G1 - Upper Level

The map shows the huge timber stronghold of the local clan of hill giants. All outer walls are of logs of at least 1 meter in diameter. Inner walls dividing roams and the like are about 50 cm thick, and doors are great iron-bound log affairs of 1 meter thickness-single doors being approximately 2.20 meter wide and 2.20 meter high. All inside floors are of stone. Ceiling height varies from about 5 meter at the edges to 10 meter at the center, and there are great blackened rafters above which hold up the roof. The steading is in a nasty damp area, where hard rain is a daily occurrence and wet fogs a nightly event. All wood in the place is very damp (normal fire has only a 2% chance per round of burning or setting the place afire, and even magical fires have only an 8% chance per round of the same). If the party should manage to set the upper works of the steading aflame, they will be forced to wait a week before trying to discover a way into the lower (dungeon) level, for hot embers will prevent entry before this period of time. All loot from the upper works is lost in such a fire, but all giants from location 11 of the upper level escape to safety in the lower level, going to location 26.

A standard die roll is required to open all doors because of their great size and weight. Doors stay open if left that way. Fireplaces are indicated but the location of cressets and braziers are not. Location 22 is an open stockaded yard, while rooms 23 – 25 are an outbuilding which is connected to the main lodge by a huge palisade of tree trunks 1 meter in diameter and 10 meter tall.

Giants’ Bags: There are numerous occasions when bags and chests are searched by the party. The contents of these containers may be determined randomly by using the table hereafter. The number of items in the bag or container is simply determined by rolling 5d4 to obtain a random number of items between 5 and 20. A roll for each item is then made on the Contents Table (following). If any item would be duplicated, roll again to select a replacement.

Giant’s Bag Contents Table

Upper Level Wandering Monsters

Western Sections (West of Great Hall) (Encounter 1 in 10)

1. 4 – 12 Orcs rushing to get shields for planers.
2. 2 Hill Giants from room 11 going to sleep off a drunk.
3. 3 Ogres from room 11 going to get one of the guards.
4. 1 Hill Giant from room 11 taking a stroll.

Great Hall to Room 11 (Encounter 1 in 8)

1. 1 – 4 Hill Giants heading from room 11 to Room 13.
2. 1 Cloud Giant from room 11 heading for front gate.
3. 2 Stone Giants from room 11 heading for front gate.

Eastern Section (Encounter 1 in 12)

1. The Hill Giantess coming from room 11 to get her Cave Bear in Room 7.
2. 1 Hill Giant with 1 – 4 Dire Wolves from room 22 going to room 4.
3. The Chief and 2 Ogres going to get some trophies from Room 6 to show off in the Great Hall.
4. 2 – 8 Hill Giants (Young) from room 3 heading through room 22 to raid the pantry (room 18).

Upper Level Room and Areas

1 · Entry and Cloak Room

The place is bare, but there are many pegs along the walls, and various items of giant outerwear (capes, cloaks. err.) and bags hang from them. Use random bag contents for any opened. Noise could alert those at area A or B, below:

1. Two snoring hill giants are supposedly guarding the entrance. There is a nearly empty keg of ale between them. Unless attacked and slain immediately, any molestation will enable one to alert the other guard at B. There is 1 chance in 20 that any well-planned scheme to kill them will fail, otherwise they can be slain simultaneously and quiet maintained.
2. Steps leading up to the watch tower where another hill giant guard is dozing. A flagon which contained mead is at his hand. An iron hoop and straight bar hanging on ropes from a rafter above will alert the place if struck together. The giant wears a belt with a gem-set gold buckle. The six gems are worth 100 gp each and the gold in the buckle is worth 100 gp; but as a piece of jewelry the complete item has a value of 1,400 gp.

Encounter: Hill Giant Guards [3]

2 · Sub-Chief’s Room

This place contains a scattering of furnishings-hides on the floor, a bear skin on the wail, a chair, a stool, a huge chest, and a vast bed mounded with furs. On a shelf 9 feet above the floor are a beaten silver comb set with four pearls worth 50 gp each (total value 300 gp), a copper mirror (worth 200 gp), and a large gold hair pin set with a 500 gp pearl (800 gp total value). Under the furs on the bed is a sleeping giantess who will awaken on a 1 – 4 (on 1d6) or if a loud noise occurs in the room. The chest contains 980 cp, 320 sp, and 1,500 gp.

Encounter: Hill Giantess

3 · Dormitory

Here 12 young giants are rollicking and beefy smacks, shouts, and laughter are easily heard. All these creatures have weapons and fight as ogres. Noise from here is regarded as the kids having fun. There is no treasure, but by wearing the young giants’ garb, with suitable padding, the party could pass as the youngsters if not seen closer than 20 feet.

Encounter: Hill Giants, Young [12]

4 · Barracks

The snores of two soundly sleeping giants can be heard among the 10 beds and 10 chests in this room. There are items of clothing hanging from walls and a couple of torches are smouldering in wall cressets. No treasure is in the room, save a small pouch in the first chest searched, which will contain 110 pp.

Encounter: Hill Giants [2]

5 · Maids’ Chambers

Four giantesses are in this room, and there are the usual furnishings about the place. Only the nasty old matron (the strongest of the group) is inclined to fight, but she dominates the others. If the matron is slain, the three others do not fight, and even cooperate with the pang by describing rooms 8, 9, and 10 (the chiefs sanctums) and telling how to get there safely if they are allowed to have the matron’s hoard of treasure. In an iron chest under the matron’s bed are three bracelets (worth 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 gp), 3,000 gp and 4 potions (extra-healing, hill giant control, healing, poison). The maids do not particularly want the potions.

Encounter: Hill Giantesses [4]

6 · Hall of the Chief

Numerous interesting things fill this place. There are two tables, five chairs, two stools, and rugs, hides, and skins on the floors and walls. The tables have pottery flagons and platters on them, and pots and kegs are all about the place. There are trophies on the walls: heads (various animals and monsters), skulls, skins, and some arms and armor. Directly across from the fireplace are eight shields, one of which is a shield +3, but only a detect magic spell will reveal it as such. There is a brass jar on the mantle of the fire-place, but it has no value. A skull there is also valueless, but inside is a large gem worth 2,000 gp. (One of the kids was playing with it and stuffed it inside the skull, and it has been forgotten.)

7 · Chamber of the Chief’s Wife

Solka, wife of the chief, is in the great hall (room 11) but this room contains her pet cave bear which acts as a guard and will immediately attack any intruder, for it can smell the person at the door. The bear makes no noise.

There are a bed, small table, chair, stool, two chests, a coffer, and rugs, hides, and the like in the chamber. The chests contain only clothing, as she wears her jewelry, but hidden in the straw mattress is a leather pouch with 29 gems in it: one jacinth (5,000 gp), three emeralds (1,000 gp each), four topaz (500 gp each), eight amethysts (100 gp each), five zircons (50 gp each), and eight agates (10 gp each).

Encounter: Cave Bear ​“Snookums”

8 · Chief’s Chamber

This room is hung with rugs and skins and there are hides on the floor. There is a bed, two chairs, a small table with a tun of cheap wine on it, an old shield and some of the chiefs weapons (in the corner), a chest with his clothing, and other clothing hanging on pegs. A thick chain (for his cave bear) is set into one wall. Nothing of value is in the place.

9 · Arms Room

This is the location of the better trophies and personal armor, shields, and arms of the chief. There are also four huge fur capes. Although there is no real value to most of the items herein, there are five javelins of lightning wrapped in an old rag which is stuffed under a cloak thrown into a far corner and shielded from sight by three spears and a club leaned against the wall in front of it. Of the other dozen or two items in the place, only one of the capes, a giant otter fur (worth 2,000 gp) has any value to the parry.

10 · Small Dining Room

This room is also used for the council meetings of the chief. It contains a long table, a great chair, a lesser chair and six stools. There are several shelves, a smaller table and chair and some miscellaneous items (a mug, some paper scraps, an old knife, a rock paper-weight. etc.). There are hides on the walls and floor. The secret door to 10A is merely a hidden door concealed behind a manticore hide hung on the wall. A rough skin map of the area, showing past and planned raids, hangs on the wall opposite the fireplace.

10 A · Secret Room

Several scroll tubes are concealed in this room, under a stack of logs in the alcove to the northwest. Only one tube has anything in it, this one being sealed and marked with a triangle containing a Y. Inside is a set of instructions on the next raid, written in giant and signed ​“Eclavdra.” Also in the tube are the plans for the Steading, but this plan does not show the lower level. Note that the steps lead to the secret area at the dungeon level.

11 · Long Hall

This 80-foot long passageway is dim, shadowy, and generally deserted and ignored, for all of the feasting and fun is beyond in the Great Hall. A few torches burn smokily along either wall.

Great Hall

This place contains trestle rabies, benches, stools, and so forth. To the north of the fire pit (where a whole ox, two sheep, and four pigs roast) is a higher table where the chief, his wife, a cloud giant visitor, the sub-chief, and the three stone giant visitors are seated. On the wall directly behind the chief is a small ballista which he uses as a cross how. It fires spears and there are six there. Barrels and kegs of ale, beer, and mead stand here and there. All of the tables are full of various sorts of meat, cheese, bread and drinking containers (horns, mugs, cups, etc.). There is singing, talking, laughing, shouting, arguing, wrestling, joking, and the like going on, so the place is a veritable din of noise.

Various servants and orc slaves will be entering the Great Hall from the west. For the moment, however, the following creatures are present:

Encounter:
Nosnra, Chief of the Hill Giants
Solka, the Chiefs Wife
Other Hill Giant revelers [20]
Cloud Giant
Stone Giants [3]
Ogres [8]
Cave Bear ​“Throat-ripper”

Each giant wears 1 – 4 pieces of jewelry worth 200 – 1,200 gp each. Each ogre wears 1 – 2 pieces worth 200 – 800 gp each. The sub-chief, the chief, and his wife each wear 4 pieces worth 1,000 – 8,000 gp each. The chief’s pet bear wears a collar studded with six small rubies (total value 1,000 gp).

12 · Arsenal

Herein are 30 helmets, 26 shields, 22 spears, nine clubs, and three great axes, all suitable for giant use but none of any use to little folk (such as PCs).

13 · Weapons Room

Spears, shields, clubs and axes are abundant here-no fewer than 12 of each (all sized for giants, of course). There are four great swords (two-handed with respect to man-sized creatures), two huge iron maces, and a sheaf of 6-foot-long spears that giants use for javelins. All shields are against the walls, and behind the seventh one checked is a magical war hammer +2. One other hammer is out of sight in a corner, and it is seen by close inspection. This weapon has a magic mouth spell placed on it to speak to a dwarf: ​“Here’s a kiss for you, runt!” so until it has spoken it will radiate magic very strongly.

14 · Main Guest Chamber

The cloud giant and the three stone giants (now at #11) are lodged here. There are six beds, four chairs, four stools, seven chests, and two tables in the room. Various skins and hides cover the floors, several hang on the walls, and there are giant garments on several pegs. All found are worthless, as are the contents of all chests and the four hags tucked under the beds. One torch burns smokily in the west end of the room in a wall sconce; at the other end is what appears to be an unlit torch but it is actually a giant slaying sword belonging to the cloud giant, and if it is touched the special illusion is dispelled. The sword is unique, with 14 intelligence and 8 ego, it speaks the languages of hill, stone and frost giants in addition to Common and its alignment language (Neutral Good). It can detect enemies, but has no other powers. It is a +2 weapon. +4 vs. any type of giant.

15 · Common Room

The place has 12 cots, 10 boxes, four stools, one table, two benches, and various odds and ends, all of which are of absolutely no value.

16 · Common Room

This place is almost identical to #15, with a few cloaks, some hides on the floors and walls, and so forth. A small chest on a stool in the northeast comer of the room contains some dwarven and elven ears, and one of them contains an earring set with a gem (of 100 gp value).

17 · Kitchen

This is a typical giant kitchen with counters along the walls, several tables, benches, a stool or two, and various items for cooking and baking (pots, ken, bowls, knives, forks, spoons, ladles, spits, and so forth). There are 29 orc slaves about the place who will tun away from any strong-looking party. The five giantess cooks and 11 young ogre servants will also run, but they will call for help. There is nothing of value. (See #18, below for further details of the items about the place).

Encounter:
Hill Giantess Cooks [5]
Ogre Servants [11]
Orc Slaves [29]

18 · Kitchen Workroom

This is also a ready storage area and eating place for servants. There are three tables, a long counter, stools, benches, and kitchen gear about. There are numerous sacks, boxes and barrels containing flour, dried meal, dried fruit, honey, ere. Various cheeses, smoked meats, and sausages hang from the rafters. There are several casks and tuns of ale, beer, mead, and wine. Loaves of bread are stacked on one table.

18A This is a storage room with more provisions as above, as well as the stairs leading to the lower level.

19 · Servants’ Quarters

This large common room has various sixes of cots, tables, chairs, stools, and the like, it is cluttered with old clothing and junk. In it are six giantess maids (non-combatants) and a relatively handsome giant warrior, who will immediately do battle in order to show off for his admirers. He will not raise a cry for help unless brought to half his original hit points or less. On the round this happens, he will raise help by shouting with a 60% chance each round of being heard. (This giant is the dire wolf keeper of area 22, and he has a whip hanging beside the door to the east. The whip need only be shown to the wolves to make them cower and fail back).

Encounter:
Hill Giantess Maids [6]
Hill Giant Hero

20 · Orc Slave Quarters

This hall is a messy and smelly place filled with pallets and junk. All but two of the slaves are working elsewhere, the two in this place being too injured (since giant kicks break bones) to labor. They will happily aid a pasty which will spare their lives and set them free. These orcs know about the rebellion in the dungeons and they will tell the party that any orcs they see there should be hailed as friends. Otherwise, they know only the kitchen area and the Great Hall.

Encounter: Orc Convalescents [2]

21 · Ogre Quarters

The hill giants employ ogres for scouts, messengers, servants, and the like, for the ogres are trusty flunkies as well as hard workers and fighters. In addition to those in the Great Hall and the young at work in the kitchen area, there are five of them here playing at knucklebones and drinking small beer. Amid the heaps of skins on which they sleep (there are 22 such heaps) is hidden a leather sack (heap 15) containing a potion of storm giant strength and a delusion potion. Locked in a great iron chest with the key held by the strongest ogre (now at #11) are 955 sp, 705 gp and 79 pp. The strongest ogre in the room wears a gem (worth 1,000 gp) on a thong around his neck. The creatures have 381 cp as stakes for which they are playing. Noise from this place will attract no attention whatsoever.

Encounter: Ogre Flunkies [5]

22 · Open Compound

Fourteen dire wolves run free here, and they will immediately attack any non-giant or non-ogre entering their area. If they see the whip (room 19), however, they cower and make no sound, but otherwise they howl and bite!

Encounter: Dire Wolves [14]

23 · Guard Room

There is a huge horn to wind to call the dirt wolves. It rests upon the small table in the center of the room. There are eight stools and two benches along the walls. A sheaf of 18 spears is by the door. A line of seven giant-sized shield and four clubs stands along the south wall. No creatures are in the room.

24 · Barracks

This room contains 10 beds, 10 chests, 10 stools, two tables, one bench, and miscellaneous junk. There a few hides on floors and walk. Several broken weapons and dented helmets are strewn about. The place is deserted.

25 · Barracks

This roam is identical in contents to #24, above.

1. This alcove off the barracks belongs to the sergeant of the guards who is now feasting. There are three chests in this area, all filled with clothing and equipment for the troops and himself. A sack on the wall holds giant-sized boots, and one at the bottom holds 1,300 gp and 8 tourmalines (worth 100 gp each). Another sack under the cot contains old (worthless) helmets.

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