The castle of the Inoqs
by LoZompatoreLocation: continent of Skhotar, 105 E, 60N
Description: This is a large cloud giants' castle built by the ancient Inoq family, floating above the Chela Massif, not far from Nentsun central coast. Inoq VII, the current ruler, is an old patriarch of an extended family of more than 90 giants. This family includes also a few frost and mountain giants employed as smiths, mercenaries and servants and some cloud giants from other important clans who act as ambassadors or brokers at Inuq VI's court.
This blooming settlement is the largest of the region and is an important trade hub for many other wandering cloud giants' castles, which more then often approach the Inoqs and exchange food and raw materials for refined goods to be traded with many other giants' communities across Mystara. The Inoqs are very accomplished weavers, blacksmiths, jewelers and crafters of magic items. An appreciated variety of giant barley (and the related beer) was introduced and cultivated on the cloud top a few centuries ago. Beautiful gardens and greenhouses are lovely maintained around the castle: exotic flowers and plants are collected to prepare exquisite scents very appreciated among cloud giants.
This family traces back its origin to Inoq I, the founder of the clan, who fortunately lived through the meeting between its ancestral home and the yellow, red and black clouds of the Great Rain of Fire. Inoq had some basics in magic, and this skill proved essential for survival in the hard times following the cataclysm. Soon a group of stranded giants gathered around Inoq who naturally became the leader of a new clan. Since then every leader of the Inoqs was selected among the most talented in both magic and trade skills. At first the Inoqs' residence was a crude castle named Aligak built on the top on Chela Massif's highest mountain, then it was moved on a suitable building on a large, stabilized bank of clouds when weather patterns stabilized and clan's magic skills improved. Aligak's ruins are still seldom visited by Inoq giants during special celebrations.
Since shortly after the Great Rain of Fire the Inoqs explored the numerous Thonian ruins of the highlands searching for food, metals and valuable items, and they never dropped this habit: flying scouting parties still roam the countryside collecting "abandoned" items with magic whirlwinds controlled by the giants. Even if most of the findings were melted or turned into more useful tools, a large collection of Thonian and Nentsun jewelry and magic items is stored in the most well-defended vaults of the large castle. A few daring adventurers managed to explore parts of the castle and return back with tales of untold treasures and untold treasures and mysterious items displayed in huge vaults.