Chapter 4: allies and adVersaries 125fire gi ant
Fire giant civilization’s heart is the city-state of Vulkanon,
built deep into the magma tunnels that run beneath the
heart of the Cliff keep Mountains. The fire giants seem
shorter than other highborn, but only because of their per-
petually stooped posture. They are masters of the forge,
and have been known to occasionally ally with the duer-
gar of the Emberhold to produce some of the finest arms
ever seen in Tal’Dorei. Vulkanite weapons are prized by
mercenaries across the continent, and are as much a status
symbol as they are an excellent weapon. The giants of
Vulkanon have long dreamed of empire, and their duergar
allies have given them a foothold in Tal’Dorei’s darkest
depths. They may be an excellent ally in the fight against
the aberrations lurking below.
froSt gi ant
Frost giants make their home in the Neverfields, the frozen
wasteland north of the Cliff keep Mountains. Though their
people are mostly nomadic reavers led by petty jarls, they
all swear fealty to High King Jorskymmar, who rules from
the fortress-city of Jotunborg. The frost giants are master
animal-tamers, and are known to raid human villages with
remorhazes, mammoths, and even white dragons at their
side. Frost giants are among the most pious of the high-
born, and most pray to the Wildmother for safety before
crossing the ice fields. Some giants who have suffered
near-death experiences, being trapped beneath an icy lake
or being smothered by an avalanche, clandestinely join one
of the cults of the Chained Oblivion, seeking solace in the
inevitability of eternal cold.
Stone gi ant
Stone giants live in fortresses carved from the peaks of
mountains. Their greatest stronghold is Skyanchor Cit-
adel, a city hidden within a mountain of the Alabaster
Sierras, its halls winding from its deepest roots to its high-
est summit. The stone giants view physical perfection to
be the greatest of all virtues, and are obsessed with both
physical appearance and feats of strength. Unlike the low-
born giantkin, who prize brute force over all else, the lithe
stone giants see all forms of physical power as worthy.
An quadrennial tournament of prowess called the Sky
Queen’s Favor is held in the coliseums atop Skyanchor,
and giants from across Tal’Dorei gather to compete in
tests of strength, agility, and endurance. Some champions
of the smaller races even join, and goliath competitors are
not an unusual sight at the Sky Queen’s Favor.
Stor m gi ant
Storm giants are the most mysterious of all the highborn.
Their flying city-state of Tempestar was destroyed by an
unknown force in times long past, and all the glories of
their realm were cast into the Lucidian Ocean, hundreds
of miles off the coast. The storm giants live solitary lives,
keeping no other giant for their neighbor, protecting only
themselves and their families. Centuries have passed since
Tempestar was the seat of the Council of Seven Scepters,
yet the reclusive storm giants are still considered part of the
highborn out of fear of their sorcerous power. The cloud
giant kings are particularly concerned with appeasing the
storm giants; if unified, the remnants of Tempestar could
conquer the flying city of Jovatthon with ease.the Cou nCil of Sev en SCepterS
The Council of Seven Scepters unifies the highborn, ruling from
the tallest spire of Jovatthon. One member of each giant civ-
ilization is sent as a representative to serve on the council and
keep the rulers of each city-state from causing chaos. Already
beset by enemies across Tal’Dorei, from the fast-breeding
humans to the vengeful lowborn, the last thing the highborn
desire is infighting. Two of the seven thrones have remained
empty for generations; Hillqueen Ovam’mura refused to
relinquish her scepter when her people were banished, and
the Scepter of Wodensdottr has gathered dust in the vaults
since Woden, demigod of the storm, abandoned the storm
giants after the fall of Tempestar.
Humans outsiders are often confused by the existence
of seven scepters for six giant civilizations. The answer is
laughably simple to any cultured giant; the cloud giants’
two kings each claim one of the scepters, and each claim a
seat on the council.Goblinkin
Scholars have often speculated why the three known races
of goblinkind are so wildly different from one another.
Why have goblins never formed an organized society
when the hobgoblin Iron Authority has ruled the southern
tip of the Rifenmist Peninsula for generations? Why are
bugbears covered with fur when their kin only have hair
on their head, and their bodies are otherwise disquietingly
smooth? Human, elven, and dwarven nations have warred
with the goblinkin throughout recorded history, and
their few attempts to send envoys to goblin enclaves have
always ended disastrously. Why?
Discovering the origin of goblinkind may be an excit-
ing campaign arc, and one that can synergize with a
campaign about the gods and the Age of Arcanum. In
that time, the goblins lived far from Vasselheim, the
Cradle of Creation. They resided on the other side of the
world, in the land known today as Wildemount. There
were no goblins, hobgoblins, or bugbears then: were all
one people; a strong, cunning, and multitudinous race
known as the Dranassar.
When the Betrayer Gods were freed from their planar
prison, the divine Strife Emperor revealed himself to the
Dranassar, and they were enthralled by his fell power.
Many of the Dranassar followed him willingly, and
their great kingdom of Ghor Dranas became the seat of
the Betrayers’ power. Those who opposed their emperor“A quality of fire giants you don’t hear mentioned
all that often is that some are shockingly good
card players.”
—Scanlan Shorthalt