Hall of the Fire King

The Fire Giants’ stronghold, built into a mountain containing a volcano. Currently the party’s location as of session 33.

Current State

The hall has been devastated by Vecna’s punishment (~3 days before the party arrived). The Fire King failed to protect the Rod of Seven Parts after Lux stole it and teleported away. Vecna sent asteroids from the Red Moon carrying slaads and aberrant monsters, then opened a ritual portal directly to Allabar for a full-scale incursion. Almost no fire giants remain — dead or possessed.

Key Areas

Exterior / Entrance

• Front door — the party considered walking straight in but were warned off by Lux’s Aasimar guardian angel
• A swarm of lava beetles and a three-headed hellhound (aberrant-corrupted) burst from the entrance — defeated by Guts, Alora, Kaial, Reaghl, and Lux
• The hellhound’s presence signals the demonic/aberrant infestation within

Hidden Entrance

• A crack in the mountain on the outskirts of the fortress
• Found by Lyra and Arawn while scouting
• Near the entrance: giant “mousetraps” — wheels of flesh (fire giant or human) set by the giants to trap the wererat pests
• Two wererats ambushed Lyra and Arawn here — one killed, the survivor became [[Wawwen]]

Wererat Lair

• Back room where Wawwen’s wererat family lives in squalor
• Fled Baldur’s Gate about a decade ago after being cursed
• Contains a hidden room with a crate of loot including a Scroll of Resurrection
• Unexplored loot behind the Fire King’s throne — party did not retrieve it

Ritual Hall

• Giant hall where a ritual was cast with sacrifice to create a portal
• Lux’s ritual Detect Magic revealed powerful magic
• The mechanism: asteroids from the Red Moon carried slaad tadpoles → tadpoles created runes/sigils on pillars → opened a ritual portal directly to Allabar → more forces flooded through
• Trojan horse infiltration — asteroids were the breach, the portal was the floodgate
• Lux investigated the sigils extensively but was reluctant to touch them

Throne Room

• Site of a devastating battle
• Constitution saves required to enter — Far Realm warps perception of space
• Walls and floors appear as flesh and muscle, almost breathing
• Space stretches and distorts
• Pile of destroyed fire giant bodies
• Fire King flayed and turned inside out — head on a spike atop a mass of blood, bones, and remains
• Loot behind the throne — Guts could have reached it but the party retreated
• Party retreated without engaging

Interior Descent

• Caverns and pathways descending through the mountain into the volcano
• 4-5 Intellect Devourers patrolling (defeated by Nemesis)
• Wawwen guided them through this section

Volcano Interior / Star Forge

• ~10 levels high on the inside of the volcano
• Star Forge at the base — see locations/star-forge.md

Far Realm Presence

• Ritual portal from Allabar (the Red Moon) in the ritual hall
• Aberrant-corrupted hellhound at the entrance
• Far Realm creatures possessing fire giant bodies
• Intellect Devourers on patrol
• Reality warping in the throne room — Far Realm corruption spreading
• Fleshy tethers binding the ancient white dragon at the Star Forge