What is the Nightstone? (Storm King's Thunder - minor spoiler)

[imaginary]

I could use some help.

In the Storm King's Thunder campaign, the "bad guys" (to avoid too many spoilers), steal the nightstone. But as far as I can find, nowhere in the book does it actually say what the nightstone is or what makes it so significant. Did I miss something?

Additionally, some of the characters' backstories are connected to the nightstone, and they are from the very village from which it was taken. So it would be helpful to have a clear understanding of what it is, and what has happened to it. And I could use some help or ideas that might fit into the larger story (or not at all)?

Thanks!

[DarkKnightJin]

If the Acq Inc live shows are any indication.. The Nightstone, from the eponymous town, is a guard against dragon attacks. If a dragon lays eyes on the stone, the become mesmerized by it, and are effectively 'stunned', or 'paralyzed'.

But, that's what I gleaned of it from the PAX live shows with Chris Perkins. And he's known to alter thr adventures he runs so people watching the shows and decide to play them in person, don't necessarily know everything beforehand.

[mephnick]

I don't think it's ever listed anywhere in the book what it is, but the guys taking it are obsessed with dragon artifacts so it's probably something like mentioned above. It's basically just a plot device that goes nowhere (like half the stuff in SKT) to get the players into the game. Everyone seems to love SKT, but I think it's horribly written. I basically just homebrewed the whole thing so that it would make some sense. Just make something up and maybe put it in Sansuri's castle as a nod back to it or something. I like the dragon repellent idea.

[DarkKnightJin]

I don't think it's ever listed anywhere in the book what it is, but the guys taking it are obsessed with dragon artifacts so it's probably something like mentioned above. It's basically just a plot device that goes nowhere (like half the stuff in SKT) to get the players into the game. Everyone seems to love SKT, but I think it's horribly written. I basically just homebrewed the whole thing so that it would make some sense. Just make something up and maybe put it in Sansuri's castle as a nod back to it or something. I like the dragon repellent idea.

It'd make sense to build a town around a rock that seems to keep dragons at bay. One less thing to worry about.

[Douche]

Where did I get the notion that it was a shard of the Vonindod?

That's totally what I thought it was... My rationale was that the cloud giants came to steal it to deprive the fire giants of it.

[dejarnjc]

Everyone seems to love SKT, but I think it's horribly written. I basically just homebrewed the whole thing so that it would make some sense.


I'm considering running SKT soon and I really liked the open worldness of it. I know there are some silly things like the main antagonist having horns and not changing her names but is the rest of the campaign that bad too?

[Biggstick]

You can do anything you want with the Nightstone. Unnamed Cloud Giants are the ones who picked it up, and who knows what they've since done with it. It's your call as the DM to continue building off of it or to let it fall by the wayside.

As someone else said, SKT makes introductions that eventually come to nothing. I'm currently running STK, and my Players captured Xolkin (sp) and Kella and brought them to the authorities in Waterdeep. These two NPC's got off with their "crimes," and the PC's found out. Kella has since run into the party twice, and Xolkin once in different places across the Savage North.

[Aembrosia]

On the bottom of page 12 there are suggestions for adding new plot threads with giants. One of which is a cloud giant using the nightstone as a material component in an apocalyptic spell. I combined that with the frost giant seeking the orb of dragonkind suggestion.

Iymrith needed relics of ostoria to gain an audience with Anam. She made a deal with Sansuri in order to aquire one - thus Sansuri sends cloud giants to fetch the nightstone. The residents of the town were correct, it was indeed a relic of a bygone era. I too pay attention to chris perkins. The nightstone repels dragons. The orb of dragonkind attracts dragons. If we have both in the same place that sounds a lot like dictating the comings and goings of dragons. What better way to prove myself and honor my ancestors, sansuri thinks, than to enslave dragons? I think i will keep this nightstone. Skylord Andrimon! I have a mission for you. I require the orb of dragonkind. I will see that when the ordning is restored we cloud giants assume our rightful place at the top...

I have been dming storm kings thunder like its a second job. I can hardly tell anymore what i made up and whats actually written in the book. You can be a pessimist and say its a horrible story devoid of plot and inherent character incentive. Or you can be an optimist and say its an unceasing pot of smooth soft clay desirous to be worked around the diverse personal goals of your player characters. Or you can be a realist and assume its both but mostly the first because of average reading level.