Introduction - Storm King's Thunder

Introduction. You are about to embark on a great adventure that pits heroes against giants bent on reshaping the world. Storm King's Thunder is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure for four to six player characters. You can start the adventure with 1st-level characters or 5th-level characters. Either way, the characters should reach at least 11th level by the adventure's conclusion. Because giants figure prominently in the story, at least one character should be able to speak and understand the Giant language. The adventure takes place in the Forgotten Realms, specifically in a region known as the Savage Frontier, in the northwest corner of the continent of Faerûn. Nonetheless, you can easily adapt the adventure to your home campaign by changing the names of various locations and factions. We recommend that you read the entire adventure before attempting to run it. This introduction begins with an "Adventure Background" section that summarizes the events that set the adventure in motion. The "Running the Adventure" section tells you everything you need to know to run the adventure smoothly. That section also presents guidelines for character level advancement, outlines the flow of the adventure, and describes its major challenges. Once you've reviewed this material and are ready to run the adventure, proceed with chapter 1, "A Great Upheaval," if the characters are starting at 1st level, or chapter 2, "Rumblings," if they are starting at 5th level. Adventure Background The Savage Frontier (also known as the North) is a cold, rugged, sparsely populated land of snow-capped mountains, rocky hills, sprawling forests, and foggy vales. Isolated strongholds, ancient burial mounds, and the ruins of many forgotten empires dot this vast landscape. Bounded by the Sea of Swords to the west and the desert of Anauroch to the east, the Savage Frontier extends as far north as Icewind Dale and as far south as the town of Daggerford. Old roads stretch across this great expanse, linking...