Day 260) 24 Hammer, 1491 DR
Last week we arrived back in Waterdeep and organised passage on a ship. Since word had come that the Dancing Wave had been wrecked by frost giants up the coast, we gave up on that idea and found the Kelpie’s Kiss. We made our way first to the Whalebones. We were attacked a couple of times by pirates, and both times we avoided damage to our ship and loss of life through Halani’s use of the Disintegration spell to ruin the sails of our foes, and a little bit of Chain Lightning from me.
We’re in the Whalebones now, getting supplies. Headaches and visions of my past life have haunted me today as we’ve come back to the place where I died. I wanted to go out and look around, maybe try and find the place where I died, or go looking for the massive birds called rocs we saw in the distance. But I’ve been too sickly, so that’s not going to happen.
Day 272) 5 Alturiak, 1491 DR
Have been to depressed to write. The night that I last wrote, I had an argument with Umbero. I can’t even remember what it was about, only that what was lying underneath was my mistrust of him following the revelation that he murdered me in my past life, and the bad mood the visions were putting me in. So when I woke up the next morning, he was gone.
We chased him down, seaching the Whalebones and even taking a half-week’s detour to go to Ruathym to find him. During that time I sorely alienated Halani and Harriana, and they refused to help me find him. In the end, when we reached that pirate port, I gave up. They were right. I could tell Aukanthi was only following my orders and would be happier to let him go. Ninya was the only one still agreeing with me that we should find Umbero. Then I gave up too.
It’s been another half-week since I gave up and the trail went cold. We’re back on track to finding my father now. The weather has been stormy. Ninya has not been happy to be on a ship. Everyone is generally low. Midwinter passed somberly while at sea. Hopefully if I apologise to everyone we can get back on track and rally.
Day 280) 13 Alturiak, 1491 DR
How things have changed. I hardly know where to begin.
We faced another six stormy days at sea before we reached the Purple Rocks. Then we faced another day of searching, having us all scout by flying through the storm. After finding the strange, squid shaped ship, we returned to the Kelpie to rest up and return the next day with our energy back at its fullest. Then we flew right in the next morning.
We were spotted about 300 feet above the ship. Cultists of what we were later to learn was some kind of kraken cult started gearing up the ballista. Their captain, a wizard, threw up a wall of force which Ninya and Aukanthi slammed right into. When the wizard managed to hit Halani with a spell, she fell on the deck and Harriana fell into the water where she was attacked by merrow. It was a pretty rough fight in some ways, because we all got slammed on the deck or on the wall, and Halani got targeted by the wizard, and got taken down twice. But ultimately we took everyone down, and got Harriana up on the ship.
Looking around the ship, we found the captain’s spellbook, which Halani was very keen to look at. Then soon after that we triggered a gorgon gas trap and Ninya and Harriana were encased in stone. Halani carried them around on a floating disc as we waited for the effect to wear off.
Meanwhile we found my giant father, King Hekaton, down in the hold, disheveled and chained with magical irons. We broke them, and then suddenly in his confusion he woke and started to attack us. But as I yelled at him in giantish, he somehow recognised me as his daughter despite time and reincarnation.
Just as we were reunited, the ship was attacked by the same kraken the crew had worshipped. We were taking heavy damage and it started trying to kill my father, so he blew the conch and we found ourselves, kraken-less, transported to Maelstrom, the palace of the storm giants.
I found it vaguely familiar. Poor Ninya was upset at her wet paws. We quickly hid in a spare room, dressed my father in a bedsheet, and rested up to regather our strength before revealing ourselves. He asked me if he had been a good father. I was only able to say he wasn’t a bad father, but he was distant, because the duties of state wore heavily on him. He said he was only doing what he thought was right, and yet everything had fallen and the Ordning was over.
When we finally left the room and when to the throne room, we found my sisters holding a music recital for some invited guests, an assemblage of noble giants of every race (except hill giants, sadly). They stopped in shock at my father’s entrance, but suddenly into the silence stepped another female storm giant I did not recognise. She accused my father of being an impostor. I realised this stranger had to be Iymrith in disguise, and as I accused her and ran to protect my father, she vanished.
Father arrested my sisters. There followed a busy period where we just stood there confused as my father sorted everything out around us. And then as everything began to settle, my father threw it all into disarray again when he abdicate the throne to me.
There was nothing for it. I ascended the throne. When I sat on it, it happened, just as I thought it would. I was myself again, my giant self, Princess Serissa.
I had only moments to think of my grand speech, and luckily I seemed to pull it off somehow. I cannot remember exactly what I said, only that the righteousness of Annam was behind me and I was for that moment shaping the reality we would all have to live in. I said that the Ordning had fallen because we had abused our superiority. Just because we are at the top of creation doesn’t mean we can abuse and ignore the lower beings. My experiences with the hill giants had proved that no one was stuck in their sphere of being forever, and through effort and righteousness they could rise. My experience with the fire giants and the frost giants taught me that arrogance could make you overlook the small things, to your detriment. We have to help and respect all beings and to maintain and improve creation, as the direct descendants of Annam. We have to work together with other beings. Even the good dragons – though not the bad ones!
It worked. Not only did it impress the other giants, but it did something I didn’t expect. It gave me my freedom. Afterwards when I spoke privately with my small friends, Ninya’s misery for losing her best friend made me start bawling, and suddenly I found I was small again. Perhaps because my speech was a message of unity between all beings, I can now transform between Genora and Serissa at will. It’s hard for me to grasp what all this means right now, but I feel like we have a much stronger chance of beating Iymrith now.
Source: Wizards (Storm King’s Thunder Campaign Guide)
Day 310) 13 Ches, 1491 DR
We’re finally ready to get back on the road. We’re going to go on our final diplomatic mission to the stone giants, and I’m going in human form, to give them a chance to prove that they can look past my appearance before announcing my real identity.
It has been a really busy month. Emissaries have come from all sorts of places, and giant friends have come to join my cause. Zephyros, Moog, and Ragmar have come, and lo and behold, Harshnag! He survived Iymrith, though he lay near death for some time after her attack.
I have updated Laeral and my human father on the situation. All goes well there. Also happily, the Kelpie’s Kiss managed to avoid the kraken, we found out from them. My sisters stayed under house arrest, and I have given explicit instructions that they not communicate with each other.
Also there have been a few nice surprises. We got some nice treasure in the form of weapons for the party. Also, I have a pet whale! It’s amazing that I forgot that.
My one regret is Umbero couldn’t be here to share in our triumph. I’ve asked Laeral to try and get an agent to find him and employ his skills for the cause of good. I can’t bear the thought of him slipping back into a life of crime.
Sky Bear Games 