Storm giant aerie of Lake Woe mountain The storm giant aerie of Lake Woe mountain was the home of a small tribe of storm giant s who played a significant role in the War of the Hart . Description . The aerie was located at the summit of Lake Woe mountain , which itself grew out of the center of Lake Woe . It was almost always covered in storm clouds ; when it was clear , thousands of birds tended to gather there . The aerie consisted of a fortress palace of spired buildings interconnected by elevated walkways , a few other structures , and a large garden park . The buildings were of course enormous , beings sized for giants . The spires were silver - plated and had alabaster roofs . The entryways to several of the buildings were covered in elaborate , many - colored frescoes and mosaics . Many stone statues of gargoyle s decorated the curtain walls . It was said to be one of the most magnificent palace complexes in all of Faerûn . Four manor buildings connected to each other by catwalks formed the bulk of the palace structure , and this was where the storm giants lived and socialized . They were relatively simple inside compared to the elaborate exteriors of the buildings . Two smaller structures housed the giant ' s servants . These buildings were smaller than the structures of the palace , yet they were otherwise equal in quality to the housing of the storm giants . The aerie included a large chapel to the goddess Hiatea . When it was not being used for worship , thousands of tiny birds covered the floor and ceiling of the chapel . The birds would vacate the building whenever any giant came to worship . The ruler of the giants was intended to live in a large manor building separate from the palace . However , after the War of the Hart , no giant was permitted to sleep in the building . At the opposite end of the aerie from the gatehouse was a large garden and arboretum , which at one time was one of the most beautiful gardens in northern Faerûn . By 1366 DR , the palace and the garden were beginning to show signs of decay . In addition to nests for thousands of birds , the aerie also had several roc nests , and the storm giants sometimes used them as steeds . A mooring bay had been established in the aerie , where visiting cloud giant s could anchor their cloud palace s and visit with the giants of the tribe . Massive , two - foot - thick rope for tying down cloud palaces was stored in a smaller shed nearby . Defenses . To creatures unable to fly , there was only one safe path down into the aerie from the steep ledges at the peak of Mount Woe . A massive gatehouse towered over a path leading from this passage in the rock toward the palace , but it was never guarded . The palace complex also included two watchtowers , which were so high that one could see over the clouds and down into the valley below . Culture . After the War of the Hart , the giants of the aerie were somber and brooding , living lives of self - punishment for their perceived crimes against Annam All - Father during the final battle of the war . Some of them turned to art and poetry as a means to expressed their deep emotions about the event ; others kept their emotions pent up inside , and it was this that magically caused so many storm clouds to persistently cover the mountain for so many hundreds of years . The giants had come up with several activities with which to punish themselves , including forcing themselves to go without sleep for several days , howling at the moon during the thunderstorms , or creating magical illusions of beauty to remind themselves of their losses . There was not much food on the aerie , and the giants were relatively weak — for storm giants — because of this . Government . The tribe of the aerie was ruled by a paramount , who was the most powerful giant in the local " ordning " . Otherwise , the giants there paid little attention to matters of rank , in stark contrast to their other kin . Because they believed so strongly in predestination , they did not make challenges to assume the role of paramount , and they thought that coveting such a position was a useless ambition . Instead , they relied on the appearance of sacred omens to determine when it was time for a paramount to step down and a new one to lead . History . During the War of the Hart , Hartkiller came to this aerie and challenged the then paramount to single combat . The paramount and Annam ' s final son engaged in epic combat for 100 days before ultimately each slew the other , ending the war . After the end of the battle , the tribe of the aerie realized that they had betrayed Annam All - Father . The new paramount issued a decree that none of the giants of the aerie was permitted to set foot on the surface world again until Annam redeemed them for their great sin . In 1354 DR , the reigning paramount stepped down when a dove landed on another giant ' s shoulder during the beginning of a large feast . This second giant became the next paramount . In 1364 DR , a feast was held in honor of one of the storm giants named Ramos , who was of second rank in the " ordning " at the time . During the festival , the sun shone for the first time in ten years , and this was seen as a sign that Ramos was to replace the current paramount — the one who had been " chosen " by the dove — as the new leader . By 1369 DR , Anastes had replaced Ramos as paramount . The titan Lanaxis summoned the tribe , and six of them heeded his call . Several of those giants were slain defending Lanaxis against armies of giant - kin led by Tavis Burdun , after which point , Anastes and Tavis agreed to end the battle . Inhabitants . By 1366 DR , only twelve storm giants and their servants occupied the aerie , unless they were being visited by cloud giants . The storm giants living there were of the violet - skinned variety . These giants included :