Summary
Research
After rescueing King Hekaton, the part is teleported to Neverwinter. They contact the Harpers and begin to research the papers they grabbed from the Morkoth. Skamos takes the squid cult's unholy book to Thor's temple, but they want to destroy it immediately. Skamos returns it to the Harpers and a mage translates it for their study. The charts and logs and diary are analyzed, apparently the Morkoth was simply sailing aimlessly at sea to serve as a mobile prison for the storm giant king. They did not visit any unknown or possibly secret bases. Skamos and Sir Conlan question Daggerdark's corpse with Speak with Dead but the captain's spirit little useful information. Astrid takes the body for disposal and burns it with multiple fire spells.
They take the loot from the ship and sell the spell book and set of fine daggers, then go shopping for magic items. Once rested and equipped, the party uses the Conch of Teleportation to return to the Storm Giants' Court.
A Royal Request
The party arrives and is met by a friendly storm giant guard. The party is taken to see the court and discuss their recent findings. The king has a request for them. He has decided to personally confront the dragon Imryth and recover the control key to the storm giants' magic throne. He asks the party to accompany him. Since the dragon is quite powerful, the party will be given extra training by his people and he will provide each of them with a Potion of Giant Size, which will cause them and their carried equipment to grow to storm giant size, the potion lasts for 24 hours. In addition, he will provide transportation to the dragon's lair in the desert east of Ascore, an abandoned dwarven city. Sir Conlan explains about the dragon cultists that have been assisting them, but King Hekaton does not want them or their master, the red dragon Klauth, involved. The party agrees. The storm giant gives them Potions of Water Breathing, then takes them through an underwater tunnel to a large area where they meet a group of whales who tow them through the water to an island where the rocs nest. They board the rocs and fly east, passing over Neverwinter and heading inland. They finally come to the desert and land a distance from Imryth's lair which is under an old amphitheater. A thunderstorm hovers in place over the ruins, shrouding the desert. Valfir, Alaric and Erza scout ahead while Astrid relays messages. The amphitheater is old and sand choked with a large hole in the center, presumably the entrance to the dragon's lair. There are two trebuchets in the stands and 23 statues. But many if not all of the statues are gargoyles. There is also a small camp of three tents nearby, tracks from the camp enter a set of stairs leading underground. But the tracks are snakelike, maybe some kind of creatures like Nagas? Alaric and Erza move under his Pass without a Trace spell and try to disable the trebuchets. Valfir scouts around and causes a sinkhole to open in the sand, exposing an opening into the caverns beneath. He sees something snakelike moving within, but purplish, not blue. Trying to link up, Alaric and Erza find another sinkhole and end up in the catacombs underneath. Valfir is able to get to them and pull them out with a rope. The party also spots a giant skulking outside the ruins, when Valfir approaches, it is Harshnag! Valfir contacts him, then brings everyone back to confer and plan the attack.
Round One… Fight!
They decide they need more information. Valfir turns invisible and Alaric casts Beast Sense on Snowflake, their Tressym. The scouts move into the catacombs and find the large chamber under the hole in the middle of the ampitheater. A large passage leads to another chamber, inside are a group of yuan-ti standing around a pit in front of a snake head idol. They are chanting and as they complete their prayer, one of the yuan-ti jumps in the pit. Valfir retreats and the party decides to move in and wipe out the yuan-ti before finding the dragon. Alaric uses Primeval Sense and can feel the presence of the dragon, undead and demon creatures. With Hekaton and Harshnag in the lead, they attack, Astrid lights the room with Fireball. The party opens up with spells and missile weapons and the giants charge in. But when the yuan-ti have been halfway defeated, the sand pile in the corner shakes and Imryth emerges! Her fear aura strikes many of the party, hampering their actions. Sir Conlan is immune and uses the Magma Ring to summon magma mephits, but they are weak against the dragon, so he turns them on the surviving yuan-ti. Alaric and Erza are sneaking around the perimeter to get in position behind the dragon. Astrid uses Fireball again and then Shatter. The dragon knocks down part of the ceiling, burying Skamos and Sir Conlan, who have to dig themselves out. The giants and Talik attack the dragon while Skamos and Sir Conlan cure some the fear afflicted. Tired of spells, Imryth uses lightning breath on Skamos and Astrid. Valfir Shadow Steps behind the dragon and starts striking and dodging. Astrid sets a Wall of Fire on the dragon. Alaric finishes the last yuan-ti, then attacks the dragon. Erza climbs the dragon's back to back stab her. Skamos heals Astrid, then hands her the Potion of Superior Healing. The battle is finally heading in the party's favor as the giants, Talik and Valfir batter her from all sides. Sir Conlan delivers a massive blow with a combined Blinding Smite and Divine Smite. But before the party can finish her, she Teleports away. The party regroups and and Alaric again uses Primeval Sense, the dragon is still nearby.
Round Two… REMATCH
Valfir casts Locate Object to look for key to the storm giants' throne and gets a distsnce and bearing, it is not far away at all. Checking around the chamber in that direction, there is an archway almost completely blocked by a pile of sand. Valfir turns invisible and climbs over the pile to scout. The next room is a large chamber, he spots the remains of some walls and a pile of gold coins. He approaches and four air elementals form up into whirlwinds and lift up the coins. Astrid is checking him with Message, he asks for help. Valfir casts an illusion to distract the air elementals. Astrid casts Animate Object and the yuan-ti's weapons rise into the air and follow her.
The party and the giants rush over the hill of sand and join the attack. Valfir spots the key for the throe in one of the elemental's whirlwind. As the giants and the rest of the adventurers attack, a sarcophagus rises from the sand and a mummy steps forth. Skamos turns her immediately and she retreats. They party slays the elementals and Alaric grabs the control key. But Imryth emerges from a tunnel to one side and lets a blast of lightning rip through the party. Astrid is knocked unconscious and Hekaton ignores the attack. Alaric and Erza take cover behind the wall and shoot missiles at the dragon. Sir Conlan dashes through to heal Astrid, then charges the dragon. Valfir does Shadow Step to flank the dragon, Hekaton strikes her with his sword, Erza tosses her Golden Lion figurine and it leaps on the dragon. Sir Conlan comes up on one side and strikes the dragon with a Thunderous Smite and finishes her.
The mummy is still active, but moving away, the party lines up and lets loose a volley of arrows and spells and slays her. Skamos says they must find her enchanted heart and destroy it, Alaric finds it in a jar in her coffin and destroys it with his frost breath. The party searches the room and retrieves the dragon's gold and the mummy's magic items and jewelry. Sir Conlan searches about with Detect Magic and they unearth another coffin and loot it. Astrid uses her Bag of Tricks to summon a tiger and an ape to help them dig. They explore the dragon's tunnel to her burrow and find a pit of purple worms. With the treasure gathered, they return to the surface. Harshnag bids them farewell and they return to the storm giants' court. Hekaton holds a grand feast for them in celebration, Alaric and Astrid find a few willing giantesses for romance before the giant size potion wears off.
Epilogue
There is still much unrest in the giant society, the Ordnung is still in disarray. Perhaps the party can continue to aid the giants. Slarkrethel still plots beneath the seas and there is still one letter from Nightstone to deliver to Bryn Shandar.
Silly Quotes and Smart Remarks
Discussing cosplay and how many people would get a "Father Guido Sarducci" Star Wars mashup costume of Father Greedo Sarducci
Kevin "Sixteen year olds only pay attention to anime costumes"
Lee "And big boobs"
Kevin "That's pretty much the same"
Lee "There's a lot of overlap of those circles"
Everyone got the same mental picture and started to laugh
Lee "I didn't mean it that way"
Discussing hunting down the kraken "god" Slarkrethel
Kevin "I don't believe in squid gods"
Chmiel "Squids should be eaten, not worshipped"
Jim "We'll be serving calamari for a long time"
Trying to read the squid worshippers' unholy book
Kevin, to Chmiel "If you turn undead, I will dispatch you"
Shopping at the magic store
Kevin "He's got a spear and magic helmet"
The dragon's lair is in the desert beyond the abandoned dwarven city Ascore
Chmiel "Ass Corp?"
Lee "Bang Bus 19: Ass Corp"
Jim can't remember the name of the red dragon the cultists follow
Michael "The metagaming pigeon flies by <squawking> 'Klauth, Klauth' "
The party is given Potions of Giant Size
Jim "I have a vision of each of us trying to drink a keg"
Describing the potions
Lee "It lasts for 24 hours…" Starts to snicker
Jim "Is it blue?"
Trying to decide if the party would sneak in or just charge into a frontal assault
Kevin "Is someone going to Leeroy Jenkins this up?
Lee "The king wants to"
Kevin "Hekaton Jenkins!"
Preparing for battle
Lee "Talik is sharpening his axe with his tongue"
Discussing the evil languages of Infernal versus Abyssal
Callum "One is Kanye <West> backwards, the other is the Beatles backwards"
Alaric uses Primeval Sense and detects a dragon, undead and elementals
Mike "We have a buffet of evil"
Alaric knocks a yuan-ti into the pit
Lee "This is Sparta!"
Astrid contacts Valfir with a Message spell and he says he's fighting elementals, needs help.
Mike "He's fine, he's eating kelp?" and so on…
Kevin rolls a 1 for initiative AGAIN
Lee "If this was Firefly, and your character had a complication, it would be narcolepsy"
The key to the storm giants' throne is whipping around inside the air elemental's whirlwind
Kevin "Grabbing the key sounds really dumb, so I want to see you do it"
Micheal has to leave early so Jim finished the battle with Valfir. When an elemental was slain and the coins began to rain down
Jim "Valfir opens the Bag of Holding to catch the gold"
Astrid fires a Firebolt at an air elemental and misses
Lee "You missed air…"
A song like a Gregorian chant comes on the background music
Kevin "There's a chorus singing our death song"
