Forge of the Giant God by Tim Hitchcock Stone giants have distinct, almost elongated heads. They are rangy and Stone giants have have long arms. gray skin that looks like rock. Stone Giants Unlike many other giants that adventurers frequently encounter, stone giants are not cruel, evil, or destructive. Stone giants claim that they were the first of giantkind, and they served as the template the gods used to make all of the other types of giants. Stone giants are plentiful in western Avistan, where the giants were once enslaved by powerful wizards and forced to build grand monuments. ADVENTURE PATH PART 3 OF 6 Forge of the Giant God CREDITS Authors Benjamin Bruck, Tim Hitchcock, Mark Moreland, Sean K Reynolds, and Greg A. Vaughan Cover Artist Jesper Ejsing Interior Artists Tom Babbey, Ekaterina Burmak, Sven Bybee, Milivoj C´eran, Johan Grenier, Miguel Regodón Harkness, Yigit Koroglu, James Krause, Caio Maciel Monteiro, Maichol Quinto, Kiki Moch Rizky, Per Sjögren, and Matias Tapia Cartographer Robert Lazzaretti Creative Director • James Jacobs Publisher • Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief • F. Wesley Schneider Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens Managing Editor • James L. Sutter Chief Operations Officer • Jeffrey Alvarez Development Leads • Adam Daigle and Rob McCreary Director of Sales • Pierce Watters Sales Associate • Cosmo Eisele Senior Developer • Rob McCreary Marketing Director • Jenny Bendel Developers • John Compton, Adam Daigle, Mark Moreland, Finance Manager • Christopher Self and Owen K.C. Stephens Staff Accountant • Ashley Kaprielian Associate Editors • Judy Bauer and Christopher Carey Data Entry Clerk • B. Scott Keim Editors • Joe Homes, Andrea Howe, and Ryan Macklin Chief Technical Officer • Vic Wertz Lead Designer • Jason Bulmahn Software Development Manager • Cort Odekirk Designers • Logan Bonner, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Senior Software Developer • Gary Teter and Mark Seifter Campaign Coordinator • Mike Brock Project Manager • Jessica Price Managing Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson Licensing Coordinator • Michael Kenway Senior Art Director • Andrew Vallas Art Director • Sonja Morris Customer Service Team • Sharaya Kemp, Katina Mathieson, Graphic Designers • Emily Crowell and Ben Mouch Sara Marie Teter, and Diego Valdez Warehouse Team • Will Chase, Mika Hawkins, Heather Payne, Jeff Strand, and Kevin Underwood Website Team • Christopher Anthony, Liz Courts, Winslow Dalpe, Lissa Guillet, Erik Keith, Chris Lambertz, and Scott Spalding This book refers to several other Pathfinder Roleplaying Game products using the following abbreviations, yet these additional supplements are not required to make use of this book. Readers interested in references to Pathfinder RPG hardcovers can find the complete rules of these books available online for free at paizo.com/prd. Advanced Player’s Guide APG Ultimate Combat UC Inner Sea Gods ISG Ultimate Equipment UE The Inner Sea World Guide ISWG Ultimate Magic UM This product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game. Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.) Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. Paizo Inc. 7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120 Redmond, WA 98052-0577 paizo.com Pathfinder Adventure Path #93: Forge of the Giant God © 2015, Paizo Inc. All Rights Reserved. Paizo, Paizo Inc., the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, the Pathfinder logo, and Pathfinder Society are registered trademarks of Paizo Inc.; Giantslayer, Pathfinder Accessories, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Battles, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Cards, Pathfinder Flip-Mat, Pathfinder Map Pack, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Pawns, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and Pathfinder Tales are trademarks of Paizo Inc. Printed in China. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 4 Forge of the Giant God 6 by Tim Hitchcock NPC Gallery 60 by Tim Hitchcock The Mindspin Mountains 64 by Mark Moreland Minderhal 70 by Sean K Reynolds Pathfinder’s Journal: Tall Tales 3 of 6 76 by Greg A. Vaughan Bestiary 82 by Benjamin Bruck, Tim Hitchcock, and Sean K Reynolds Preview 92 3 TO MARKET, TO MARKET s the PCs begin this month’s adventure, “Forge Some of these cities have full settlement stat blocks (as A of the Giant God,” they’re now powerful enough presented in the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide); others to leave behind the orcs of Belkzen and face haven’t yet been fully detailed, but do have established the ever-greater (and larger) giant threats waiting in the sizes, which enables you to determine their base values, Mindspin Mountains. This mountain range stretching purchase limits, and available magic items using Table the length of Avistan—from Belkzen in the north to the 7–36 in the GameMastery Guide (this information is also borders of Cheliax in the south—provides the setting for available in the Pathfinder Reference Document online the rest of the Giantslayer Adventure Path. Unfortunately, at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd). while the mountains are a perfect location to muster a Toward the beginning of the Adventure Path, when giant army in relative secrecy, they don’t host a lot of major the PCs are in Belkzen, the most obvious settlement is of population centers for the PCs to visit. As the campaign course Trunau (small town; Pathfinder Campaign Setting: progresses, the PCs are likely going to want to head back Towns of the Inner Sea and Giantslayer Player’s Guide), but the to civilization to buy and sell gear or just take a breather PCs might also want to visit Freedom Town (small town; from all of the giantslaying. So where can they go? Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes). The following is a handy reference guide to some of the PCs looking for a more cosmopolitan settlement can travel settlements neighboring the Mindspin Mountains, as well across the border to Lastwall’s capital of Vigil (small city; as where you can find more details on these communities. Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Cities of Golarion). 4 FOREWORD As the PCs venture farther south into the Mindspin Mountains, opportunities open up for them to visit more On the COver neighboring cities. The tiny community of Shinnerman’s The stone giant inquisitor Urathash appears on this month’s Fortune (village; see page 17) lies near Minderhal’s Valley, cover. Although he serves as a recruiter for the Storm Tyrant’s and is thus a convenient option in this adventure for PCs giant armies at the ancient Cathedral of Minderhal, Urathash who don’t have much to buy or sell, but the Sky Citadel of has his own ambitions—namely, restoring Minderhal’s worship Janderhoff (large city; Pathfinder Player Companion: Varisia, among the giant races and bringing about a resurgence of Birthplace of Legends) in Varisia is not too far to the west. giant domination over Golarion. Whether or not he achieves The city of Korvosa (large city; Varisia, Birthplace of Legends) these lofty goals is up to the heroes. lies farther south and west and can provide an alternative to trading with the dwarves. On the other side of the mountains in Nirmathas, there is Skelt (small city; Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea Nearly all of the giants encountered in Minderhal’s Valley World Guide), and the dwarven settlements of Glimmerhold have gathered there in the name of the mysterious storm (small city; Pathfinder Module: Clash of the Kingslayers) and giant warlord Volstus the Storm Tyrant, and this holds true Kraggodan. Kraggodan hasn’t yet been explored in detail, for most of the locations in later adventures. As the PCs but it’s similar to Janderhoff and other Sky Citadels. If your move ever closer to their final confrontation with Volstus, PCs go to Kraggodan, either take the opportunity to create it’s important to build a sense of urgency concerning your own settlement or use the statistics for Janderhoff. the growing threat of this would-be conqueror. You can As the Adventure Path draws closer to its conclusion, the accomplish this by allowing the PCs to overhear some of PCs will journey even farther south into the Mindspins, the giants’ conversations that center around their eagerness bringing them within range of the cities of Molthune and to serve in the Storm Tyrant’s army, the building of a new Nidal. The closest Molthuni settlement of note is Braganza empire of giants, giants ruling over lesser humanoids (small city; The Inner Sea World Guide). A bit closer to the through the might of the Storm Tyrant, and Volstus’s west is the Nidalese town of Brimstone Springs (small town; incredible abilities—especially his mastery over fire- The Inner Sea World Guide). By this point, the PCs might breathing dragons and the power of his immense flying want to visit a larger settlement, however. In this case, the cloud citadel. Such exaggerated tales make the Storm capital of Nidal, Pangolais (large city; The Inner Sea World Tyrant sound dangerous, powerful, and almost invincible, Guide), might be worth the longer trek. which will make the story of the PCs’ triumph over him Of course, you can also make up your own settlements all that much more rewarding. and drop them wherever you want, either in the Mindspin Since many of the giants in this adventure (and later Mountains or in a neighboring country. The point is to volumes) use the same statistics, another thing to remember give the PCs options for buying new gear and selling the is that it’s important to keep encounters with them fresh loot they’ve acquired throughout the campaign, while at and interesting. Keep in mind that giants, like people, the same time creating opportunities for you to expand have names and can vary greatly in appearance and your campaign beyond what’s printed in the Adventure mannerisms. You should make every effort to breathe Path volumes. life into the giants’ statistics and give the giant characters I recommend that you take the time to determine exactly memorable portrayals. For unnamed giants, particularly which magic items are for sale in a given settlement, either ones the PCs might interact with outside of combat, come by rolling randomly or by choosing specific items that your up with unique names or choose names from the following players might be interested in or that address shortfalls in list: Bathark, Brokk, Dugo, Elangora, Grangolorg, Hurd, PC gear. This not only presents a greater variety of items Kagaz, Korth, Mog, Morilkor, Nux, Ranthag, Tulrot, Urvol, for the PCs to choose from, but can also encourage them and Wothur. For more details on various types of giants to visit multiple settlements in the hope of finding more and how to roleplay them, check out Pathfinder Campaign interesting or useful equipment to purchase. Setting: Giants Revisited, available at your local gaming store or from paizo.com. THE COMING STORM The Giantslayer Adventure Path kicks into high gear in this month’s volume, “Forge of the Giant God.” Earlier, the PCs had to deal with lower-level threats like orcs, with a few weaker giants such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants Rob McCreary thrown in. Starting now, and for the rest of the campaign, Senior Developer the PCs are going to be encountering giants—lots of giants. [email protected] 5 FORGE OF THE ADVANCEMENT TRACK GIANT GOD “Forge of the Giant God” is designed for four characters and uses the Medium XP track. Part 1: tomb of the Giantslayer PaGe 7 The PCs begin this adventure 7 The heroes visit the tomb of Nargrym Steelhand, but they must defeat the famous at 7th level. giantslayer’s immortal murderer before they can claim Steelhand’s giantslaying treasures for themselves. The PCs should be 8th 8 Part 2: minderhal’s Valley PaGe 16 level soon after entering The heroes make their way through the remote valley where the Storm Tyrant is Minderhal’s Valley. gathering his army, facing a variety of giants and other beasts. Along the way, they have the opportunity to gather the components necessary for relighting the sacred forge in The PCs should be 9th level the Cathedral of Minderhal. 9 before passing through the Part 3: Cathedral of minderhal PaGe 38 Valley Gates and entering the Cathedral of Minderhal. The heroes must infiltrate the ruined temple of an ancient giant god and defeat the Storm Tyrant’s lieutenant to prevent the warlord from gathering an even larger army. Within the cathedral, the adventurers also discover a powerful artifact that they must The PCs should be 10th level by the time they face the stone giant inquisitor reactivate before they can make use of its magic. Urathash in the Cathedral of Minderhal. 6 FORGE OF THE GIANT GOD ADVENTURE BACKGROUND to Trunau after the conclusion of “The Hill Giant’s Pledge,” In times lost, ancient stone giants claimed a secluded valley Halgra and Silvermane should encourage them to travel to in the Mindspin Mountains as their own. The giants believed the valley to try to stop Volstus before he can assemble his themselves a free people, descendants of the first giants to army, thus preventing untold bloodshed and destruction walk the earth and the chosen ones of their god Minderhal. across western Avistan. Fortunately, the PCs found a map In his honor, they erected a massive cathedral on the face to this “valley of giants” among the dowry of the hill giant of a mountain they called Utgorheim at the very heart of chieftain Grenseldek in Redlake Fort. the valley. Within the cathedral, the giants enshrined two In addition, the PCs now hold both halves of the geode powerful artifacts sacred to their patron: Minderhal’s Forge treasure map that leads to the tomb of the fabled dwarven and Agrimmosh, the Hammer of Unmaking. giantslayer Nargrym Steelhand. Adventurers and treasure- In the centuries that followed, hundreds of tribes of nearly seekers have long sought the tomb, as according to dwarven every type of giant came to Minderhal’s Valley to pay their custom, Nargrym was laid to rest with his armor, weapons, respects. While some of these giants simply moved on, and riches—including the magical steel hand that allowed others stayed and built settlements, and the valley grew the hero to wield the giants’ own weapons against them. into a center of giant culture. Unlike Minderhal’s Anvil According to the map, the tomb lies on the way to the giants’ in Varisia, the Cathedral of Minderhal never fell under valley, and if it still exists, recovering such a cache would prove the domination of Thassilon’s Runelords, but as centuries invaluable in a fight against the Storm Tyrant’s giant horde. became millennia, the giant civilization in Minderhal’s Nargrym Steelhand’s tomb lies approximately 90 miles Valley faded. The reasons for the decline in giant culture southwest of Trunau, a journey of just over a week on foot were as varied as the types of giants themselves—infighting, through the mountains (assuming a speed of 30 feet). This drought, disease, and war, among other calamities—but they adventure assumes the trip is uneventful, but feel free to roll all contributed to the same end results: the giants abandoned for random encounters on the Minderhal’s Valley Encounters their settlements, the Hammer of Unmaking was stolen from table on page 93 if you wish to liven up the PCs’ journey. the cathedral, and Minderhal’s Forge went cold, leaving the Cathedral of Minderhal all but deserted. the Curse of steelhand’s tomb But even after the giants’ departure, their legacies survived, Nargrym Steelhand was a famed giantslayer from the hidden in the valley and the tales of their descendants. dwarven Sky Citadel of Janderhoff in Varisia. He slew When the megalomaniacal storm giant warlord Volstus the many giants to defend Janderhoff’s mining interests in Storm Tyrant embarked on his mission to gather an army of the Mindspin Mountains—even the fire giant Gunderoth, giants to conquer western Avistan, he chose the Cathedral called Dwarfskinner, who scorched the living flesh from of Minderhal as a mustering point for his fledgling horde, nearly 30 dwarven miners. But though Nargrym’s legend realizing that its storied past would be well known to the remains strong, the circumstances surrounding his death giants he sought to unite. To rally these soldiers to his cause, were grim and mysterious. Volstus appointed a stone giant inquisitor named Urathash. After Gunderoth’s defeat, Nargrym’s own squire and Weaned on the legends and myths of his forebears, kinsman, Lokmorr Edergun, cravenly stabbed Nargrym Urathash has made it his life’s work to reclaim the Cathedral in the back out of spite and jealousy. Lokmorr took credit of Minderhal and restore his people to their former glory. for slaying the giant himself, claiming it had killed Urathash eagerly accepted the Storm Tyrant’s patronage, Nargrym, and was heralded as a hero. But a priest of Torag and though his ultimate goal is not the same as Volstus’s, named Byrim Forgepride discovered Lokmorr’s crime and the stone giant has proven to be a successful administrator confronted the kinslayer about his betrayal and deception. and military commander, transforming Minderhal’s Valley Believing he might still pull off his ruse, Lokmorr turned into a proving ground for the Storm Tyrant’s new recruits. upon the priest and slew him as well. Although Lokmorr tried again to cover up his dark deeds, he was unsuccessful, PART 1: TOMB OF THE and the ruling council of Janderhoff branded his forehead GIANTSLAYER with the mark of the betrayer, struck his family name As the adventure begins, the Player Characters have learned from the dwarven histories, and sentenced Lokmorr to be that the storm giant warlord Volstus the Storm Tyrant trapped alive in the tomb of the hero he had murdered. But is gathering an army of giants in a hidden valley in the Lokmorr’s punishment did not end there, for his brutal acts Mindspin Mountains. So extensive are the Storm Tyrant’s of blasphemy and murder so offended Torag that the god of efforts that this army would threaten not only Belkzen the forge cursed Lokmorr with immortality, condemning (and the town of Trunau), but also the other human nations him to eternal imprisonment in Nargrym’s tomb. Because bordering the huge mountain range, including Lastwall, of these events, many believe that Nargrym’s tomb is cursed; Molthune, Nidal, Nirmathas, and Varisia. If the PCs returned in the centuries since his passing, few have come to his 7 Unfortunately, Stilgrit’s ettercap “children” have not fared slow neCtar well. A brood of spider eaters has recently moved into the area, and the creatures have decimated the ettercaps and The ettercaps collect the sap of small white flowers that their spider pets. The bizarre family is on the verge of dying grow on the nearby cliffs to create a paralytic poison known out completely, and Stilgrit’s prayers to Mazmezz, her uncle, as slow nectar, which the creatures use in their traps. grandmother, and mother have gone unanswered. But the SLOW NECTAR arrival of adventurers to Lokmorr’s shrine might be just Type poison, injury; Save Fortitude DC 17 the sacrifice Stilgrit needs to appease her gods and rebuild Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds her family. Effect 1d3 Dex damage plus paralysis for 1 round; Cure A. NARGRYM STEELHAND’S TOMB 1 save Following the geode treasure map, the PC arrive at the base of Stag’s Pike, a slender stone spire in the Mindspin Mountains near the border between Belkzen and Varisia. tomb to pay their respects, and the location of the famous From Stag’s Pike, a narrow footpath climbs into the high giantslayer’s grave has been mostly forgotten. mountains where the dwarves of Janderhoff built their But Lokmorr’s heinous acts affected others as well. mining fortresses in past centuries. But the map points away Believing her son innocent of the crimes he was accused from those settlements, instead indicating an overgrown of, Lokmorr’s mother, Gertid Ederhild, attempted to petition trail that leads to a high and lonely plateau overlooking the council on his behalf and was publicly shamed and forced the source of the Runtash River. While little is left of the into exile for her actions. Despondent, Gertid lost much of path, small, weatherworn stone markers placed every her will to live and became a wandering vagrant, stopping hundred feet or so still mark the route. Upon reaching the only to sleep and eat whatever insects she could scavenge. plateau, the trail heads into a secluded wood of pale, silvery Her sorrowful dreams attracted the attention of Mazmezz, aspens with golden leaves swaying slowly in the brisk and the demon lord of vermin, who haunted Gertid’s dreams and chilly mountain breeze. According to the map, the tomb of slowly pushed the dwarf from despair into insanity. Under Nargrym Steelhand lies within the wood. Mazmezz’s influence, Gertid eventually wandered into a A1. Perimeter Traps (CR 8) nest of ettercaps. In her madness, she believed the ettercaps were her own children. The ettercaps came to view Gertid The aspen wood surrounding Nargrym’s tomb is the as their own mother and she, in turn, sought to care for territory of Stilgrit’s ettercap family. Read or paraphrase her new “family.” Gertid led the ettercaps on a pilgrimage the following when the PCs enter the wood. to her son’s grave and there erected a shrine in his honor, not knowing that Lokmorr still lived on in the tomb below. Aspen leaves rustle gently, glittering like the pale, golden embers Years later, amused by Gertid and her ettercap family, of a forge fire. The wood seems peaceful and quiet. Mazmezz blessed the insane dwarf with another child, a daughter named Luggra. To Gertid, Luggra was no different Traps: The wily ettercaps have rigged the perimeter of from any other dwarf child, but Luggra’s arachnid eyes and their territory with a series of traps linked together with rudimentary spinnerets belied her true heritage. When web tripwires. The traps are made from bent saplings that Gertid died, Luggra became the new matriarch of the hurl wickedly sharp shards of slate coated with a paralytic ettercaps. Luggra never knew Lokmorr, but she continued to poison in all directions. As the PCs move through the wood, maintain her mother’s shrine, and in the centuries following there is a cumulative 10% chance per 25-foot square entered her mother’s death, her veneration of her half-brother turned of stumbling across one of the traps. As soon as a single trap into something akin to worship. is triggered, additional traps suddenly trigger in a chain Luggra eventually gave birth to her own daughter, Stilgrit. reaction throughout the wood, potentially striking anyone But while Luggra was a dwarf who displayed only a few walking through the area. arachnid traits, Stilgrit was born a grotesque abomination, neither dwarf nor ettercap, but rather a hideous union of SLATE SHARD SPRING TRAP CR 8 both. Upon Luggra’s death, Stilgrit succeeded her mother, XP 4,800 and believing herself favored by Mazmezz, calls herself the Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 25 “Mother of Spiders.” Today, she still leads the ettercaps in EFFECTS worshiping her uncle Lokmorr as the divine consort of her Trigger location; Reset manual patron Mazmezz, while the webbed and mummified corpses of Effect Atk +15 ranged (2d6 plus slow nectar [see sidebar]); her mother and grandmother are venerated as divine prophets. multiple targets (all targets in a 25-ft. square) 8