Chapter 10 - Introduction

Before the dissolution of the ordning, the influence of the storm giants was so great that lesser giants were compelled to abide by their decrees. The storm giants, reclusive by nature, did their best to discourage lesser giants from destroying the civilizations of the small folk. The death of Queen Neri and the disappearance of King Hekaton have left Maelstrom in disarray, allowing evil giants to run rampant.

King Hekaton saw signs that his eldest daughters were unfit to claim the Wyrmskull Throne, so he made his even-keeled youngest daughter, Serissa, his rightful heir. She has taken her place on the Wyrmskull Throne, but with the ordning shattered, she doesn’t have the power to keep the evil giant lords in line. She relies on two storm giants for counsel: her uncle, Uthor (Hekaton’s younger brother), and the wise, matronly Iymrith. Unfortunately, neither of them has much respect for small folk. In that regard, Serissa is alone. Like her dearly departed mother, Serissa believes that small folk are cleverer and mightier than most giants give them credit for, and as a child, she visited their shores in the company of her mother and has great affection for them.

In this part of their mission, the characters use their conch of teleportation (obtained in a previous chapter) to teleport to Maelstrom. Once there, they must make their way to Princess Serissa and win her confidence. She wants to believe that her father is alive. She also wants to believe that the characters are resourceful and strong enough to find and rescue King Hekaton, despite what Uthor and Iymrith whisper. If the characters convince Serissa that they can help, she shows them a clue found near the corpse of her mother: a wooden coin that leads the characters into conflict with the Kraken Society (as discussed in chapter 11, “Caught in the Tentacles”).

Standing in the characters' way are Serissa’s siblings, Mirran and Nym, who do everything in their power to turn Serissa against the adventurers and prove to their younger sibling that small folk can’t be trusted and must be wiped out. The characters also encounter Iymrith again. To prove their true worth to the storm giants, the characters must expose the dragon who hides in their midst. The dragon flees when her true nature is revealed, and the characters don’t encounter Iymrith again until they confront her in her desert lair (see chapter 12).

Characters who have no interest in intrigue might try to plunder the stronghold or do away with members of the royal family. Any such act turns Serissa against the characters and plays right into Iymrith’s hands.

Storm Giants

Before running this part of the adventure, review the information on storm giants in the Monster Manual. It will help you roleplay the storm giants in this chapter.

In addition, take another look at the “King Hekaton and His Daughters” section and the “Iymrith” section in the introduction for information on how to roleplay the sisters, Uthor, and Iymrith accurately.

Maelstrom

Maelstrom lies on the floor of the Trackless Sea, nearly 3,000 feet beneath the surface. For centuries, it has been the stronghold of the world’s most powerful storm giant kings. The undersea fortress of King Hekaton is carved into a reef. Four rocky towers covered in barnacles and coral reach upward, and between them is a large sinkhole that descends into the heart of the fortress. A natural phenomenon sometimes causes the ocean currents to form a great whirlpool with enough strength to draw ships down into it. These vessels are torn apart as they are pulled down, and the wreckage is deposited at the bottom of the sinkhole, where hulking crabs pick through it for their storm giant masters.

Reaching Maelstrom

The easiest and safest way to reach Maelstrom (shown on maps 10.1 and 10.2) is with teleportation magic, and characters should have a conch of teleportation when the time comes to visit the storm giant stronghold. Characters who teleport to Maelstrom using the conch appear atop the magical glyph in area 2.

Characters can also reach Maelstrom by ship. Maelstrom is located on the sea floor between Ruathym, the Whalebones, and the Korinn Archipelago. Any ship that sails over Maelstrom encounters a giant whirlpool, which inexorably draws the vessel into the depths. The ship’s hull is torn apart, its wreckage sucked to the bottom of a sinkhole in the heart of the stronghold (area 1). Creatures aboard the vessel must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. There’s no air in the sinkhole, so characters who survive the shipwreck must hold their breath, locate an air pocket, or use magic to breathe. Characters who are drawn down into the depths must also contend with water pressure.

Water Pressure

Creatures and vehicles at Maelstrom’s depth take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage per minute from water pressure unless they are adapted or built to withstand this environment. Storm giants, whales, sharks, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates are immune to water pressure at this depth, as are vehicles with a damage threshold of 10 or higher. Other creatures might be immune to the effect of water pressure, at your discretion.

A spell that allows one to breathe underwater provides no protection against the crushing effect of water pressure unless the spell’s description says otherwise. Even an apparatus of Kwalish isn’t designed to withstand water pressure at this depth. Creatures inside an apparatus of Kwalish are protected from the crushing effect of the pressure while the apparatus has at least 1 hit point.

Denizens

The Maelstrom Roster table summarizes the locations of the inhabitants when the characters approach and indicates how those creatures react when intruders are detected. Loud noises in one area of the stronghold can be heard in adjacent areas, even if there’s water or a door between the locations.

Maelstrom Roster

Maelstrom Roster

Princess Serissa is the supreme authority in Maelstrom during her father’s absence. She entrusts her uncle, Uthor, with command of the garrison. If the stronghold is attacked, Uthor’s primary duty is to protect the princesses, Serissa first and foremost. All other storm giants-the princesses included-obey Uthor’s commands when it comes to military matters.

Once Iymrith realizes that small folk have invaded the stronghold, she does everything she can to foment a war. She tries to convince Serissa that the adventurers are assassins sent to kill her (“hired by the villainous Lords' Alliance, no less,” Iymrith supposes), and that every word spilling from their mouths is a lie. As a last resort, Iymrith will goad Mirran and Nym into attacking the adventurers, since she knows that Uthor and his guards will quickly turn on anyone who harms his nieces. Iymrith won’t attack the adventurers herself. If her true nature is revealed, she tries to snatch the Korolnor Scepter from Serissa’s clutches before fleeing the stronghold and returning to her lair in Anauroch (see chapter 12, “Doom of the Desert”).

Maelstrom: General Features

Even though the storm giant stronghold Maelstrom lies deep beneath the Trackless Sea, it isn’t entirely filled with water. The general features of the undersea stronghold are summarized here.

Air-Filled and Submerged Areas: Many chambers and corridors are filled with air that is continuously and magically replenished. On the map, air-filled areas are tinted purple. Some air-filled areas contain pools of water; a pool fills a depression in the floor and is tinted blue on the map. Submerged areas are tinted blue from wall to wall. Characters who can’t breathe underwater must hold their breath in a submerged area. While submerged, they are also susceptible to the effect of water pressure (see the “Water Pressure” section). Rules for underwater combat appear in the “Underwater Combat” section in chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook.

Anemone Chests: The storm giants cultivate 10-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide anemones that can survive out of the water and have hollow cavities within them. The giants use the anemones as treasure chests and for waste disposal. Edible organic matter placed in an anemone chest is slowly digested over a period of days; inedible or inorganic matter is not.

When a storm giant touches one of these anemones, it opens at the top. Any other creature that comes into contact with an anemone must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 11 (2d10) poison damage from the anemone’s poisonous tendrils. A character can trick an anemone into opening by touching it and succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check. If the check fails, the anemone doesn’t open, and the character must make the saving throw. A chest remains open for 1 minute, then closes. An anemone chest has AC 5 and 20 hit points.

Ceilings: Ceilings throughout the fortress are 50 feet high in air-filled areas and 30 feet high in submerged areas unless otherwise noted. The sinkhole in the middle of the fortress is open to the sea above.

Climbing: The stronghold has slick, rough-hewn walls that don’t offer a lot of handholds, so climbing them without gear requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check.

Crystal Windows: Some rooms have oval windows made of thick, transparent crystal. These windows were designed to withstand tremendous amounts of pressure and force, and aren’t easily broken. Each window has AC 15, 60 hit points, a damage threshold of 20, and immunity to psychic and poison damage. Breaking a window causes seawater to pour into the stronghold, flooding air-filled chambers and lower levels quickly. Doing this has no effect on storm giants, who can breathe water as easily as they breathe air, but creatures that can’t breathe water aren’t likely to survive for long without the aid of water breathing spells or similar magic.

Doors and Secret Doors: The giant-sized doors throughout Maelstrom are 30 feet tall and made of barnacle-covered stone with rusty iron hinges. Their handles are 13 feet above the floor. Secret doors are similar in size but lack visible hinges and handles. A Huge giant has no trouble opening either type of door. A smaller creature can attempt to open a door if that creature or some other helpful creature can reach the door’s handle and unlatch it. While the handle is unlatched, a creature must use an action to push or pull on the heavy door, opening it with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. On a failed check, the door doesn’t open. The doors aren’t airtight and can’t hold back water.

Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher spot a secret door as they move near its location. A character can also find it by searching for secret doors and succeeding on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.

Giant Clams: Giant clams appear in several of the stronghold’s chambers. As an action, a character can pry open a giant clam with a successful DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check. Using a crowbar, a sword, or a similar tool grants advantage on the check. When a giant clam is opened, roll on the Giant Clam table to determine its contents.

Giant Clam

d100	Treasure
01–25	None
26–75	A pink grapefruit-sized pearl worth 500 gp
76–90	A black grapefruit-sized pearl worth 5,000 gp
91–98	A violet grapefruit-sized pearl of power
99–00	A clear grapefruit-sized crystal ball

Illumination: All interior spaces are dimly lit. Air-filled chambers have wall sconces with continual flame spells cast on them or oval windows of transparent crystal that allow light from the bioluminescent coral reef to enter. Bioluminescent fish dimly illuminate submerged areas.

Oversized Furnishings and Objects: Most of the furnishings and other items in Maelstrom are sized for storm giants. Exceptions are noted in the text. Tables, chairs, and other room fixtures are typically three times as high, long, and wide as their human-sized equivalents and roughly twenty-seven times the weight. Small and Medium creatures can scuttle under and clamber over giant-sized furniture, treating the spaces they occupy as difficult terrain.

Portcullises: Throughout the stronghold are iron portcullises covered in barnacles. A portcullis can be raised or lowered with a successful DC 26 Strength (Athletics) check. A Small creature can slip between the bars with ease, while a Medium creature can squeeze between the portcullis bars with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.

Stairs: Staircases in the stronghold are sized for storm giants. Each step is 4 feet tall by 4 feet deep. Large and smaller creatures treat the staircases as difficult terrain.

1. Vortex and Sinkhole

A powerful vortex swirls above a 100-foot-deep, 180-foot-wide sinkhole on the ocean bottom. (On the surface of the water, the vortex manifests as a half-mile-wide whirlpool powerful enough to drag ships to their doom.) The sinkhole has a drain at the bottom. Plugging the drain would cause the vortex to dissipate, but the drain is 50 feet in diameter. A barnacle-covered iron grate covers the drain, and the holes between its bars are 10 feet wide. The sinkhole has three levels.

Level 1

The bottom of the sinkhole is strewn with debris-the remains of wrecked ships picked clean by the hulking crabs in area 5. The walls are covered with coral and other ocean life. Five flooded passageways lead to areas 2, 5, 6, 8, and 11.

Level 2

This level is 50 feet above the sinkhole floor. A rocky, uneven ledge clings to the outer wall of the hole and has coral, plant life, and the bones of a wrecked ship atop it. Five flooded tunnels lead to areas 15, 19, 20, 21, and 29.

Level 3

This is the top of the sinkhole. From here, an observer on the ocean floor can just barely make out a circular ledge 50 feet down, while the bottom of the sinkhole is hidden in the gloom 100 feet below. Lying around the mouth of the sinkhole are more wrecked ships, and looming above are the four coral-covered underwater spires that serve as home to the royal family. The shipwrecks have been picked clean, and anyone who lingers in the area sees sharks, whales, crabs, and other creatures moving about. These aquatic creatures mind their own business and pay little heed to surface-dwellers.

The coral on the outside of the royal spires can be harvested and sold. Someone who can withstand the pressure at this depth (see the “Water Pressure” section earlier in this chapter) can harvest 2d4 pounds of coral in an hour. Each pound is worth 50 gp. The storm giants in area 34 try to scare off anyone plundering the coral.

2. Portal Chamber

Anyone that teleports to Maelstrom appears atop a glowing glyph carved into the floor of an alcove in the north east corner of this rough-hewn chamber. This is true even if the destination was elsewhere in the stronghold.

The moist walls here are covered with bioluminescent lichen, snails, starfish, and barnacles. Tiny, harmless crabs crawl across the floor, avoiding the sigil.

The first time the characters arrive in this chamber, they hear music: a powerful female voice accompanied by the deep, haunting tones of a masterfully played pipe organ. The music comes from within a spiral staircase that leads up to area 14. The two storm giants who normally stand guard at the foot of this staircase are currently in area 14, keeping an eye on some other visitors.

(See area 14 for Treasure Parcels)

Pool and Sunken Passage

Next to the staircase is a 40-foot-deep circular pool with a 30-foot-high passageway at the bottom. The flooded passage leads to area 1. A barnacle-covered portcullis has been lowered to block the passageway.

North and East Hallways

A hallway to the east ends at a life-size stone statue of a female storm giant holding a harp and wearing a gown of purple coral. Doors on the south wall of the corridor lead to area 3. Each door is made of ironbound oak, measures 15 feet tall by 7 feet wide, and has AC 15, 50 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Neither door has a lock.

A similar hall stretches northward. The statue at the end of the north hall depicts a male storm giant blowing a pink and blue conch shell. Giant-sized doors to either side of the statue lead to more guest quarters (area 4).

Steam Geyser

A narrow hall to the south leads to a circular chamber with a small steam pool at its center. Every hour on the hour, a geyser of steam shoots up from a vent in the bottom of the shallow basin, sending out a loud hissing noise as it erupts. Any creature in the small, circular room when the geyser erupts is engulfed in scalding steam and boiling water, and must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

3. Small Guest Quarters

Adventurers who earn the giants' trust are quartered here during their stay. Each of these rooms contains furnishings sized for Medium and Small creatures: five comfortable beds, a circular rug, a barrel of drinking water, an empty dresser, and an empty wardrobe.

4. Giant Guest Quarters

Giant-sized guests are quartered here. The room to the east has a single bed, and the room to the west holds three beds. A door in the west wall opens into a storage room that holds some crates and barrels containing food and wine. No one is using these quarters at present.

5. Crab Pen

A raised, barnacle-covered portcullis hangs above the entrance of this submerged cave. The cave is home to two hulking crab. They have covered their shells with ship wreckage, and they attack anything that enters their cave unless it looks like a storm giant. From a distance of 30 feet or more, the crabs are easily mistaken for piles of debris. Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check recognizes the creatures for what they are.

Treasure

A few treasures lie scattered across the cave floor amid rusty, barnacle-covered swords and other detritus. A thorough search yields 67 gp, a shiny electrum goblet (worth 75 gp), and 1d4 magic items. Roll on Magic Item Table G in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the first item, and on Table F for any other items.

6. Nym’s Whale

A 50-foot-deep pool takes up nearly half of this air-filled chamber. An enormous killer whale (144 hit points) swims circles in the pool, attacking any creature other than Nym that enters it. The whale is Nym’s mount.

A submerged passage blocked by a lowered portcullis connects the whale’s pool to the sinkhole (area 1). Crates of dead fish rest against the walls, and a spiral staircase ascends 120 feet to area 31. Halfway up the spiral staircase is a secret door that opens into area 23.

Rough-hewn stairs in the south wall descend to area 7.

Development

If Nym retreats to this chamber, she raises the portcullis, and she and the whale leave the stronghold.

7. Coral Garden

The floor of this air-filled cave is under 5 feet of water. Staircases in the north and south walls rise up toward areas 6 and 8. Nym has turned this cave into her personal coral garden. Growths of coral sprout from walls and rock formations, all of them colorful and immense. One of the coral-covered rock formations is actually a roper, which Nym uses as a guardian. The roper attacks any creature other than Nym that crosses the room.

A character can harvest 2d4 pounds of coral in an hour. The coral here is worth 100 gp per pound. The garden holds 50,000 gp worth of coral.

8. Mirran’s Whale

An enormous killer whale (156 hit points) swims circles in a 50-foot-deep pool here. The whale attacks any creature other than Mirran that enters the water.

A flooded passage blocked by a lowered portcullis connects the whale’s pool to the sinkhole (area 1). Staircases carved into the northwest and southeast walls lead down to areas 7 and 10. An open portcullis hangs above the southeast staircase. A third stairway leads up to area 9, and a wide spiral staircase ascends 120 feet to area 30. A crate of dead fish is near the spiral staircase. Halfway up it is a secret door that opens into area 20.

Treasure

An anemone chest near the spiral staircase contains a shark-bladder sack with 400 pp.

Development

The storm giants sleeping in area 10 awaken and respond to any loud disturbance here.

9. Sparring Chamber

Mirran uses this air-filled room to practice her sparring. A giant-sized dummy made from the mast, sails, and rigging of a wrecked ship stands in the middle of the room. An alcove in the northwest corner contains a stone rack that holds three quarterstaffs carved from wood.

10. Sleeping Guard

A staircase descends into a submerged chamber. A sleeping storm giant floats in the middle of the room, her limbs wrapped in kelp to keep from drifting.

Treasure

This room contains four giant clams and an anemone chest. The clams' contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar). The anemone chest holds four sacks made from shark bladders. Each sack contains 1d4 × 100 pp.

11. Serissa’s Whale

Serissa’s pet killer whale (128 hit points) swims and plays in a large, 50-foot-deep pool. When the whale sees another creature, it leaps out of the water and sings for its supper. If a character throws it a dead fish or some thing else it can eat, the whale remembers the gift and won’t attack that individual unless the character attacks it first. The pool is connected to the sinkhole (area 1) by a flooded passage with a lowered portcullis.

An anemone chest stands in the southeast corner. It contains a black sack made from a merrow’s bladder. The sack is full of dead fish. Nearby a raised portcullis looms above a staircase that descends to area 12.

A spiral staircase climbs 120 feet to area 32. Halfway up the staircase is a secret door that opens into area 17.

A door set into the north wall opens into area 13.

Development

The storm giants sleeping in area 12 awaken and respond to any loud disturbance here. If Serissa retreats here, she raises the portcullis, and she and the whale leave the stronghold.

12. Sleeping Guards

A staircase topped by a raised portcullis descends into a pair of submerged chambers filled with kelp. Two storm giant sleep here, one in the southernmost chamber and one in the northernmost chamber. Their limbs are wrapped in kelp to keep them from drifting. The giants are sensitive to water currents, so that any creature that swims through a giant’s cave must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity (Stealth) check to avoid waking the giant.

Treasure

This area contains six giant clams and two anemone chests. The clams' contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar). Each anemone chest holds 1d4-1 magic items and 1d4 shark-bladder sacks. Each sack contains 1d4 × 100 pp. Roll on Magic Item Table B in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for any magic items.

13. Study

Serissa used to come here quite often to study in solitude, but her present duties permit her no opportunity to pursue her studies. An ugly bookshelf made from ship wreckage stands against one wall, packed full of tomes that Serissa recovered from wrecked ships. The books were written by “small folk” and are sized appropriately. The covers and pages of the books are wrinkled and stained by seawater, and the writing is often smeared and illegible, but Serissa has gleaned a lot of information about humans, halflings, and other small folk from perusing the tomes. Since the books are small by Serissa’s standards, she uses a spyglass to read them. The spyglass rests on top of the 20-foot-tall bookshelf.

Other furnishings include two anemone chests and a table with a concave top made from a huge mussel shell.

Treasure

One of the anemone chests contains dozens of worthless trinkets recovered from shipwrecks. The other contains a flag bearing the crest of Waterdeep (worth 25 gp) and a bundled-up tapestry embroidered with an image of a dashing human knight mounted on an armored white warhorse (worth 750 gp).

14. Great Hall

Music fills this hall when the characters first arrive. The room is split into two levels; a 15-foot-high raised ledge hugs the walls to the north and east, and gently sloping ramps lead up to it. The acoustics here are excellent. Barnacle-covered pillars of hewn rock rise to meet the vaulted ceiling, and a huge crystal window allows in light that casts beautiful patterns on the walls.

Under the crystal window is a hulking crab with colored nodules and hollow flutes of beautiful coral growing out of its shell. This creature is a living instrument. When one of the nodules on its shell is tapped, the motion tickles the crab and causes it to exhale a burst of air through one of its coral pipes, producing a deep tone similar to that of a pipe organ. Any creature that has proficiency in the Performance skill can, with hours of practice, learn to play the crab organ.

Performing next to the ledge are King Hekaton’s two eldest daughters, Mirran and Nym. Mirran is singing, while Nym provides instrumental accompaniment by tapping on the crab’s shell with a pair of whalebone mallets. Mirran and Nym have the statistics of a storm giant, with the following changes:

• Mirran and Nym are neutral evil.
• They are unarmed and unarmored (AC 12).
• They have the following additional skills: Deception +9, Performance +9.

The sisters are entertaining several high-ranking visitors: a cloud giant count named Vaal (neutral evil), a fire giant duchess named Tartha (lawful evil), a frost giant jarl named Hellenhild (neutral evil), and a stone giant thane named Braxow (neutral). These giant nobles have come to Maelstrom, using their own conch of teleportation, to find out what Princess Serissa plans to do about the dissolution of the ordning, and to ascertain the extent of her power and influence. Each of them awaits an audience with the regent. The giant guests gather around mussel-shell tables and a giant coral fountain in the lower part of the room. The coral fountain spouts fresh water (see “Treasure”), which the giants drink from their conch shells. The giant visitors know better than to start a fight in here. They have no interest in hearing what the “small folk” have to say.

Watching the visitors are two storm giant wearing helms. If Mirran and Nym are attacked, these royal guards rush to the princesses' defense and cover their retreat to the throne room (area 15). The visiting giants join the battle on the side of the storm giants to avoid incurring the royal family’s wrath.

A 40-foot-wide hall leading south ends at a guarded set of doors that open into the throne room.

Dealing With Mirran and Nym

The sisters end their performance when the characters appear. The guards quickly interpose themselves between the princesses and the new arrivals, but Mirran orders the guards to stand down so that she and Nym can learn “what brings these puny creatures to court.”

If the characters make demands, Mirran is enraged by their insolence, while Nym gives them a cold, condescending smile. Neither sister is of a mind to facilitate a meeting between Serissa and a motley group of “small folk.” If the characters are diplomatic, Mirran and Nym tell them that their young, inexperienced sister is “far too overwhelmed with important matters” to grant the characters an audience at this moment. Mirran instructs the two storm giant guards to escort the adventurers to the guest quarters (area 3), where they are to remain until summoned. If the characters allow themselves to be taken to area 3, the storm giants stand guard in area 2 to make sure they don’t wander.

Meanwhile, after a private discussion, Mirran and Nym decide that the adventurers must be eliminated. Nym goes to inform Serissa that assassins have breached Maelstrom’s defenses. At the same time, Mirran confronts the adventurers in area 3, tells them that their request for an audience with Serissa has been granted, and leads them into area 2, where Vaal, Tartha, Hellenhild, and Braxow wait to attack them (see “Dealing with the Giant Lords”). The storm giant guards cover Mirran’s escape to area 15.

Mirran and Nym do everything possible to avoid getting entangled in melee, and they don’t hesitate to turn on each other to save themselves. Neither knows that Iymrith is a blue dragon in disguise. If Iymrith’s true nature is exposed, each sister blames the other for colluding with a dragon. Each feigns innocence while blaming the other for conspiring with Iymrith to murder their mother and dispose of their father.

If things go badly and the sisters have nowhere else to go, Mirran retreats to her quarters (area 30), refusing to abandon the stronghold she believes is rightfully hers, while Nym retreats to area 6 and wisely tries to flee Maelstrom on the back of her pet killer whale.

Dealing With the Giant Lords

Ordning or no, Count Vaal, Duchess Tartha, Jarl Hellenhild, and Thane Braxow know better than to defy the storm giants in their own stronghold. Nevertheless, a character can attempt to shift a giant lord’s attitude toward the party from hostile to indifferent by succeeding on a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. A character can use an action to attempt to sway one giant lord. A failed check can’t be retried against the same giant lord until 24 hours have passed. The character gains advantage on the check under the following conditions.

Vaal

The cloud giant count is easily swayed by bribes. If the character making the check offers to give him a rare magic item, a spellbook, or nonmagical treasure worth a total of 10,000 gp or more, grant advantage on the check. (Vaal expects payment in short order, or he becomes hostile again.)

Tartha

The fire giant duchess hates dragons above all. If the character making the check claims that a dragon has infiltrated and compromised the storm giants' court, grant advantage on the check.

Hellenhild

The frost giant jarl respects battle prowess. If the character making the check wounds Hellenhild in melee combat, grant advantage on the check.

Braxow

The stone giant thane fears the giant gods. If the character making the skill check claims to have spoken with the divine oracle at the Eye of the All-Father, grant advantage on the check.

Treasure

Embedded in the coral fountain is a decanter of endless water. Anyone who inspects the fountain can, with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check, see the decanter anchored behind coral branches, which must be smashed to free it. The sculpture stands 20 feet tall and has AC 11, 50 hit points, and immunity to psychic and poison damage. The coral itself isn’t valuable.

Several of the giants carry treasure as well:

Mirran

the elder storm giantess, wears a gold-inlaid conch shell headdress (worth 750 gp).

Nym

the younger storm giantess, wears a gilded coral coronet with an anchor-like design (worth 750 gp).

Vaal

the cloud giant, wears a diamond-studded platinum earring (worth 7,500 gp) and a vest with platinum embroidery (worth 2,500 gp). Tied to his belt is a conch of teleportation and a potion of water breathing.

Tartha

the fire giant, wears a necklace of gilded dragons' teeth (worth 750 gp) and has a conch of teleportation in an iron box chained to her belt.

Hellenhild

the frost giant, wears a cloak of white dragon scales (worth 2,500 gp and weighing 250 pounds) and has a conch of teleportation on her belt.

Braxow

the stone giant, has fifteen 100 gp gemstones embedded in his flesh. He carries a conch of teleportation in a sack.

Development

If the characters slay one or both of her sisters, Serissa is convinced that they are assassins who have been sent to finish off the royal family. She commands Uthor to marshal all of Maelstrom’s defenses and destroy the adventurers. Serissa also realizes that her faith in the small folk has been misplaced. In effect, the killing of Mirran or Nym gives Iymrith a major victory, so far as the act drives a wedge between giants and the small folk.

To win Serissa’s trust, the characters might try to convince her that Mirran and Nym are complicit in the assassination of their mother and the abduction of their father. Without evidence or a confession from one or both evil sisters, a character must make a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince Serissa that one or both of her sisters should be placed under house arrest pending a full investigation. Award advantage on the check if the characters disclose that they learned of Mirran and Nym’s treachery from the Eye of Annam-a source that both Serissa and Uthor trust. If the check succeeds, Serissa views the arrest of her sisters as a sensible precaution. On Serissa’s orders, Uthor has Mirran and Nym confined to their towers (areas 30 and 31, respectively), with a storm giant guard placed at the top of each staircase to make sure the sisters don’t leave. Each evil sister professes her innocence while proclaiming the other’s treachery. If the character’s Charisma (Persuasion) check fails, Serissa takes no action against her sisters. The check can be repeated, but only if new and relevant information is brought to Serissa’s attention.

15. Throne Room

If the characters approach from the north, they face the guards in front of the doors that lead to the throne room.

Tug and Cog

Standing guard outside the throne room are two hill giant wearing scale mail (AC 15) and ill-fitting helms. Their names are Tug and Cog, and they are exceedingly stupid. If the characters approach from the north without a storm giant escort, Tug and Cog raise their greatclubs threateningly. Tug says, “We guard throne room!” Cog follows with, “Where your escort?”

Characters can outwit the hill giants by concocting a believable lie, such as “We are spies for Princess Serissa, come to deliver important information about her father!” or “Princess Serissa told you that we were coming, or have you forgotten?” Have the liar make a Charisma (Deception) check contested by the giants' Wisdom (Insight) check. (Roll once for both giants.) If the character wins the contest, Tug and Cog exchange glassy-eyed looks, shrug, open the doors, and allow the characters to enter the throne room. If the giants win the contest, they attack. They also attack characters who try to slip past them without a proper escort.

Tug and Cog aren’t allowed to enter the throne room, nor do they leave their post to join battles in other areas, for fear of incurring Imperator Uthor’s wrath.

Hall of the Wyrmskull Throne

Maelstrom’s throne room resembles an amphitheater. Stone bleachers overlook an oblong chamber with a 50-foot-deep pool of seawater near its center. In the middle of the bleachers is an archway with two doors in it. A submerged passageway that leads from the bottom of the pool to the sinkhole (area 1) is designed to serve as an escape route. At the far end of the passageway is a lowered portcullis that bars access to the sinkhole.

Facing the pool and the doors are three enormous thrones. The middle one is carved from a solid chunk of obsidian, has four blue dragon skulls affixed to its base, and floats 1 foot above the floor. Characters who succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (History) check recognize this object as the Wyrmskull Throne. The two smaller thrones that flank it are made of coral and giant seashells.

Serissa sits on the Wyrmskull Throne, flanked by her two advisors, Imperator Uthor and Iymrith. Serissa wears the Korolnor Scepter (see “Treasure”) as a pendant, tied to a kelp necklace.

Serissa is a storm giant, with the following changes:

• She has 200 hit points and wears hide armor (AC 14).
• She wields a wooden maul made from the mast of a warship, instead of a greatsword. She has a +14 bonus to hit with the weapon, which has a reach of 10 feet and deals 30 (6d6+9) bludgeoning damage on a hit.
• As long as she has the Korolnor Scepter in her possession, she can activate the powers of the Wyrmskull Throne.

Uthor is a storm giant, with the following changes:

• He has 272 hit points.
• He wields a giant-sized trident of fish command instead of a greatsword. Uthor has a +14 bonus to hit with the weapon, which has a reach of 10 feet and deals 19 (3d6+9) piercing damage on a hit, or 22 (3d8+9) piercing damage if used with two hands.

Dealing With Serissa

Since she has seen no evidence to the contrary, Serissa believes that her father yet lives. When she was a child, her mother would take her on trips to the Sword Coast and the Moonshae Isles, where they met small folk who were generous and kind. Serissa thinks that giants and small folk can learn to coexist peacefully, though Iymrith and Uthor would have her believe otherwise.

Serissa is mourning the death of her mother. Queen Neri’s body was recovered from a cluster of islands that humans refer to as the Red Rocks. One of the storm giants who found the queen also found a wooden coin painted with a golden goose insignia and gave it to Serissa, thinking it belonged to her mother. Serissa hasn’t told anyone about the coin. She doesn’t know what it represents and hopes to find someone who does.

If the characters gain an audience with Serissa, she is patient and listens intently to what they have to say. If the characters express interest in bringing an end to the unrest in giant society, she hands them the wooden coin and asks them to find out where it came from. She believes that the people who murdered her mother might have also kidnapped her father, and the wooden coin is her only clue to his whereabouts. If the characters accept Serissa’s quest, she leads them to the meditation cave (area 18) and uses its teleport power to transport them back to the mainland (or wherever else they wish to go). She also allows them to keep the wooden coin. The significance of the coin is revealed in chapter 11, “Caught in the Tentacles.” If the characters agree to go hunting for Hekaton, Serissa suggests that they take their conch of teleportation with them so that they can return to Maelstrom safely. If the characters no longer have their conch for some reason, Serissa furnishes them with another one (taken from one of her guests).

If the characters attack Serissa, she uses the powers of the Wyrmskull Throne against them. If they make allegations against her sisters, Serissa reacts as described in the “Development” section in area 14.

Dealing With Uthor

Uthor cares deeply for Serissa and does his best not to anger, frighten, or undermine her. He advises her not to trust small folk, but otherwise doesn’t interfere in her negotiations with the characters. If they harm her or any other member of the royal family, Uthor flies into a rage and attacks them until Serissa commands him to stop.

Dealing With Iymrith

In a short time, Iymrith has established herself as a surrogate mother figure to all three of Hekaton’s daughters. Iymrith tries to squash any alliance between the storm giants and the small folk by telling Serissa that the adventurers can’t be trusted, adding hastily,

iymrith

“For all we know, they’re the ones who murdered your mother and abducted your father!”

Iymrith realizes almost instantly that she has chosen those words poorly, for how could she know that Hekaton has been abducted? If the players fail to pick up on her self-incriminating words, have Serissa and all characters present make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check. Those who succeed on the check realize that Iymrith knows more than she’s letting on.

If the characters accuse Iymrith of being a dragon in disguise, she expresses outrage at the accusation and tries to convince Serissa that this claim is a ploy to sow discord in the storm giants' court. Heedless of Iymrith’s words, Serissa is inclined to give the characters the benefit of the doubt. When it becomes clear to Iymrith that Serissa’s fondness for small folk can’t be undone with mere words, the dragon begins plotting her exit strategy.

Casting dispel magic on Iymrith doesn’t reveal her true form, but contact with an antimagic field causes her to revert to her dragon form. It’s unlikely that characters will have access to such powerful magic, but if all else fails, they can simply attack her. Iymrith doesn’t revert to dragon form in this encounter. On her first turn in combat, she curses the characters in Draconic, declares that all giants and small folk are doomed, and snatches the Korolnor Scepter from around Serissa’s neck. On her next turn, she teleports away. If she is unable to cast her teleport spell for some reason, she flees through the circular pool in the floor and swims out of the strong hold to the surface. (As long as she remains in storm giant form, Iymrith can breathe underwater.) If Serissa is seated on the Wyrmskull Throne when the scepter is stolen from her, Serissa is paralyzed (see the throne’s description in appendix B for details).

If the characters do nothing to force Iymrith’s hand, she allows them to leave and pursue Serissa’s quest, convinced that they will never find King Hekaton. At the same time, Serissa’s confidence in the characters' abilities sows doubt in Iymrith’s mind (see “Development”).

Treasure

Serissa wears the Korolnor Scepter, which allows her to sit on the Wyrmskull Throne and harness its magical powers. The only other treasure found here is Uthor’s trident of fish command, which grows or shrinks to match the size of whoever attunes to it.

Development

If the characters forge an alliance with Serissa or expose Iymrith as a villainous deceiver, the blue dragon returns to her lair in the Anauroch desert and isn’t encountered again until chapter 12, “Doom of the Desert.”

It’s possible that the characters might come into possession of a Spell Scroll (7th level) resurrection at some point in the adventure, in which case they could offer to cast the spell on Queen Neri and bring her back from the dead. If they make such an offer, Serissa leads them to her mother’s sunken tomb (area 22) or has the queen’s body brought to them. If Neri is returned to life, she replaces Iymrith as Serissa’s advisor, and Serissa rewards the characters by giving them the magic items in the sea chest in the royal treasury (area 16). Queen Neri, like Serissa, has a fondness for the small folk, and she’s just as eager to find out what happened to Hekaton.

16. Royal Treasury

Thirty-four rusty anchors dangle from iron chains bolted to the 50-foot-high ceiling of this room, one above each full 10-foot square. The storm giants salvaged the anchors from wrecked ships and transported them here. Each anchor weighs roughly 3,000 pounds and is suspended 40 feet above the floor. Two of these dangling anchors are part of a trap (see “Trap”).

The room holds three crates, two barrels, a massive sea chest, and two anemone chests.

Trap

Just inside the room, built into the floor, is a pressure plate that the storm giants avoid by stepping over it. The pressure plate fills two 10-foot squares (each marked T on the map). Anyone who searches the floor for traps before entering the room spots the pressure plate with a successful DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check. Applying 250 pounds or more to the plate causes the anchor above each trapped square to drop, chain and all. Any creature in a trapped space must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by the falling anchor for 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage. One minute after the trap triggers, a mechanism hidden in the walls and ceiling causes the iron chains to retract, pulling the anchors back up, whereupon the trap resets. As an action, a character can disable the pressure plate (by driving a wedge or iron spike into its seam to prevent the plate from moving), doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.

Treasure

The first crate holds six folded, giant-sized rugs made from strips of soft kelp. Each rug is 20 feet square, weighs 250 pounds, and is worth 250 gp. The second crate holds an apparatus of Kwalish that was recovered from the pressurized hold of a wrecked gnomish submarine. The third crate contains hundreds of trinkets recovered from the sea floor-tribute from various sea elf tribes that pledge fealty to the storm giant king. The trinkets include everything from worthless baubles to fine statuary and jewelry plundered from shipwrecks. The total weight of this tribute is 100 pounds, and its total value is 10,000 gp.

The two barrels are full of exquisite wine (worth 2,500 gp each) and weigh 2,500 pounds each.

The sea chest is 12 feet long, 9 feet tall, and 9 feet deep, with a lid shaped like a half-barrel. The large padlock that hangs from its latch is too big to be picked using thieves' tools. A Small character can squeeze inside the locking mechanism and pick the lock with a successful DC 16 Dexterity check. Lifting the heavy lid requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. The chest holds a dozen smaller (human-made) chests that are unlocked and contain booty retrieved from the sea floor. Each small chest has 3d6 × 100 gp in mixed coinage. Lying among the chests are 1d4+1 magic items. Roll on Magic Item Table H in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the first two items and on Table F for any other items.

The first anemone chest holds six grapefruit-sized pink pearls (worth 500 gp each). The second anemone chest contains six potion of giant size in purple and green coral vials sized for Small and Medium creatures. Each coral vial is worth 25 gp.

17. Council Room

King Hekaton held private meetings here. A mussel-shell table stands in the middle of the room. Lining the walls are two giant-sized wooden bookshelves covered with nautical charts plundered from sunken ships, as well as two anemone chests (each contains 3d6 × 100 pp). A concave wall to the south has a giant-sized secret door set into the middle of it. It leads to a spiral staircase that climbs to area 32 and descends to area 11.

18. Meditation Cave

This naturally formed cave has bioluminescent lichen, coral, snails, and starfish clinging to its damp walls. The area radiates overlapping auras of conjuration, divination, and evocation magic when scrutinized with a detect magic spell. Over the years, the storm giants have learned how to become attuned to the magic of this cave and harness its innate magical properties.

Becoming attuned to the cave requires a creature to spend a short rest meditating inside the cave. While meditating, the creature can’t engage in any strenuous activity. If the short rest is interrupted, the attunement fails. Otherwise, at the end of the short rest, the creature becomes aware of the cave’s magical properties and can use them as described here.

Only one creature can be attuned to the cave at a time. A creature’s attunement to the cave ends as soon as it leaves the cave. A creature that is attuned to the cave can use an action to cast one of the following spells, requiring no material components: clairvoyance, identify, sending, or teleport.

Development

King Hekaton often used the sending property of the cave to arrange meetings with lesser giants and used the teleport property from time to time to send guests to far-flung destinations. If Serissa is on speaking terms with the party, she can use the cave’s teleport property to send the characters wherever they wish to go, once their business in Maelstrom is concluded.

19. Shark Pens

These caves are submerged. A lowered portcullis blocks the way from the main cave to the sinkhole (area 1), and lowered portcullises also confine ten hunter shark to the four side caves. The sharks take advantage of any opportunity to escape from their pens, attacking any creatures other than storm giants that cross their path. The storm giants keep the sharks for defense, releasing them into the sinkhole in the event of a major attack against the stronghold. They also use shark hide to fashion apparel and shark teeth to festoon their weapons (see area 20),

Treasure

The main cave contains two giant clams. The clams' contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar).

20. Armory

A door connects this air-filled room to an air-filled passage east of it. Three descending sets of stairs lead to submerged areas southeast, north, and northeast of this location. The stairs to the southeast descend 30 feet to area 19, the stairs to the north descend 30 feet to area 21, and the stairs to the northeast descend 30 feet to a tunnel blocked by a lowered portcullis. Beyond the portcullis is the sinkhole (area 1).

The room is an armory containing weapons and armor sized for storm giants. A search of the room yields four quarterstaffs carved from sunken ship masts, a large barrel holding six tridents, an open crate containing ten coral-encrusted rocks, and a storm giant-sized mannequin wearing a golden suit of scale mail (see “Treasure”). Hanging on the walls are three enormous shields made from dragon turtle shells and six massive greatswords with coral-inlaid hilts and sharpened whalebone blades lined with shark teeth. The shields and the weapons aren’t particularly valuable, especially given their weight.

A concave wall to the south has a giant-sized secret door set into it. It leads to a spiral staircase that climbs to area 30 and descends to area 8.

Treasure

The giant-sized suit of golden scale mail is worth 10,000 gp and weighs 1,000 pounds.

21. Temple of Stronmaus

This submerged chamber has a 50-foot-high pyramidal ceiling, with walls that taper inward beginning at a height of 30 feet. Harmless bioluminescent jellyfish dimly illuminate a 40-foot-tall statue of Stronmaus, god of storm giants, standing in the middle of the room. Stronmaus looks like an imperious, bare-chested storm giant with a foamy beard, a sharp trident, and a lower body transformed into a great wave-all carved from stone. The walls of this temple are etched with images of storm giants riding whales, battling dragon turtles, and blowing conch shells to summon giant crabs, giant octopi, manta rays, and schools of fish. Harmless star fish and sea urchins cling to the walls and congregate around the base of the statue.

Characters who examine the statue and succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check can see marks on the rough floor, suggesting that the statue has recently been moved aside. It takes a creature as big and strong as a storm giant to slide the statue, but the characters can use ropes to pull it over with a successful DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check. Doing this breaks the statue and reveals a flooded, 15-foot-wide shaft that descends for 30 feet, then bends to the west and leads to Queen Neri’s sunken tomb (area 22).

Treasure

A giant clam rests in the southwest corner of the room. The clam’s contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar).

Development

If the characters desecrate the statue of Stronmaus by breaking it, blood seems to seep from within the statue, polluting the surrounding water and attracting two giant sharks, which arrive 1 minute later. The sharks enter the temple through the open passage that connects with the sinkhole (area 1).

22. Royal Tomb

Bioluminescent fish swim about this flooded chamber, dimly illuminating an ornate sarcophagus inlaid with blue coral, its lid beautifully carved in the likeness of King Hekaton’s late wife, Neri. The storm giant queen lies within, her body wrapped head to toe in black kelp. Pushing aside the sarcophagus lid requires a DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check.

Arrayed along the walls are ten upright stone sarcophagi, their barnacle-covered lids sculpted to look like regal storm giants. These airtight sarcophagi contain the lichen-covered remains and rusty greatswords of previous storm giant kings. A character can use an action to try to pry open a sarcophagus, doing so with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. Using a crowbar or a similar tool grants advantage on the check.

Treasure

Queen Neri is entombed with a purple coral circlet set with small black pearls (worth 7,500 gp) and a coral and-pearl necklace (worth 2,500 gp).

23. Scrying Pool

The central feature of this air-filled chamber is a semicircular basin 20 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep in the middle. Fresh water fills the basin. The raised stone lip surrounding the pool is 5 feet high and equally thick. A detect magic spell cast on the basin reveals an aura of divination magic.

The basin has 3 charges. As long as the water in the basin is unpolluted, a creature can touch the basin and expend 1 charge to cast a scrying spell from the basin. The subject of the spell appears in the water’s surface. The basin regains all expended charges daily at dawn.

The northwest wall has a giant-sized secret door set into it. It leads to a spiral staircase that climbs to area 31 and descends to area 6.

24. Study

This room contains a giant mussel-shell table and a large barrel that the giants use as a stool. High shelves made from the hull of a sunken ship stand against one wall. The shelves are lined with trinkets that the storm giants have collected from ships that were drawn down into the sinkhole (area 1).

Treasure

A golden astrolabe of gnomish design (worth 2,500 gp) rests on a 15-foot-tall shelf, alongside fragments and bits of machinery from some sort of large device or metallic vehicle (a gnome-built submarine, although the characters have no way to know this). Resting on a 20-foot-tall shelf is a magic item (roll on Magic Item Table G in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

25. Library

This room contains sturdy, floor-to-ceiling shelves made of petrified wood. Stacked on them are scores of 4-foot-diameter, 600-pound rocks engraved with Dethek runes (the Dwarvish script). These stones have various discoveries recorded on them, including the locations of shipwrecks, sahuagin strongholds, sea elf domains, and dragon turtle lairs. These rocks also record fables that are meant to be passed down from one generation to the next, including cautionary tales about the fall of ancient Ostoria and accounts of the giants' ancient war against dragonkind. Other stones have prayers and ancient rituals inscribed on them, most having to do with the worship of Stronmaus, the patron god of storm giants. A few of the rocks have spells etched into them.

Treasure

Five rocks have the following wizard spells inscribed on them: antimagic field, conjure elemental, fabricate, legend lore, and stone shape. The rocks function like pages of a spellbook, but each weighs 600 pounds. A character who has a spellbook can record these spells in it.

26. Uthor’s Quarters

This submerged cave belongs to Imperator Uthor. Beds of kelp grow here and there, and three giant clams rest on the uneven floor. The clams' contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar).

27. Stores

If music is being played in area 14, it can be heard in this room. The storm giants keep their food supplies here, in crates, barrels, and anemone chests. Some of the food was collected from shipwrecks, some from hunts. The crates and barrels mostly contain lobsters, crabs, and fish, which the giants boil or eat raw. Food waste is put in the anemone chests to be slowly digested.

Any loud noises here awaken the giants in area 29 and alert any giants in area 14.

28. Kitchen

If music is being played in area 14, it can be clearly heard in this room. The storm giants prepare their own food here. The cave contains two mussel-shell tables and four anemone chests where food waste is discarded and slowly digested. Steam rises from a pool of bubbling hot water where lobsters and crabs are boiled alive.

Any loud noises here awaken the giants in area 29 and alert any giants in area 14.

29. Sleeping Guards

Unless they have been awakened and drawn elsewhere, two sleeping storm giant float in the middle of this submerged room, their limbs wrapped in kelp to keep them from drifting. They awaken if they are attacked or otherwise disturbed. The giants are sensitive to water currents, so that any creature that swims through the cave must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity (Stealth) check to avoid waking the giants.

Treasure

This room contains three giant clams and an anemone chest. The clams' contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar). The anemone chest holds 1d4+1 shark-bladder sacks. Each sack contains 1d4 × 100 pp.

30. Mirran’s Tower

30A. Living Room

The walls of the living room have images of giant jellyfish and giant eels carved into them, and bioluminescent lichen growing on the jellyfish makes them glow. A crystal window facing the interior of the stronghold provides a clear view of the swirling vortex, the sinkhole, and the other towers of Maelstrom’s upper level. The mussel-shell tables in the middle of the room are covered with platters of boiled lobster, as well as edible urchins and fish, while shelves and cabinets hold various knick knacks. Hanging on the north wall is a greatsword with a whalebone handle and a blade lined with shark’s teeth.

If her life is threatened and she is forced to retreat to her tower, Mirran arms herself with the greatsword mounted on the wall, and considers her next move while gazing through the crystal window. She is too proud to flee Maelstrom and give up what she believes is her birthright.

30B. Bedchamber

Mirran’s bed has a carved coral frame and a mattress made from soft lichen, covered with dyed kelp blankets. A tall wardrobe holds her clothing, some items made from fabric and others from kelp. Mounted on the inside of the door is a coral-framed mirror.

30C. Treasury

Mirran keeps her treasure here, mostly plundered from shipwrecks. The chamber has two anemone chests, four large crates, and a 500-pound barrel holding 50 gallons of ale.

One anemone chest contains seven pieces of jewelry sized for a giant, including a whalebone tiara inlaid with mother-of-pearl and precious gemstones (worth 2,500 gp), three pearl necklaces (worth 2,500 gp each), a pair of pearl-studded coral earrings (worth 1,500 gp for the pair), and a platinum necklace adorned with shark’s teeth (worth 1,500 gp).

The other anemone chest contains 600 pp and 1d4 magic items. Roll on Magic Item Table G in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the first item, and on Table D for any other items.

The first crate contains twenty bolts of fine silk (worth 250 gp each). The second crate holds a wooden chariot with gold wheel-caps (worth 500 gp). In the third crate are thirty 10-pound sacks of saffron (worth 150 gp each). The fourth crate contains a well-packed dining room furniture set consisting of a large table and eight chairs carved from dark wood and inlaid with gold; the set is worth 2,500 gp but is awkward to transport.

31. Nym’s Tower

31A. Hot Bath

The walls of this room are painted to look like a bright coral forest. Five steam mephit swim in a pool of salt water in the floor. Their bodies generate enough heat to warm the pool. Steam fills the room and clouds the crystal window that overlooks the sinkhole to the southeast. The mephits jeer at strangers but are too lazy to fight except when forced to defend themselves.

Shelves along the walls contain various worthless knickknacks that Nym has collected from shipwrecks, including a few human skulls with barnacles on them.

31B. Bedchamber

The frame of Nym’s bed is made from wood salvaged from shipwrecks and covered with supple, spiny octopus hide. The “mattress” is made of shark hide stuffed with lichen, covered with blankets of dyed kelp. Flanking the bed are two wardrobes. The western one holds billowy garments made of fabric and kelp. The eastern one has a coral-framed mirror hanging on the outside and holds many pairs of leather sandals (on shelves) and a large, unlocked trunk containing Nym’s personal treasures.

Treasure

Characters who search the trunk find 500 pp, four coral bracelets (worth 250 gp each), a black coral torc set with two red pearls (worth 2,500 gp), and 1d4 magic items. Roll on Magic Item Table G in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the first item, and on Table B for any others.

32. Serissa’s Tower

32A. Living Room

A wide crystal window offers a breathtaking view of the vortex, the sinkhole, and the other towers of the stronghold. The window has kelp curtains that are tied back with strands of rope. Hanging on the walls are tapestries made of kelp and seashells, woven by sea elf hands. A 10-foot-tall shelving unit under a tapestry on the north wall holds various knickknacks retrieved from sunken wrecks. Other furnishings include two mussel-shell tables and a pair of anemone chests. One of the anemone chests holds discarded food waste that is slowly being digested. The other is lined with a shark’s bladder and contains dozens of edible sea urchins.

Treasure

Characters who inspect the knickknacks on the shelves find 1d3 magic items. Roll on Magic Item Table F in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the first item, and on Table B for any other items.

32B. Bedchamber

Serissa’s bed is fashioned from barnacle-covered wood salvaged from a shipwreck, with sheets made from sails and a stitched-cloth mattress stuffed with roc feathers. Other furnishings include a wooden wardrobe full of clothing fit for a giant-sized princess, some items fashioned from fabric and others from kelp; a shelf lined with fifteen treasure chests recovered from shipwrecks; and a coral-framed mirror hanging on the door.

Treasure

Serissa uses the treasure chests to hold her giant-sized jewelry. One chest contains two pearl necklaces (worth 2,500 gp each) given to her by her mother. Another contains a purple coral diadem adorned with pearly seashells (worth 750 gp), three matching coral bracelets (worth 750 gp each), a coral ring that magically changes color at its wearer’s whim (worth 250 gp), and a kelp necklace with dangling shells (worth 25 gp).

33. King’s Tower

This tower belongs to the storm giant king and queen. At the top of the spiral staircase is a magnificent hall with an arched ceiling, guarded by a storm giant who stands stiffly in the hall’s middle. The giant hurls lightning at intruders before charging them with sword drawn. He remains here unless ordered elsewhere by Uthor.

Two doors on the east wall open into storage rooms (area 33A). A door on the west wall opens into the royal bedchamber (area 33B). In the southwest corner is a door leading to the king’s private den (area 33C).

33A. Storage Rooms

Barrels of fine wine, large crates of food, and a cabinet packed with coral plates and utensils are kept here.

33B. Bedchamber

The frame of King Hekaton’s bed is fashioned from dragon bones, with a massive coral headboard carved with a scene that depicts a storm giant king impaling an ancient blue dragon through the skull with a trident. The mattress is made of kraken hide stuffed with roc feathers, with sheets made from the sails of sunken ships. A great barrel of wine stands next to an enormous wooden wardrobe filled with royal garb fit for a king and queen.

Treasure

The bed’s headboard is an extraordinary work of art worth 50,000 gp intact. It is 20 feet long, 20 feet tall, and 5 feet thick, and it weighs 7,500 pounds.

33C. King’s Den

A wide crystal window affords a majestic view of the vortex, sinkhole, and other towers of Maelstrom. Whales, sharks, and schools of fish swim impassively by. Mounted on the north wall of the den are the stuffed heads of an adult red dragon, an adult white dragon, and an adult dragon turtle. The walls are further festooned with spears, tridents, and nets sized for a storm giant, all on proud display. Other furnishings include a pair of giant mussel-shell tables, a 500-pound barrel of salt, and a crate overflowing with shucked giant oyster shells.

34. Guard Post

Nine giant crab inhabit this underwater cave, which also serves as a watch post for two storm giant. The crabs pose no threat unless attacked. The giants leave periodically to patrol the waters around Maelstrom.

The cave contains three giant clams. The clams' contents are determined by the Giant Clam table (see the “Maelstrom: General Features” sidebar).

Character Advancement

The characters don’t gain a level at the end of this chapter and are still 9th level when they begin chapter 11, “Caught in the Tentacles.”