Storm King's Thunder

dispositions. Few Uthgardt are willing to trade with BLACK RAVEN TRIBE
civilized folk. Most are vicious raiders who pillage and
destroy any caravan or homestead they come across. The Black Ravens claim the icy foothills west of Mira­
bar, as well as the Ice Lakes and the land west to the
Uthgardt barbarians take their name from Uthgar Frozenfar. They like to prey on caravans that travel the
Gardolfsson, a great hero-chief who battled giants and Northern Means and the Blackford Road. Black Raven
conquered much of the North before ascending to god­ warriors often ride giant ravens (use the giant vulture
hood. In addition to revering Uthgar, each tribe vener­ statistics) into battle. The Black Ravens share their
ates a totem animal spirit after which the tribe is named. spirit mound at Raven Rock with the Gray Wolf tribe.
The great chief of the Black Raven tribe is Ojin Vonins­
Numerous Uthgardt tribes have been vanquished over dottir, a cold, heartless woman with an ore-skull helm.
the years, and at least one tribe previously thought to
be extinct has returned in force. There are currently BLUE BEAR TRIBE
eleven known Uthgardt tribes scattered throughout the
North. Each tribe claims a vast tract of wilderness as its The easternmost of the Uthgardt tribes, the Blue Bear
hunting grounds-territory that often overlaps with the tribe was thought destroyed more than a century ago.
hunting grounds of other Uthgardt tribes as well as land Recently, clans haunting the High Forest have emerged
claimed by civilized races, ores, dragons, goblinoids, and begun to spread throughout Delimbiyr Vale, from
and other monsters. Encounters with Uthgardt barbar­ the Nether Mountains to the northern edge of the High
ians can occur almost anywhere in the Savage Frontier. Moor-territory unclaimed by their Uthgardt rivals. The
Blue Bears are careful to stay hidden when traveling to
Uthgardt speak their own language (called Bothii), and from their spirit mound at Stone Stand, preserving
which has no alphabet. Each tribe is made up of sev­ the myth that they are extinct. The tribe's great chief is a
eral widely scattered clans, each with its own chieftain canny old woman named Kriga Moonmusk, who travels
and tribal shaman. The chieftains of a particular tribe in a fur-draped chair carried by four tribal warriors.
choose one among them to become the great chief of the
tribe, with power comparable to a monarch. ELK TRIBE

Uthgardt barbarians bury their dead under cairns The Elk tribe (no relation to the Reghed barbarians'
and earthen mounds. These burial sites are scattered Tribe of the Elk) wanders the Evermoors and the land
throughout the North in out-of-the-way places. Each north of the Dessarin River, between Yartar and No­
Uthgardt tribe also has a single spirit mound that is sa­ anar's Hold. The Elk barbarians shun civilization. Their
cred to its people. A spirit mound is where members of spirit mound is a rocky tor in the southeastern Surbrin
the tribe gather to revere Uthgar, honor their ancestors, Hills called Flint Rock. The Elk tribe's great chief is
make sacrifices to their totem animal spirit, and choose Rond Vaarson, an old, battle-hardened warrior who
a new great chief when the old one dies. The Uthgardt has spilled so much blood that he no longer craves it.
believe that their ancestors trapped their totem spirits Younger chieftains are waiting for him to die so that
under these mounds so that they and their descendants they can vie for the honor of being his successor, but
could commune with the spirits and gain their power. Rond doesn't plan on leaving this world anytime soon.

Uthgardt barbarians fear magic so much that they will GRAY WOLF TRIBE
attempt to kill and dismember spellcasters they meet.
Tribal shamans are not attacked because their power The Gray Wolf barbarians are murderous werewolves,
comes from the spirits of their dead ancestors. (See ap­ which roam in packs with ordinary wolves. They hunt
pendix C for more information on Uthgardt shamans.) down and kill those who survive their attacks to prevent
the spread of lycanthropy among non-tribe members.
Uthgardt hunt and forage for food. With one notable Gray Wolf packs (as the clans call themselves) can be
exception among the tribes, they don't build houses or found throughout the North, as far west as the Sword
permanent settlements, preferring a nomadic lifestyle. Coast and as far east as the Delimbiyr Vale. Adventurers
from Neverwinter recently slew the last great chief of
Of all their enemies, Uthgardt barbarians hate ores the Gray Wolves, Syken Nightblaze. Envir Sykensdottir
most of all. Even rival tribes will unite against a ram­ has taken over her father's pack and plans to attack
paging ore horde. The Uthgardt treat giants with similar Neverwinter to prove that she should be named the next
contempt-the legends of the barbarians are replete great chief of the tribe.
with tales of how evil giants slew their ancestors and
threatened Uthgar's rise to godhood. GREAT WORM TRIBE

BLACK LION TRIBE The Great Worm tribe has fallen under the sway of a
brutal chieftain known as Wormblod. The tribe's spirit
The Black Lion tribe prowls the northern Silver mound is located inside Great Worm Cavern, in the
Marches and the Druarwood, protecting its spirit Spine of the World. Wormblod and his tribe strike out
mound at Beorunna's Well (which it shares with the from this cavern only occasionally to defend their ter­
Red Tiger tribe). The Black Lions have been known to ritory, which includes the surrounding mountains, the
raid poorly defended homesteads for food and supplies Fell Pass, the Frost Hills, the Lurkwood, and the north­
during harsh winters. The great chief of the Black Lion ern reaches of the Silver Marches. The Great Worms
tribe, Stellok Kolraavi, wears armor made from ore hide also venture into the Crags and the plains west of the
and has a fearsome reputation. His younger sister, Tysis Surbrin Hills when food is scarce. Wherever he goes,
Kolraavi, is a shaman and Stellok's only trusted advisor. Wormblod wages war and hoards any treasure he finds.
The siblings venerate Uthgar, and they have no tolerance
for diplomacy or for the trappings of civilization.

CHAPTER 3 I THE SAVAGE FRONTIER

GRIFFON TRIBE claim to it. Seriska Hungermaw is the tribe's great chief.
She is ruthless yet cautious.
The great chief of the Griffon tribe, Halric Bonesnapper,
is the great-grandson ofKralgar Bonesnapper, who was SKY PONY TRIBE
killed by ores many years ago. Like his ancestor, Halric
longs to wipe out the cities of the North, but his tribe During the War of the Silver Marches, Sky Pony bar­
has made too many enemies of late, and its numbers are barians harried and attacked ores that spilled out of
dwindling. The tribe still maintains a permanent walled the mountains. Great Chief Arnzan Vashk was badly
settlement in the Surbrin Hills called Griffon's Nest, but wounded in one such altercation, leaving him with an
it's more of a guarded encampment than the welcoming ore spearhead embedded in his chest. He refuses to
trading post it once was. The tribe's spirit mound, Shin­ have it removed and tries to hide the pain it causes, not
ing White, is northeast of the settlement, near an artery realizing that the tip of the weapon is close to piercing
of the Surbrin River. Some of the morejaded tribesfolk his heart and killing him. The great chiefs rivals are
believe that the Bonesnapper clan has lost Uthgar's circling and preparing to unseat him. The tribe's spirit
divine favor. Halric refutes such claims by staging bold mound, One Stone, lies in the Moonwood.
raids. Griffon barbarians venture as far west as the
Sword Coast and as far east as the Silver Marches, and THUNDERBEAST TRIBE
they are known to raid homesteads and ranches in the
Dessarin Valley north of Triboar and Yartar. The spirit mound of the Thunderbeast tribe, a bone­
strewn hill called Morgur's Mound, lies in the Crags.
RED TIGER TRIBE Members of the tribe have not visited the site in years,
and there have been no encounters with Thunderbeast
The ferocious Red Tiger tribe shares the spirit mound tribesfolk in what used to be their favored hunting
at Beorunna's Well with the Black Lion tribe, and the grounds in and around the Crags. Great ChiefHarthulk
two tribes are tenuous allies. Whereas the Black Lions Hornspear is a monstrous man with a terrible scowl
tend to avoid settlements in the Silver Marches, the Red and skin as cracked and tough as dinosaur leather. He
Tigers attack them often. They also prey on caravans has convinced all of the Thunderbeast clans to hide in
traveling along the roads while skillfully avoiding the the depths of the Lurkwood and is arming them for a
heavily fortified keeps built to watch over them. The "stampede" through the Surbrin Hills and the Dessarin
tribe even attacks boats on the Rauvin River from time Valley to the south-a bold thrust that won't end until his
to time. Recently, Red Tiger hunters have moved into the people or their enemies are all dead.
forests that surround the Silver Marches, and are even
making forays into elf-controlled regions of the High TREE GHOST TRIBE
Forest in an effort to find the Grandfather Tree and lay
After years of conflict with other Uthgardt tribes and the
elves of the High Forest, the Tree Ghosts have declared

themselves to be the protectors of the Grandfather Tree. ELVES
Rarely seen, these Uthgardt share the High Forest with
the region's native elves. Great Chief Boorvald Orebane, Sun elves and moon elves, like dwarves, live among hu­
true to his name, hunts ores and frequently launches mans in settlements throughout theNorth, particularly
attacks against the crude Iceshield ore-holds along the in Silverymoon. The elven kingdoms of old are distant
western edge of the forest. Boorvald has six sons and memories even to elves, and only a few ancient ruins
three daughters, each of whom was given an oathbow and relics of these kingdoms survive. Wood elves are
from the tribe's elf neighbors as a gift of friendship. known to haunt the forests of the North, the High Forest
Living among the Tree Ghosts are members of various in particular, but they are dangerous and xenophobic.
other Uthgardt tribes who found their way to the Grand­
father Tree and gained some measure of enlightenment, HALFLINGS
such that they have forsaken their tribal allegiances and
pledged to help the Tree Ghosts protect the tree. Small populations of lightfoot halflings can be found
in most human-dominated settlements of the North.
OROS AND HALF-OROS Scattered throughout the fertile valleys of the North are
small clusters of strongheart halfling homesteads. Hal­
The history of theNorth is replete with tales of ore fling homesteads tend to be off the beaten path and fairly
hordes spilling out of the mountains to attack the mines, well hidden, thus minimizing the halflings' contact with
ranches, farmsteads, and settlements of other folk. bandits, barbarians, and marauding monsters. It's not
Like the Reghed barbarians oflcewind Dale and the unusual to see a quaint hamlet of halfling homesteads
Uthgardt barbarians scattered throughout the frontier, nestled in a grassy ravine or along the shore of a river.
ores gather in tribes. When a particularly strong ore
chieftain unites multiple tribes under one banner, the re­ RANDOM WILDERNESS
sulting horde typically rampages across the land, laying
waste to strongholds and slaughtering other creatures ENCOUNTERS
in its path. Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians usually put
aside their territorial rivalries to oppose and destroy a Characters exploring theNorth are likely to encounter
rampaging ore horde. Civilized communities form their wandering monsters. Such encounters can occur as
own coalitions to combat rampaging ores, with mixed often as you like-but keep in mind that too many ran­
results. The War of the Silver Marches (1484-1485 dom encounters can bog down the adventure and cause
DR), the latest such conflict, saw ores fighting alongside players to lose interest in the story. You can roll on the
white dragons and frost giants. Though the ores and Random Wilderness Encounters table or choose an
their mighty allies were defeated and sent scurrying appropriate encounter. Each encounter is described in
back to their mountain lairs, numerous settlements more detail after the table. For guidelines on how to use
throughout the Silver Marches were ravaged and left in random encounters effectively, see "Random Encoun­
ruins, among them the fortress-city of Sundabar. ters" in chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Not all ore chieftains are bent on destruction: King If the characters are crossing terrain not represented
Obould Many-Arrows forged a tenuous alliance with his in the table, such as a swamp, you can create terrain-ap­
dwarf neighbors and helped maintain peace in the Sil­ propriate encounters by choosing creatures from the
ver Marches during his tumultuous reign. monster lists in appendix B of the Dungeon Master's
Guide. Chapter 5 of that book also contains a Random
Half-ores in theNorth are often burdened with the Urban Encounters table, in case the characters find
evil reputation of their ore cousins. It takes a half-ore of themselves exploring a town or city.
great character to step out of the shadow of evil and live
as an equal among the civilized races. BANDITS

SHIELD DWARVES A marauding gang of bandits confronts the party. The
gang consists of a bandit captain and 3d6 + 2 bandits,
Shield dwarves (also known as mountain dwarves) have all wearing cloaks and mounted on riding horses.
a number of strongholds in theNorth, including Citadel There is a 25 percent chance that the bandits attack
Adbar and Citadel Felbarr in the northern mountains, without provocation. Otherwise, the captain promises
Sundabar in the Silver Marches, Mithra! Hall in the not to attack in exchange for a toll (no less than 100 gp
Frost Hills, lronmaster on the Sword Coast, and Gaunt­ worth of treasure). If the characters pay up, the captain
lgrym under the mountains northeast ofNeverwinter. bids them a safe journey before departing peacefully.
Few non-dwarves live in these bastions of dwarvenkind.
Outside their walls, clans of shield dwarves are spread Sea. If this encounter occurs at sea, the characters
thinly throughout theNorth, to the extent that it's hard encounter a pirate captain (use the bandit captain stat
to find a settlement that doesn't include at least a hand­ block) and twenty pirates (use the bandit stat block) on
ful of dwarven residents. The dwarves' affinity for trade a longship. Longships have a speed of 3 miles per hour.
brings them in contact with other races; beyond that, If the vessel the characters are in moves at least as fast,
there's also a sense among shield dwarves that all of the they can successfully flee from the pirates. Otherwise,
North is their land, as evidenced by the ruins of long-lost the pirates overtake the characters' vessel and board
dwarven kingdoms scattered throughout. it, threatening to kill everyone aboard unless the char­
acters surrender the contents of their ship's hold. If the
characters comply with the pirates' demands, the pirates
transfer the cargo and flee with their booty.

68 CHAPTER 3 I THE SAVAGE FRONTIER

Treasure. Each bandit carries a pouch containing week. Carrion birds and one or two wolves pick at the
ldlO gp. The bandit captain's pouch holds 2d10 gp and corpses and flee if they are startled or attacked.
ld6 gems worth 100 gp each.
CLOUD CASTLE
BARBARIANS
The characters encounter a hostile group of Uthgardt The characters spot a giant castle in the clouds. The
barbarians consisting of 4d6 tribal warriors and an castle is drifting a mile above the ground and poses no
Uthgardt shaman (see appendix C). If the group has imminent threat. If this encounter occurs anywhere
twenty or more tribal warriors, add ld3 berserkers and near the Evermoors, the castle belongs to an evil cloud
a tribal chieftain (a berserker with 90 hit points) to the giant named Countess Sansuri (see chapter 9, "Castle
group. If the encounter occurs during the day, the Uth­ of the Cloud Giants"). Otherwise, the castle is home to
gardt are prowling the countryside while hunting wild ld6 + 4 neutral good cloud giants who are searching
game; if the encounter occurs at night, they are camped. for ancient ruins built by their ancestors. By finding and
rebuilding these ancient sites, the giants hope to please
Use the information in the "Uthgardt Barbarians" sec­ their gods and help cloud giants rise to the top of the
tion to choose an appropriate tribe based on the location ordning. These aloof giants have no interest in helping
where the encounter takes place. If these Uthgardt be­ small folk and prefer to be left alone.
long to the Gray Wolf tribe, use the werewolf statistics
for the chieftain and the berserkers, and give the chief­ CRAG CATS
tain 90 hit points. Also give the Gray Wolf chieftain ld4
wolves as animal companions. A group of ld4 + 1 adult crag cats (see appendix C)
hides and attempts to surprise the party. Due to their
The barbarians carry no treasure. natural camouflage, the cats have advantage on their
Sea. If this encounter occurs at sea, the characters Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
encounter ld3 longships, each with ten berserkers and
thirty tribal warriors aboard. One of the berserkers DIG SITE
serves as the captain. These hostile, bloodthirsty North­
folk raiders hail from Gundarlun, the Korinn Archipel­ A fire giant equipped with a rod of the Vonindod (see
ago, Tuern, or the Whalebones. The longships have a appendix B) has located a particularly large fragment of
speed of 3 miles per hour. If the vessel the characters the Vonindod and has tasked its minions with digging it
are in moves at least as fast, the characters can flee from up. The giant oversees ld4 + 1 ogres, 2d6 + 2 hobgob­
the barbarians and avoid an altercation. lins, and 2d6 + 10 goblins. The ogres are using ropes
to pull the 2,000-pound fragment out of a SO-foot-wide,
BATTLEFIELD 30-foot-deep crater. The hobgoblins scream at the ogres
to put their backs into it. The goblins lie around the out­
The characters discover the corpses of 3d10 Uthgardt skirts of the crater, picks and shovels scattered between
barbarians and ld4 frost giants. The barbarians and them. The goblins have spent the past several days
giants appear to have killed one another within the past digging the crater and are suffering from five levels of
exhaustion (see appendix A in the Player's Handbook).

RANDOM WILDERNESS ENCOUNTERS

Encounter Forest Grassland Hills/Moors Mountains RoadfTrail Sea Tundra
01-04 01-08 01-20
Bandits 01-08 01-07 05-24 01-10 21-40 01-15
25-28 09-13 16-19
Barbarians 09-18 08-32 29-30 11-15 41-50 20-22
31-35 16-32 14-20 51-70 23-35
Battlefield 19-21 33-37 36-38 33-35 36-41
39-41 21-28 71-80
Cloud castle 38-39 42-50 36-43 29-37 42-54
38-41 81-00
Crag cats 42-46 55-56
47-55 57-58
Dig site 22-29 40-46 56-64 59-70
Dragon 65-69 71-74
70-73
Elk 30-37 47-53 74-78 75-76
79-80 77-87
Elves 38-53 81-00 88-93
94-95
Fire giant 54-55 54-55 51-53 44-49 96-00
54-59 50-52
Food hunters 56-62 56-62 60-61 53-60
62-76 61-62
Frost giants 63-67 63-66

Hill giants 68-70 67-68

Horse-drawn wagon 71-75 69-75

Knight 76-80 76-78 77-80 63-64
81-85 65-66
Ogres 81-82 79-84 86-90 67-79
91-94 80-83
Ores 83-90 85-91 95-97 84-95
98-00 96-00
Ranger 91-95 92-95

Stone giants

Travelers 96-00 96-00

CHAPTER 3 I THE SAVAGE FRONTIER 69



























































MITHRAL HALL MAP 3.7: MoRGUR's MOUND

The ancestral home of the Battlehammer clan of shield SUGGESTED ENCOUNTER
dwarves is a nigh-impregnable vault beneath the Frost When the tooth is lifted from the hole, the ground trem­
Hills, with massive granite doors sealing its entrance bles as four animated thunderbeast skeletons erupt
and a host of battle-hardened defenders waiting beyond. from the mound and fight until turned or destroyed.
Despite its almost mythic reputation, Mithral Hall is They focus their attacks on whoever has the fire giant's
more of a stronghold than a city, with tunnels to other tooth. Each one has the statistics of an ankylosaurus,
dwarfholds hidden deep below its mines. with the following changes:

Bruenor Battlehammer gave up the title of King of • A thunderbeast skeleton can attack with its bite in­
Mithra! Hall for the third and final time when he set stead of its tail. Its bite attack has a +7 bonus to hit,
out to reclaim the lost dwarven city of Gauntlgrym. His has a reach of 5 feet, and deals 18 (4d6 + 4) piercing
handpicked successor, Dagnabbet Waybeard, now rules damage on a hit. Unlike its tail attack, its bite attack
Mithra! Hall as queen. A bold leader and a fierce war­ can't knock a target prone.
rior, Queen Dagnabbet firmly supports Mithra! Hall's
membership in the Lords' Alliance. • It has vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.
• It is undead and has immunity to poison damage, the
MOONWOOD
poisoned condition, and exhaustion.
See the "Glimmerwood" section. • It has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.

MORGUR'S MOUND MORNBRYN'S SHIELD

The spirit mound of the lost Thunderbeast tribe (see the Mornbryn's Shield, a village on the western fringe of
"Uthgardt Barbarians" section earlier in this chapter), the Evermoors, takes its name from the rocky, horse­
Morgur's Mound stands in the Crags and is named after shoe ridge that forms a natural rampart along the west
Uthgar's brother. The mound (see map 3.7) is shaped and south sides of the settlement, protecting it against
like a crude, long-necked, wingless dragon-the Uth­ flooding when the Surbrin River swells in the spring.
gardt impression of a thunderbeast. A ridge of dragon At the northeast end of Mornbryn's Shield is a small
bones juts from the head, neck, back, and tail of the stone keep with fire-hurling catapults aimed toward the
mound. Enormous cairns encircle the mound out to a Evermoors. Mornbryn was a ranger of some fame in
range of a quarter mile. Beneath them lie the bones of the North centuries ago, and legend has it that his trea­
revered Thunderbeast tribal warriors. sure-filled tomb is hidden somewhere close by.

The Thunderbeast tribe has not visited its spirit
mound in years, leaving it ripe for plunderers. Sev­
eral dig sites left by previous expeditions attest to the
mound's popularity among treasure hunters.

TREASURE
Superstitious members of the Thunderbeast tribe bur­
ied many magic items in their spirit mound so that they
could be watched over by the dead. Looters have un­
earthed nearly all of these items, leaving little else for in­
trepid adventurers to find. If the characters mount their
own archaeological dig, they might turn up something if
they're patient. They can either dig deeper at an existing
excavation or start their own hole.

A party member who spends 8 hours excavating be­
neath Morgur's Mound can make a DC 20 Intelligence
1nvestigation) check. On each successful check, roll

once on Magic Item Table B in chapter 7 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide to determine what is found. Only two

such treasures can be unearthed. The next party mem­
ber to succeed on the check finds a giant-sized tooth (see
"Ancient Relic"). Once the party finds the relic, further
excavations yield nothing of consequence or value.

ANCIENT RELIC
The character unearths a gold-plated fire giant's tooth,
which is an ancient relic of giantkind. The tooth is non­
magical and small enough to fit in the hand of a human.

CHAPTER 3 I THE SAVAGE FRONTil