The Happy Childhood Bunch found themselves in the Eye of the All Father, the temple to the great god of the Giantkind. The main chamber housed an 80 foot tall statue to Annam the Allfather, with statues half as tall surrounding it representing the various types of giant; Frost, Fire, Hill, Stone, Cloud, and Storm. The statues had offering bowls filled with their elements, while their outstretched arms held out weapons associated with their culture. However, some of the statures were missing their offerings, and others were missing their weapons. An archway on the otherside of the room is filled with a swirling mist, and inscribed with runes.
Alphonse and Trowa are trying to think through their experience here, using their magical knowledge to piece together what this place might be. The mist in the archway is clearly magical in nature. Trowa and Alphonse think Bohdan should put their hand in the portal and see how their condition is affected. Bohdan isn’t on board with the idea, worrying about what can go wrong. Araboe is looking over the offering bowls and places frost from the ground into the bowl of the Frost Giant. It instantly fills and the frost rune on the portal lights up. She is able to walk through the portal and appears on the other side. Seeing this, Bohdan and Alphonse are okay with trying to reach through, but all they find on the other side is a stone wall. They are unsure where their new half-giant friend went.
Wyn, Trowa, Alphonse, and Bohdan start exploring other parts of the temple. To the north, they find a series of rooms that look to be where those that make the pilgrimage to this temple stay. Nearby, is a stone giant statue, with outstretched arms. While looking over this, Araboe is on the other side of the portal, and finds herself in the room of the Oracle. There, 6 more statues of the giants, each holding a lit lantern stand in a circle, at the center of which is a dead body, preserved by the frost pervading the temple. As she gets closer, a ghost rises from the corpse, and explains he was here to seek the oracle as well, but was betrayed and murdered. He’ll help Araboe and her friends, but advises her to bring them all together by fulfilling the dream of Annam. Otherwise, only a Giant who touches one of their own lit runes on the archway can enter. The Cloud Giant spear was piercing the ghost’s physical body, so Araboe took it.
Back in the hallway to the north, they find a crevice that opened in the mountainside, but opt to not explore much further than the opening. However, once they reach a specific part of the hallway, they activate a trap that sends a boulder rolling down the hall to crush them. They’re able to get out of the way, as a statue at the other end animates and starts taking the boulder back. Before they can activate the trap again, they quickly rush back, and avoid more danger. Instead they head upstairs where they find the remains of a thief who tried to steal the Storm Giant bowl. The group takes his bag of holding, and the bowl to be placed back at the statues.
With the offering for the Storm Giant placed before it, Trowa uses Chromatic Orb to fill it with lightning. Dirt and Fire were placed in the Hill Giant and Fire giant bowls respectively. This lit the runes, but did not change the portal. The cloud giant’s spear was placed back in the statue’s hands, which moved and clasped the weapon.
In the room to the south, the group found a place to clean and prepare food for the Giants. They noticed that while all the blood on the cleaning table is old, some was relatively newer, possibly 6 or 7 months old. More importantly, further in the room was the Frost Giant Statue’s weapon, and a gross, huge centipede like creature, sleeping in the corner. Bohdan snuck as quietly as they could through the room, and acquired the weapon in the bag of holding. With that in hand, they went back and placed it in the statue’s hands.
With all the statues of the Giant gods surrendering their weapons to Annam, and offerings in the bowls, the swirling mist in the center changed to a true portal into the room of the Oracle. The entire party was able to walk through. The group all together, the ghost was willing to help and share what he knew. His name was Eigeron, and in life he was the crown prince of the Cloud Giants. His father, Blagothkus, journeyed to the Eye of the All Father after cultists tried to recruit him. Eigeron is unsure what set his father on edge about the cultists, but at the Oracle, Blagothkus asked about the future of Giantkind. He was told that the ordning would be shattered, and Giants would seek to improve their standing against one another. When he asked if he would rise above his station, the oracle told him no, but that his son would be remembered as a great hero of Giantkind. In a fit of rage and jealousy, Blagothkus killed Eigeron and left his body there. The poor prince’s spirit has been here ever since.
He believes now is the time to help his Giant bretheren by telling the heroes how the Oracle works, and provide what support he can with the items he carried with him. The oracle will answer any question posed to it that is associated with the future of the Giants. Sometimes it answers more. Sometimes it answers less. Whatever it feels is necessary for the pre-destined outcome. Each time a question is asked, a lantern on one of the giant statues will go out. Once they are all out, no more questions can be asked. Eigeron’s transformation into a ghost left him hazy, so he is unsure of what causes the lanterns to be lit again. But when he finally came to as a spirit, they were all already lit. His own questions went unanswered after death.
With only 6 questions assured to them, the party must find the right questions to ask this infallible oracle.
