. Gaining access to this area by way of the kitchen is much easier. An enormous table, carved from a single block of pinewood over a hundred feet long, dominates this elegant dining room. Portraits of cloud giants line the walls between heavy drapes that cover all but thin portions of the windows, creating narrow beams of bright light. A fire burns brightly in a fireplace set between two doors at one end of the hall. Weapons and shields of human size are displayed above the room's great mantle.

Two battle-scarred hell hounds sleep by the fire, close to the kitchen doors. Count Stratovan once bested a fire giant in battle, took that giant's pets as his own, and proudly installed them in this hall. Characters entering this area can spot the fiends lounging by the fire with a successful DC 12 Wisdom Perception check. Characters who enter through the kitchen have advantage on this check. The hell hounds wake and attack if any character makes a loud noise, draws near, or attacks. With two exceptions see below , the weapons and shields above the mantle are all mundane gear bearing the marks of combat. Each piece is labeled with the name of some historical battle where giants were victorious against the small folk.

One of the melee weapons on display is of a type used by one of the party members. Crafted of black metal, stone, or wood depending on the weapon type , it functions as a sword of wounding even if it is not a sword. One of the shields is a sentinel shield with the sentinel minor property. It bears the symbol of a large eye and glows faintly when any giant is within feet of it. Characters will likely reach this cloud island from the walkways leading from areas C4 or H4, which connect at a small cloud island before leading to this island through area Pl. The characters have been instructed to approach this island only after they have discerned whether Olthanas is speaking truthfully about his intent to seek peace. However, the decision of when to approach is ultimately up to the players. As with the other islands, only one guard now dead is stationed in the Towers of Judgment.

After Count Stratovan called the other giants of the cloud castle away to do battle, Majordomo Balakar eliminated the remaining guards to allow the characters to reach the audience chamber. She plans to blame the adventurers for these deaths, just as she will blame them for Olthanas's death when it comes. As the characters approach the Towers of Judgment, read or paraphrase the following. Four magnificent towers rise out of the cloud island before you, gleaming in the bright sun. A fifth tower at the center of the island is th ree times as broad and soars even higher above you. Arched walkways extend between the exterior towers, encircling and connecting to the central tower by way of four smaller towers, all of them covered against the elements. A single walkway connects one of the island's outer towers to the two adjacent islands. The wooden door of this connecting tower is bound in brass and carved to depict angels in flight. He especially congratulates players who successfully addressed any of the bulleted criteria from player handout 1.

The characters also gain a rank if they have established that the majordomo is evil and that their invitation is part of a trap by matching her handwriting to the note in the map room or finding the poison in her quarters , as well as discerning that Olthanas truly wishes for peace through his grandfather's words in the spa, the gargoyle in the temple, or later on in area PS in this section. If the characters rushed through the exploration of the Island of Contemplation and the Towers of Hospitality in order to come here, Instructor Tulahk encourages them to not be so hasty, speculating that the other areas of the castle are sure to hold useful information. This cloud island is composed of an enormous central tower the audience chamber, where Olthanas and Balakar await ringed by four other towers. All the towers are. This chamber is fashioned from gray cloudstuff, with a huge white tomb at its center. That tomb seems to pull all of the available light into its surface, which is carved to depict a female cloud giant.

Two side doors exit onto walkways. This tomb is the resting place of Olthanas's mother. He is very fond of her, and it was she who taught him compassion for the smaller folk of Faerun. The tomb is far too heavy to move, but it can be opened with a successful DC 20 Strength check. Within are bones wrapped in fine clothing, but all of it quickly disintegrates and is blown away by the wind. Olthanas immediately becomes aware of the tomb being opened see area P6. Drason Tactics. If the dragon is present, it lurks high above the floor, clinging to buttresses beneath the ceiling. If at least one character has a passive Perception of 15 or higher, the dragon does not gain surprise.

Once combat starts, the dragon uses its breath weapon, then descends to do battle. It tries to fly away provoking opportunity attacks if it is reduced to below half its hit points. If it does so, it retains any damage it suffered when it appears again in area P6. If the dragon is absent when the characters come here, a successful DC 12 Intelligence Nature check reveals that the floors, walls, and scattered bones have been subjected to extreme cold. A successful DC 15 Intelligence. Every square inch of that floor is covered in treasure-chests spilling over with gleaming gold coins, shields, axes and hammers, scimitars and other blades, backpacks stuffed with potions, and more. Sometimes an element of unpredictability can be fun.

However, you are free to choose whether the dragon is present in this area rather than rolling. If the characters defeat or wound the dragon now, the fight in area P6 will be easier. If the dragon is encountered only in area P6, that final fight can become deadly if the characters are low on resources. Especially if your party is composed of new players, having them encounter the dragon now can be a good idea. All of Cooper's novels followed, and the novels of Dickens and Captain Marryat and Bulwer-Lytton. Then came the works of Ingemann, the Danish historical novelist; the works of Zakarias Topelius, the great Swedish romanticist; the works of the German, Paul Heyse; and the complete works of their own great novelists, especially Bj�rnson and Jonas Lie.

For miscellaneous reading there were such things as the tales of Jules Verne and H. Rider Haggard and Alexandra Dumas, Carlyle's The French Revolution, and Stanley's Across the Dark Continent. Neither did they lack the usual assortment of dime novels and shilling-shockers, in paper covers. The list could be extended indefinitely; the parallel with the reading of the better-class American boy of a generation ago is little short of astonishing. This reading, promiscuous but intensive, lasted through the period of his youth. Once it was rumoured that at a certain village, fourteen miles away, a copy of Ivanhoe could be obtained; R�lvaag set out on foot to get it, and was gone two days on the journey.

There is another incident, slight but deeply revealing, which shows the promise wrapped up in the husk of boyhood. In a moment of exaltation he decided to write a novel of his own. He may have been eleven or twelve when this creative impulse seized him. All one afternoon he spent in his bedroom writing; with infinite labour he had completed as many as five pages of the novel. Then his elder brother, who shared the room with him, came in--the brilliant brother of whom he stood in awe. But the brother had not seen a word of them. R�lvaag never attempted literary composition again until he was completing his education in America, fifteen years afterward. Awhile later we find him reading Cooper and Marryat aloud to the fishermen at Lofoten, during the winter lay-up; there was a splendid library at this remote station, too, maintained by the state for the use of the fishing fleet.

By this time R�lvaag had become a fisherman himself, like everyone else in the community. He went on his first trip to the Lofoten fishing grounds at the age of fifteen. In all, he fished five years, until he had just passed twenty. Every year he was growing more discontented. In the winter of a terrible storm devastated the fishing fleet, taking tragic toll among his friends and fellow fishermen. The boat he sailed in escaped only by a miracle. This experience killed his first romantic love of the fishing life; he sat down then and wrote to an uncle in South Dakota, asking him for a ticket to the United States. Not that he felt any particular call to go to America; he only thought of getting away. He longed for the unknown and untried--for something secret and inexpressible.

Vaguely, stubbornly, he wanted the chance to fulfil himself before he died. But the uncle, doubtless influenced by R�lvaag's family reputation, refused to help him; and the fishing life went on. Two more years passed, years of deepening revolt--when suddenly the uncle in South Dakota changed his mind. One day a ticket for America arrived. The way of escape was at hand. Then a dramatic thing happened. All the fishermen went to the summer fair at the market town of Bj�rn. At this fair, boats were exposed for sale, the finest fishing craft in all Norway.

R�lvaag's master sought him out and took him down among the boats. His admiration for this master was extravagant; he speaks of him to-day as a sea king, the greatest human being he has ever known. The man led him directly to the best boat hauled out on the beach. They stood admiring her. He led him aft, under her stern, where they could see her beautiful lines. He patted her side as he spoke. He said: "If you will send back the ticket to your uncle, I will buy this boat for you. You shall command her; and when she has paid for herself she shall be yours. The offer swept him off his feet.

Never, he affirms, can he hope to attain in life again a sensation of such complete and triumphant success as came to him at that moment. A new boat, the backing of the man he admired and loved above all others, a place at the top of his profession at the age of twenty, a chance to reign supreme in his little world. And yet, nothing beyond--it meant that this was all. To live and die a fisherman. No other worlds--the vague, beautiful worlds beyond the horizon. He turned away, went up on a hillside above the town, and sat there alone all the afternoon. This young man of twenty sitting on a hillside on the coast of Norway, wrestling with his immense problem, takes on the stature of a figure from the sagas. Which way will he make up his mind? A fine, clear day--he could see a long way across the water.

But not the shape of his own destiny. The life he knew was calling him with a thousand voices. How could he have heard the hail of things not yet seen? Where did he get the strength to make his momentous decision? He came down from the hillside at last, and found his master. I am going to America. R�lvaag himself has told about the journey in his first book, Amerika-Breve Letters from America , published in , a work which is largely autobiographical and which struck home in a personal way to his Norwegian-American readers. He landed in New York in August of He was not even aware that he would require money for food during the railway trip; in his pocket were an American dime and a copper piece from Norway. For three days and nights, from New York to South Dakota, he lived on a single loaf of bread; the dime went for tobacco somewhere along the vast stretches unfolding before him.

Through an error in calculation his uncle failed to meet him at the country station where he finally disembarked. He had no word of English with which to ask his way. The prairie spread on every hand; the sun was going down. He walked half the night, without food or water, until at last he found Norwegians who could direct him, reached his uncle's farm, and received a warm welcome. Then began three years of farming. At the end of that time he knew that he did not like it; this was not the life for him. He had saved a little money, but had picked up only a smattering of English. A friend kept urging him to go to school. But his father's verdict, which so far had ruled his life, still had power over him; he firmly believed that it would be of no use, that he was not worth educating.

Instead he went to Sioux City, Iowa, and tried to find work there--factory work, a chance to tend bar in a saloon, a job of washing dishes in a restaurant. But nothing offered; he was forced to return to the farm. He had now reached another crossroads in his life; a flat alternative faced him--farming or schooling. As the lesser of two evils, he entered Augustana College, a grammar or preparatory school in Canton, South Dakota, in the fall of At that time he was twenty-three years old. Once at school, the fierce desire for knowledge, so long restrained, took him by storm.

In a short while he discovered the cruel wrong that had been done him. His mind was mature and receptive; he was able to learn with amazing ease; in general reading, in grasp of life and strength of purpose, he was far in advance of his fellow students. He graduated from Augustana in the spring of ; that fall he entered St. Olaf College, with forty dollars in his pocket. In four years he had worked his way through St. Olaf, graduating with honours in , at the age of twenty-eight. On the promise of a faculty position at his alma mater, he borrowed five hundred dollars and sent himself for a year to the University of Oslo in Norway. Returning from this post-graduate work in , he took up his teaching at St.

Olaf College, where he has been ever since. Professor R�lvaag now occupies the chair of Norwegian literature at that institution. I have mentioned the Amerika-Breve, published in There is an earlier work, still in manuscript--a novel written during his senior year at St. Olaf College. In all, R�lvaag has published six novels, two readers for class use, a couple of handbooks on Norwegian grammar and declamation, and one volume of essays. In appeared his second book, Paa Glemte Veie The Forgotten Path , a relatively unimportant product. Then came the war, which threw consternation into all creative work.

R�lvaag walked the hills of southern Minnesota, his mind a blank, facing the downfall of civilization, seeing the death of those fine, things of life which he had striven so hard to attain. It was during the war period that he compiled his readers and handbooks, for the publishing board of the Norwegian-American Lutheran Church. He had married in In a tragedy occurred in his family--one of his children was drowned under terrible circumstances. This seems to have shaken him out of the war inertia and stirred his creative life again.

That year he wrote and published his first strong novel, To Tullinger Two Fools , the story of a rough, uncultivated couple, incapable of refinement, who gain success in America and develop the hoarding instinct to a fantastic degree. This book, too, made a sensation among Norwegian-Americans. Then, in , came Laengselens Baat The Ship of Longing , which seems to have been R�lvaag's most introspective and poetical effort up to the present time. It is the study of a sensitive, artistic youth who comes to America from Norway full of dreams and ideals, expecting to find all that his soul longs for; he does not find it, with the result that his life goes down in disaster.

Needless to say, this book was not popular with his Norwegian-American audience. The truth-teller of To Tullinger was now going a little too far. All of these works were written and published in Norwegian. They were brought out under the imprint of the Augsburg Publishing House, of Minneapolis, and circulated only among those Norwegian-Americans who had retained the language of the old country. The reason why none of them had reached publication in Norway is characteristic. In the manuscript of Amerika-Breve had been submitted to Norwegian publishers. They had returned a favourable and even enthusiastic opinion, but had insisted on certain changes in the text.

These changes R�lvaag had refused to concede, feeling that they marred the artistic unity of his work. In anger and disappointment, he had at once published with the local house; and with each successive volume the feeling of artistic umbrage had persisted--it had not seemed worth while to try to reach the larger field. But in the spring of , an item appeared in the Norwegian press to the effect that the great novelist Johan Bojer was about to visit the United States, for the purpose of collecting material on the Norwegian-American immigration. He proposed to write an epic novel on the movement. This news excited R�lvaag tremendously; he felt that the inner truth of the Norwegian-American immigration could be written only by one who had experienced the transplanting of life, who shared the psychology of the settlers.

His artistic ambition was up in arms; this was his own field. He immediately obtained a year's leave of absence from St. Olaf College, and set to work. The first few sections of Giants in the Earth were written in a cabin in the north woods of Minnesota. Then he felt the need of visiting South Dakota again, to gather fresh material. In midwinter of that year he went abroad, locating temporarily in a cheap immigrant hotel in London, where he worked on the novel steadily. When spring opened in , he went to Norway. There he met Bojer, visiting him at his country home. Bojer was delighted to learn that R�lvaag, of whom he had heard a great deal, was also working on a novel of the Norwegian-American settlement; the two men exchanged ideas generously.

The answer showed him that Bojer saw it from the viewpoint of Norway, not of America; to him it was mainly a problem of emigration. This greatly relieved R�lvaag's mind, for there was no real conflict; he set to work with renewed energy, and soon finished the first book of Giants in the Earth. In the meanwhile it had been placed with Norwegian publishers--the same firm, by the way, which had lost Amerika-Breve twelve years before. It appeared in the latter part of , under the title I De Dage In Those Days , a month in advance of Bojer's Vor Egen Stamme Our Own Tribe , better known to us by its English title of The Emigrants. A year later the second book of the present volume was brought out, under the title Riket Grundlaegges Founding the Kingdom. In Norway these two books have run through many editions; they have been hailed on every hand as something new in Norwegian literature.

Swedish and Finnish editions will be published in Arrangements are being made for a German translation, and the book will probably be off the press in Germany soon after it has appeared in the United States. R�lvaag's vigorous, idiomatic style which, incidentally, has been the despair of those who have worked over the English translation is an outstanding topic of recent Scandinavian criticism. The eminent Danish critic, J�rgen Bukdahl, for instance, in his latest work, Det Skjulte Norge The Latent Norway , devotes a whole chapter to R�lvaag and his novels of pioneering in South Dakota. A new name has been added to the literary firmament of Norway. Does R�lvaag's work belong legitimately to Norwegian or to American literature? The problem has unusual and interesting features. The volume before us deals with American life, and with one of the most characteristically American episodes in our history.

It opens on the western plains; its material is altogether American. Yet it was written in Norwegian, and gained its first recognition in Norway. Whatever we may decide, it has already become a part of Norwegian literature. R�lvaag's art seems mainly European; R�lvaag himself, as I have said, is typically American. His life and future are bound up in the New World; yet he will continue to write in a foreign language. Had he been born in America, would his art have been the same? It seems unlikely. On the other hand, had he remained in Norway--had he accepted the boat that fine, clear day in Nordland--how would his art have fared? But such speculation, after all, is merely idle; these things do not matter. It has not yet been determined, even, what America is, or whether she herself is strictly American. And any sincere art is international. Given the artist, our chief interest lies in trying to fathom the sources of his art, and to recognize its sustaining impulses.

What were the forces which have now projected into American letters a realist of the first quality writing in a foreign language a new tale of the founding of America? It is obvious that these forces must have been highly complex and that they will continue to be so throughout his working life; but beyond that we cannot safely go. The rest is a matter of opinion. When I have asked R�lvaag the simple question, Did Norway or America teach you to write? he has invariably thrown up his hands. The same speculation, in different measure, applies to a considerable quantity of Norwegian-American literary production which as yet our criticism knows nothing about. The Norwegians are a book-loving people; no set of adverse conditions can for long restrain them from expressing themselves in literary form.

Here in the Northwest, during the last thirty or forty years, they have built up a distinctive literature, written and published in the Norwegian language, but concerned wholly with American life. Until quite recently, in fact, the region supported a Norwegian fiction magazine. There are the five substantial novels of Simon Johnson, for instance, with many short stories by the same author. There are the romantic novels of H. Foss; and the poetry, short stories, novels, and travelogues of Peer Str�mme. There are the polemical and poetical works of O. Buslett, obscure and fantastic. There are the three novels and four collections of short stories by the able writer, Waldemar Ager.

There is the lyric poetry of Julius B. Baumann and O. Sneve, the collected works of both of whom have now been brought out. There are the amazing Biblical dramas of the farmer-poet Jon Norstog--huge tomes with the titles of Moses, and Israel, and Saul, set up by his own hand and published from his own printing press, in a shanty on the prairies of North Dakota--works that reveal the flash of genius now and then, as I am told. Do all these serious efforts belong to Norwegian or to American literature? Their day is nearly done; the present generation of Norse stock has another native language. But it would be of value to have some of this early Norwegian-American product translated into English, to enrich our literature by a pure stream flowing out of the American environment--a stream which, for the general public, lies frozen in the ice of a foreign tongue. Bright, clear sky over a plain so wide that the rim of the heavens cut down on it around the entire horizon.

Bright, clear sky, to-day, to-morrow, and for all time to come. And sun! And still more sun! It set the heavens afire every morning; it grew with the day to quivering golden light--then softened into all the shades of red and purple as evening fell. Pure colour everywhere. A gust of wind, sweeping across the plain, threw into life waves of yellow and blue and green. Now and then a dead black wave would race over the scene. a cloud's gliding shadow. now and then. It was late afternoon. A small caravan was pushing its way through the tall grass. The track that it left behind was like the wake of a boat--except that instead of widening out astern it closed in again. Never had it said anything else--never would it say anything else. It bent resiliently under the trampling feet; it did not break, but it complained aloud every time--for nothing like this had ever happened to it before. A stocky, broad-shouldered man walked at the head of the caravan. He seemed shorter than he really was, because of the tall grass around him and the broad-brimmed hat of coarse straw which he wore.

A few steps behind him followed a boy of about nine years of age. The boy's blond hair was clearly marked against his brown, sunburnt neck; but the man's hair and neck were of exactly the same shade of brown. From the looks of these two, and still more from their gait, it was easy to guess that here walked father and son. Behind them a team of oxen jogged along; the oxen were drawing a vehicle which once upon a time might have been a wagon, but which now, on account of its many and grave infirmities, ought long since to have been consigned to the scrap heap--exactly the place, in point of fact, where the man had picked it up. Over the wagon box long willow saplings had been bent, in the form of arches in a church chancel--six of them in all.

On these arches, and tied down to the body on each side, were spread first of all two handwoven blankets, that might well have adorned the walls of some manor house in the olden times; on top of the blankets were thrown two sheepskin robes, with the wool side down, which were used for bed-coverings at night. The rear of the wagon was stowed full of numberless articles, all the way up to the top. A large immigrant chest at the bottom of the pile, very long and high, devoured a big share of the space; around and above it were piled household utensils, tools, implements, and all their clothing.

Hitched to this wagon and trailing behind was another vehicle, homemade and very curious-looking, so solidly and quaintly constructed that it might easily have won a place in any museum. Indeed, it appeared strong enough to stand all the jolting from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It, too, was a wagon, after a fashion; at least, it had been intended for such. The wheels were made from pieces of plank fitting roughly together; the box, considerably wider than that of the first wagon, was also loaded full of provisions and household gear, covered over with canvas and lashed down securely.

Both wagons creaked and groaned loudly every time they bounced over a tussock or hove out of a hollow. The strident sound broke the silence of centuries. A short distance behind the wagons followed a brindle cow. The caravan moved so slowly that she occasionally had time to stop and snatch a few mouthfuls, though there was never a chance for many at a time. But what little she got in this way she sorely needed. She had been jogging along all day, swinging and switching her tail, the rudder of the caravan. Soon it would be night, and then her part of the work would come--to furnish milk for the evening porridge, for all the company up ahead.

Across the front end of the box of the first wagon lay a rough piece of plank. On the right side of this plank sat a woman with a white kerchief over her head, driving the oxen. Against her thigh rested the blond head of a little girl, who was stretched out on the plank and sleeping sweetly. Now and then the hand of the mother moved across the child's face to chase away the mosquitoes, which had begun to gather as the sun lowered. On the left side of the plank, beyond the girl, sat a boy about seven years old--a well-grown lad, his skin deeply tanned, a certain clever, watchful gleam in his eyes. With hands folded over one knee, he looked straight ahead. This was the caravan of Per Hansa, who with his family and all his earthly possessions was moving west from Fillmore County, Minnesota, to Dakota Territory.

There he intended to take up land and build himself a home; he was going to do something remarkable out there, which should become known far and wide. No lack of opportunity in that country, he had been told! Per Hansa himself strode ahead and laid out the course; the boy Ole, or Olamand, followed closely after, and explored it. Beret, the wife, drove the oxen and took care of little Anna Marie, pet-named And-Ongen which means "The Duckling" , who was usually bubbling over with happiness. Hans Kristian, whose everyday name was Store-Hans meaning "Big Hans," to distinguish him from his godfather, who was also named Hans, but who, of course, was three times his size , sat there on the wagon, and saw to it that everyone attended to business. The cow Rosie trailed behind, swinging and switching her tail, following the caravan farther and farther yet into the endless vista of the plain. The caravan seemed a miserably frail and Lilliputian thing as it crept over the boundless prairie toward the sky line.

Of road or trail there lay not a trace ahead; as soon as the grass had straightened up again behind, no one could have told the direction from which it had come or whither it was bound. The whole train--Per Hansa with his wife and children, the oxen, the wagons, the cow, and all--might just as well have dropped down out of the sky. Nor was it at all impossible to imagine that they were trying to get back there again; their course was always the same--straight toward the west, straight toward the sky line. Poverty-stricken, unspeakably forlorn, the caravan creaked along, advancing at a snail's pace, deeper and deeper into a bluish-green infinity--on and on, and always farther on.

It steered for Sunset Land! For more than three weeks now, and well into the fourth, this caravan had been crawling across the plain. Early in the journey it had passed through Blue Earth; it had left Chain Lakes behind; and one fine day it had crept into Jackson, on the Des Moines River. But that seemed ages ago. From Jackson, after a short lay-up, it had pushed on westward--always westward--to Worthington, then to Rock River. A little west of Rock River, Per Hansa had lost the trail completely. Since then he had not been able to find it again; at this moment he literally did not know where he was, nor how to get to the place he had to reach. But Split Rock Creek must lie out there somewhere in the sun; if he could only find that landmark, he could pick his way still farther without much trouble.

Strange that he hadn't reached Split Rock Creek before this time! According to his directions, he should have been there two or three days ago; but he hadn't seen anything that even looked like the place. Oh, my God! If something didn't turn up soon! My God! The wagons creaked and groaned. Per Hansa's eyes wandered over the plain. His bearded face swung constantly from side to side as he examined every inch of ground from the northeast to the southwest. At times he gave his whole attention to that part of the plain lying between him and the western sky line; with head bent forward and eyes fixed and searching, he would sniff the air, like an animal trying to find the scent.

Every now and then he glanced at an old silver watch which he carried in his left hand; but his gaze would quickly wander off again, to take up its fruitless search of the empty horizon. It was now nearing six o'clock. Since three in the afternoon he had been certain of his course; at that time he had taken his bearings by means of his watch and the sun. Out here one had to get one's cross-bearings from the very day itself--then trust to luck. For a long while the little company had been silent. Per Hansa turned halfway around, and without slackening his pace spoke to the boy walking behind. You must talk to mother, too, so that it won't be so lonesome for her. And be sure to keep as sharp a lookout as you can. Maybe you're not, but I can feel it beginning to tell on me. We'll have to start cooking the porridge pretty soon. You go back, and hold her on the sun for a while longer. They've got too long a start on us.

Look sharp, now! If you happen to see anything suspicious, sing out! Per Hansa glanced again at his watch, turned forward, and strode steadily onward. Ole said no more; he stepped out of the track and stood there waiting till the train came up. Then Store-Hans jumped down nimbly, while the other climbed up and took his seat. beyond the end of the world! Store-Hans, who was still walking beside the wagon, heard what she said and looked up at her. The buoyancy of childhood shone in his brown face. Too bad that mother should be so scared! The sun is a sure guide, you know! These were the very words which he had heard his father use the night before; now he repeated them. To Store-Hans the truth of them seemed as clear as the sun itself; in the first place, because dad had said it, and then because it sounded so reasonable.

The two walked on side by side. Now and then the boy stole a glance at the face beside him, which was as stern and fixed as the prairie on which they were walking. He was anxious to talk, but couldn't find anything to say that sounded grown-up enough; and so he kept quiet. At last, however, the silence grew too heavy for him to bear. He tried to say indifferently, just like his father:. and put up some posts for people to follow. Don't you think that'll be a good idea? I might find time to help you an hour or two, now and then. The boy knew by his father's voice that he was in a talkative mood. This made him so glad, that he forgot himself and did something that his mother always objected to; he began to whistle, and tried to take just as long strides as his father.

But he could only make the grass say: "Swish-sh, swish-sh! The mother had taken little Anna up in her lap and was now leaning backward as much as she could; it gave such relief to her tired muscles. The caresses of the child and her lively chatter made her forget for a moment care and anxiety, and that vague sense of the unknown which bore in on them so strongly from all directions. Ole sat there and drove like a full-grown man; by some means or other he managed to get more speed out of the oxen than the mother had done--she noticed this herself. His eyes were searching the prairie far and near. Out on the sky line the huge plain now began to swell and rise, almost as if an abscess were forming under the skin of the earth. Although this elevation lay somewhat out of his course, Per Hansa swung over and held straight toward the highest part of it. The afternoon breeze lulled, and finally dropped off altogether. The sun, whose golden lustre had faded imperceptibly into a reddish hue, shone now with a dull light, yet strong and clear; in a short while, deeper tones of violet began to creep across the red.

The great ball grew enormous; it retreated farther and farther into the empty reaches of the western sky; then it sank suddenly. The spell of evening quickly crowded in and laid hold of them all; the oxen wagged their ears; Rosie lifted her voice in a long moo, which died out slowly in the great stillness. At the moment when the sun closed his eye, the vastness of the plain seemed to rise up on every hand--and suddenly the landscape had grown desolate; something bleak and cold had come into the silence, filling it with terror. Behind them, along the way they had come, the plain lay dark green and lifeless, under the gathering shadow of the dim, purple sky. Ole sat motionless at his mother's side. The falling of evening had made such a deep impression on him that his throat felt dry; he wanted to express some of the emotions that overwhelmed him, but only choked when he tried.

Low down in the northwest, above the little hill, a few fleecy clouds hovered, betokening fair weather; now they were fringed with shining gold, which glowed with a mellow light. As if they had no weight, they floated lightly there. The mother drew herself forward to an upright position. She still held the child in her lap. Per Hansa and Store-Hans were walking in the dusk far up ahead. For the last two days Per had kept well in advance of the caravan all the time; she thought she knew the reason why. She shifted the child over into the other arm and began to weep silently. Ole saw it, but pretended not to notice, though he had to swallow big lumps that were forcing themselves up in his throat; he kept his eyes resolutely fixed on the scene ahead.

There's supposed to be a creek around here, by the name of Split Rock Creek, or whatever they call it in English. The sombre blue haze was now closing rapidly in on the caravan. One sensed the night near at hand; it breathed a chill as it came. At last Per Hansa halted. We and the animals would both drop pretty soon. The preparations for the night were soon made; each had his own task and was now well used to it. Store-Hans brought the wood; it lay strapped under the hind wagon and consisted of small logs and dry branches from the last thicket they had passed. Ole got the fireplace ready. From the last wagon he brought out two iron rods, cleft in one end; these he drove into the ground and then went back to the wagon for a third rod, which he laid across the other two.

It was also his duty to see that there was water enough in the keg, no matter where they happened to stop; for the rest of it, he was on hand to help his mother. The father tended to the cattle. First he lifted the yoke off the oxen and turned them loose; then he milked Rosie and let her go also. After that he made up a bed for the whole family under the wagon. While the mother waited for the pot to boil she set the table. She spread a home-woven blanket on the ground, laid a spoon for each one on it, placed a couple of bowls for the milk, and fetched the dishes for the porridge. Meanwhile she had to keep an eye on And-Ongen, who was toddling about in the grass near by. The child stumbled, laughed, lay there a moment chattering to herself, then got up, only to trip on her skirt and tumble headlong again.

Her prattling laughter rang on the evening air. Now and then the voice of the mother would mingle with it, warning the child not to stray too far. Store-Hans was the first to get through with his task; he stood around awhile, but, finding nothing more to do, he strolled off westward. He was itching to know how far it was to the hill out there; it would be great fun to see what things looked like on the other side! Now he started off in that direction. Perhaps he might come across the others? They surely must be somewhere. Just think, if he could only find them! He would yell and rush in on them like an Indian--and then they would be scared out of their senses!

He had gone quite far before he paused to look back. When he did so the sight sent a shiver over him; the wagons had shrunk to two small specks, away off on the floor of a huge, dusky room. I'd better hurry at once, he thought; mother will surely have the porridge ready by this time! His legs had already adopted the idea of their own accord. But thoughts of his mother and the porridge didn't quite bring him all the feeling of safety he needed; he hunted through his mind for a few strains of a hymn, and sang them over and over in a high-pitched, breaking voice, until he had no more breath left to sing with. He didn't feel entirely safe until the wagons had begun to assume their natural size once more.

The mother called to them that supper was ready. On the blanket stood two dishes of porridge--a large dish for the father and the two boys, a smaller one for the mother and And-Ongen. The evening milk was divided between two bowls, and set before them; Rosie, poor thing, was not giving much these days!

This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA. Home current Explore. Home Cloud Giants Bargain Cloud Giants Bargain Uploaded by: Alex. Lourinha 0 0 October PDF Bookmark Embed Share Print Download. Words: 20, Pages: CLOUD GIANT'S BARGAIN. The renowned adventuring company Acquisitions Inc. hires you to infiltrate a castlebut not just any castle. This is a flying fortress built by the cloud giant Count Stratovan, who is currently preparing to destroy the Sword Coast. Your mission is to meet with his son, who claims to want to prevent the war and establish peace between the giants and the small folk. If you can learn whether the son can be trusted, discover the secrets of the castle, and well, survive, you too can earn acclaim with Acquisitions Inc.!

A 4-hour adventure for Sth - 7th level characters and legal for Dt!? D Adventurers League· play In Association with Acquisitions Inc. Wourds of the Coast, Forgotten R. the dragon ampersand, Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Masters G. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile Bo6chat ~1. This seems like it might be an unexpected avenue of attack, and they are engaged with other opponents Can I sneak attack with the chandelier? This adventure is meant to be easy to run, providing guidance to assist new Dungeon Masters. The adventure is set in a cloud giant's castle and in the city of Neverwinter, over which the castle flies. Neverwinter is in the Sword Coast, a tumultuous land located in the northwest of FaerOn in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Characters have the opportunity to become interns for the legendary adventuring company Acquisitions Inc.

as they eliminate a dangerous threat to the Sword Coast! As they adventure, players track their characters' experience, treasure, and other rewards, and can take those characters through other adventures that will continue their story. For valid play, a player must have a character who has advanced to 5th-7th level through previous Adventurers League play. PREPARING THE ADVENTURE Before you show up to run this adventure for a group of players, you should do the following to prepare: Make sure to have a copy of the most current version of the Dl! J'D Basic Rules available for free at dnd. com or the Player's Handbook. Read through the adventure, taking notes of anything you'd like to highlight or remind yourself of while running the adventure, such as a way you'd like to portray an NPC nonplayer character or a tactic you'd like to use in combat.

Review the list of NPCs found in appendix B. Get familiar with the monster statistics in appendix C. Gather together any resources you'd like to use to aid you in running this adventure, such as notecards, a DM screen, miniatures, battle maps, and so forth. BEFORE PLAY AT THE TABLE Ask the players to provide you with relevant character information: C: l. OU D O l ANT"S BARGAIN OM TIP: NAME TENTS Create a name tent by taking a note card or similar piece of cardstoclc and folding it in half. Open the fold to a right angle, so that it forms a display tent when the edges are placed on the table. Give one to each player and have them write their character's name, race, and class on each outer side of the tent.

This will allow you and the other players to remember character names and important details. Whenever possible, refer to players by their character names. ADJUSTING THE ADVENTURE As you run the adventure, always feel free to make adjustments for smaller or larger groups and for characters of higher or lower levels than the adventure is optimized for. This is typically used mostly for combat encounters. You can also adjust the adventure depending on the players' needs. For example, if you're playing with a group of inexperienced players, you might want to make the adventure a little easier; for very experienced players, you might want to make it a little harder. Five categories of party strength have been created for you to use as a guideline. Feel free to use a different adjustment during the adventure if the recommended party strength feels off for the group.

This adventure is optimized for a party of five 6th-level characters. You've now determined the average party level APL for the adventure. To figure out the party strength for the adventure, consult the following table. For other party strengths, you can adjust encounters by increasing or decreasing the number of monsters or by adjusting the DCs of ability checks. RUNNING THE ADVENTURE As the Dungeon Master of the session, you have the most important role in facilitating the enjoyment of the game for the players. You help guide the narrative and bring the words on these pages to life. The outcome of a fun game session often creates stories that live well beyond the play at the table. Just remember: players need OMs to play. What you are doing is valuable and coveted. You don't need a perfect understanding of the rules or to have Chris Perkins' improvisational skills for players to have a great time. When in doubt, make decisions that you think the players will enjoy.

The more often you run games as a OM, the easier it gets! The only cost paid for the spell is the base price for the consumed material component, if any see the spell details. The rules below help you play out such scenarios, and are required for Adventurers League Play. Spell services generally available include healing and recovery spells, as well as information-gathering spells. Other spell services might be available as specified in the adventure. The number of spells available to be cast as a service is limited to a m aximum of three p er day total, unless otherwise noted. Acquisitions Inc. Acquisitions Incorporated: The Series further details their antics.

In the PAX West live play game, the heroes of Acquisitions Inc. battled against the cloud giant Count Stratovan, who had claimed a powerful artifact the Rod of Seven Parts with the intent of destroying the folk of the Sword Coast. In this adventure, the players are hired to deal with a threat directly related to the PAX live play event, as well as to Storm King's Thunder, a published adventure in which giants rise up against the civilized lands of the Sword Coast. The material in Storm King's Thunder is helpful, but not required to run this adventure. CLOUD GIANT'S BARGAIN A CHALLENGE FOR INTERNS! just prior to the live play battle, the cloud giant Count Stratovan who Acquisitions Inc.

faced ordered his son to put his flying cloud castle into position over the city of Neverwinter, where it would eventually become the staging ground for a cloud giant attack. However, Count Stratovan's son Olthanas is not evil, and he has long held the small folk of Faerun in high esteem. Distraught, Olthanas shared his desire to avoid war with Balakar, the majordomo who raised him. The majordomo has promised Olthanas that she knows exactly what to do. Contacting adventurers on her master's behalf, she promises to arrange a meeting-but Olthanas has no idea that Balakar is setting a trap. The majordomo nurtures a deep hatred of the small folk, and hopes that exposing Olthanas's subterfuge before arranging his death will prompt the count to reward her.

Balakar's message reaches Acquisitions Inc. In this time of dire need, they hire the first interns they can find and hope for the best. Now the characters get to find out if they have what it takes to succeed! OVERVIEW The adventure begins with the characters in the city of Neverwinter. A tavernkeeper tells them about a possible adventuring job, sending them to meet their new employer in a dark alley. An ambush awaits the adventurers, but it has been arranged by Bambra Gallagher, an employee of Acquisitions Inc. In both this and later challenges, the characters can impress Bambra, gaining titles and elevating their rank within Acquisitions Inc.

Bambra provides the characters with a talking skull named Tulahk, who assesses their performance throughout the adventure and reports telepathically to Bambra. Bambra shares the mission's details with the adventurers, which involves them sneaking into Olthanas's cloud castle, verifying that he is not evil, then negotiating the cloud giant's bargain. The party is provided with two choices for approaching and entering the castle. The Cloud Castle. Either route into the cloud castle allows the characters to explore. The cloud castle is composed of three islands joined by bridges: the Island of Contemplation, the Towers of Hospitality, and the Towers ofjudgment.

While braving the castle's dangers, the characters can learn important information about Olthanas, Balakar the majordomo, and Count Stratovan. When at last the characters reach Olthanas, they find him with Balakar-just in time for the majordomo to spring her trap. If the characters have explored carefully, they might anticipate the trap, thwart Balakar's plan, and gain a powerful ally. Successful heroes will also gain renown and titles with Acquisitions Inc.! To do so, have Olthanas tell the characters about the Eye of the All-Father and the frost giant Harshnag. The characters can encounter Harshnag as they travel to the temple, continuing the adventure from that point. ADVENTURE HOOK The adventure begins on a cold and overcast day in Neverwinter. When the players are ready, read or paraphrase the following.

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Download & View Cloud Giants Bargain as PDF for free. More details. Words: 20,; Pages: 34; Preview; Full text; -Patrick Rothfuss, playing the character Viari The Cloud Giant's Download Cloud Giants Bargain. Type: PDF. Date: October Size: MB. Author: blogger.comha. This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the 20/09/ · It’s a thing now. As a bonus to watching Chris Perkins at work (ridiculous dragon costume and all), we were gifted a copy of Cloud Giant’s Bargain which: Is touted as a 4 This is a flying fortress built by the cloud giant Count Stratovan, who is currently preparing to destroy the Sword Coast. Your mission is to meet with his son, who claims to want to prevent Cloud Giant's Bargain is an adventure module set in the Forgotten Realms using the Dungeons & Dragons 5 th edition ruleset. It was exclusively given out for free at Fathom event for PAX Cloud giants bargain pdf download. Raw characters with no class levels wash up on the lost island of the pirate Sea King. They advance to first level and beyond. A successful DC 12 ... read more

The preparations for the night were soon made; each had his own task and was now well used to it. If the goblins end up fleeing from the party, have them periodically appear in later encounters, perhaps hiding poorly under furniture or suddenly running wildly across a room. Unless the characters come up with interesting ways to use these items, they are of no value. The fi rst goblin to spot you screams out a warning, in re action to which the entire kitchen breaks into sudden chaos. At your discretion, they might also surrender if overwhelmed.

But nothing offered; he was forced to return to the farm. Size: Rosie lay closer to the wagons; his eyes had passed over her at first, a dark spot in the vague, cloud giants bargain pdf download, deceptive light. Strangely enough, it did not frighten her; it only showed her more plainly, in a stronger, harsher light, how unspeakably lonesome this place was. Don't mind Kjersti and me being around.