Ulding's Keep (Settlement)

## Ulding's Keep

* Artwork
* Map

Ulding's Keep was a cloud giant bastion atop the mountain of the same name within the Ironfangs.

## Description

Perched at the summit of the tallest mountain in Ahlus, with which it shares its name, Ulding's Keep, the cloud giant city historically claimed the ability to travel through the skies with speed and ease, but had since run aground, unable to fly any further. Owing to grievous damage to Buoyancy Forge, an arcane machine that relied on the consumption of magic items amongst other components, the city ran aground, and over the course of many centuries, slowly crumbled away until all that remained was a singular bastion mounted to the mountain itself occupied by but a handful of cloud giants.

## Notable Features

The remaining structure of the bastion was based around a central drum tower, with rounded extensions facing roughly north, south, east and west respectively, and a spire and domed hallway set to the top of the central structure to further bolster the verticality of the bastion. Built to accommodate giants, Ulding's Keep proved difficult to navigate for a number of adventurers, owing to doors nearly thirty foot tall, their handles twelve feet off the ground, and stairs featuring steps around four foot high.

### Central Drum

Split over three internal floors, the Central Drum on Ulding's Keep contained much of the living quarters and private chambers of the residents. The lowest floor contained the audience chamber in which Histrove held court from a large marble throne set with gemstones, with rooms immediately adjacent serving as a private sitting room and a guest bedroom for visiting dignitaries - although at the time of an adventuring party arriving in 134WD, it seemed the latter had not been used for some time.

A floor up, the main hallway connected to the eastern landing porch, with the chambers of the castellan Uktan located nearby. Likewise located on this level were the kitchens operated by the ogres Brak, Regg and Zork, and their sleeping chambers, with access to the gardens further up in the keep by means of a hollowed out tree growing between the floors and carved into a huge spiral staircase. A large room dedicated to storage of food provisions and building materials also existed on this level.

The upper level of the central drum was, by comparison to the others, bathed in far more light, with large windows looking out from the bedchamber of Cirrus, a library filled with rare tomes, a large sitting area of lounge chairs and a viewing room filled with art pieces and other treasures. Also on this level a large iron portcullis opening to the sky and cloud beyond gave access to the holding cages of riding griffins, albeit all shrouded in an aura of *Silence* to spare the adjacent library from their continued squawks and cries. To the north and south, this level opened up to the lawns atop the North and South Batteries, respectively.

Atop the Central Drum was a large lawn area with a trio of telescopes mounted upon its walls. At the centre of the lawn was a domed hall covered in vines and other plant growth, contained within a teleportation circle for ease of transportation. The tree carved into a spiral staircase for sake of navigation also bloomed into this lawn, as well as three-storey spire housing Histrove's private chambers and a disused navigation suite.

### North Battery

Adjoined on the northern edge of the Central Drum was a two-storey structure mirrored in architecture with the South Battery. The lower level, connected to corridors leading to the audience chamber, contained the main armoury and barracks of the remaining garrison. A level above this, a trio of mounted ballista and their ammo overlook the approach to the north, with staircases connecting the level to the Western Bulwark and the barracks below.

Atop the North Battery was a large lawn with a telescope mounted for sake of scanning the horizon, as well as a marble and granite Dragonchess board with humanoid-sized playing pieces wearing ornate plate armour, and a large water fountain with spouts shaped like giant scorpions.

### South Battery

Extending out from the southern edge of the Central Drum was another two-storey structure that outwardly matched the North Battery. While the upper level was identical, featuring a trio of mounted ballista and stairs connecting to the Western Bulwark. However, the lower level instead was home to the Buoyancy Forge, a large arcane machine that at a time held the city of Ulding's Keep aloft, having since failed - resulting in the gradual collapse of the city, and the stranding of the bastion atop the mountain. The device served as the central focus for Histrove, prompting her to send out agents through the Ironfangs to steal and collect up magic items of all kinds, the primary fuel source of the Forge. Also on this level was a room converted into a makeshift cell which, at the time of adventurers exploring the Keep in 134WD, housed the red dragon Brightember.

### Western Bulwark

Facing west, the Western Bulwark featured a battery of three heavy-duty ballista pointing out to the northwest, due west and southwest, with corresponding telescopes mounted immediately above them on a long and arcing thick stone wall. Stairs connecting to both the North and South Battery were found on the lower level, as well as doors leading to the barracks and armoury.

### Eastern Porch

Flanked by a pair of square towers filled with hammocks and nets housing the numerous aarakocra that served as the mobile guard unit of the Keep, the Eastern Porch was a large landing area of some eighty-foot square that easily held the flying mounts of those visiting the keep. Flanked by a pair of banners depicting the Coat of Arms of the Mistress of Mists, the main doorway was highly ornate, depicting a vast sprawling city in the clouds.

## History

Formerly ruled by the Runekeeper Cirrus, leadership of the settlement of Ulding's Keep was seized by his more martially-minded sister, Histrove, who promptly started a campaign of stealing and collecting magic items from across the Ironfangs in an attempt to stockpile fuel to repair the Buoyancy Forge contained within the Keep. After staging a number of raids on the Great Conduit, her actions garnered the attention of a group of adventures from Amber Run who clashed with the Halterslate Raiders. Later still, Histrove's efforts once again were met by an exploring adventuring party, who responded to pleas of help from the residents of Vottyrmoor, finding it to be a trap set to lure in adventurers to claim their magic items for the same purpose. Subsequently, with aid from the Galerider Guild, a group travelled by means of Welkin mounts to Ulding's Keep to put an end to the plots definitively.

In place of the grand city expected, the party found instead a single bastion, all that remained of the settlement after the faltering of the Buoyancy Forge. According to the cloud giant Cirrus, much of the population had given up on the settlement long ago, departing for elsewise lands, leaving the dregs of the guards, young giants with less to no true combat experience, forcing his sister Histrove to instead rely on ogres from the surrounding lands and aarakocra for the majority of her schemes. After hunting down Histrove, the party engaged in bloody combat with the giant, eventually slaying her and her castellan Uktan. After a heated debate about what to do with the captive dragon contained within - Brightember - the party moved to depart, collecting up the spoils of their efforts.

Before departing however, the adventurers Ashewan Norvegicus and Elinor noted that Histrove's glaive, Dayspring, possessed the ability to damage the Tellurian Fragment, and thus posited that it may be a Remnant Weapons, ancient artifacts of divine power. Upon seeming to shatter the Fragment, a large earthquake was subsequently triggered, sending the remainder of the cloud giant settlement shattering into pieces, the bastion of Ulding's Keep sundered as it fell to the mountain valleys below.