With the remorhaz egg safely kept warm on a cart pulled by Lariat, the adventurers return to the storm giant hall. As they pass through the surrounding encampment, they attract an admiring crowd of ogres and orcs, who are astonished to see them return in triumph. Upon entering the great hall, they are greeted warmly by the storm giant chieftain Brunvild. Their success elevates them in his eyes from barely-noticed smallfolk to worthy allies. He agrees to go with his cloud giant cousin Blagothkus and others of their camp to dig out and repair the fallen castle. It will take some time to organize the repair party, so the adventurers decide to take this opportunity to visit the dwarven settlement of Mkoz. An uneventful day of travel brings them to the great doors of the dwarven stronghold, where their letter of introduction from the Council of Waterdeep wins them entry. Ulrik speaks with their leader, Durro Thuldoun, who has little interest in the doings of giants and sky castles, but would appreciate any assistance in protecting his trade caravans from marauding orc raiding parties. The storm giants offer "protection" that is in truth little more than tribute, as the giants also rule over the orcs. The party can see no obvious way to resolve the situation, but promises to consider any alternatives that present themselves. Leaving Mkoz behind, the party travels across the snowy waste toward the castle crash site. Along the way, they spot a strange area of elemental vents, and Malkior takes some time to investigate it. He learns that the area was created by a long-ago miscast spell, causing elementals to spawn randomly to this day. The information is of little more than academic interest, but the wizard is nonetheless pleased by his discovery. When they arrive at the fallen castle, the adventurers find the repair work well underway. Another day of effort should see it complete, and Blagothkus is full of plans to take the castle north to find his cloud giant brethren. He plans to gather their forces and take the castle directly into the heart of the Well of Dragons, where the Cult is headquartered. This strikes the adventurers as a foolhardy plan, but for the moment nothing can be done to dissuade him. They also mention the dwarven caravans to Brunvild, but he shrugs off their concerns as unimportant. Soon the encampment settles down for the night. A few hours before dawn, the alarm is sounded by the lookouts! A huge gathering of orcs, at least 200 strong, is outside the walls. Their leader Gru-Nar demands that the giants surrender the castle, and further that his people be freed from their tyranny. Brunvild laughs at these demands, confident in his strength that has always overwhelmed the orcs in the past. But the orcs have new allies - the Cult of the Dragon! With the balance of power shifted, the outcome of a battle is no longer certain. The giants ask the adventurers to protect the lower caverns, while the giants hold the walls. Down in the ice caverns, the party is confronted by a probing attack of about a dozen orcs. A quick fireball from Malkior wipes out most of them, and sends the rest scurrying back to their army! But a second assault, with twice as many attackers, is soon to follow. Another fireball does some damage, but the survivors continue forward and throw so many javelins at the wizard that he is gravely injured! Fortunately, Ulrik is equal to this challenge and restores the wizard, and a few more spells and attacks from Lariat turn back this assault. Communication with the giants above reveals that the walls have also been attacked, but are holding for the time being. The orc leader has seen enough, and declares an all-out assault. More than a hundred orcs rush forward, together with many Cult warriors. But the adventurers have had time to survey the terrain and develop a plan. Ulrik casts a spell to summon stinging insects, Malkior lays a patch of deadly black tentacles, and Lariat anchors a defensive line of ogres. The first few waves of orcs come through the cavern entrances, but none survive to break through to the castle interior. As the orc attack continues, an ogre messenger comes from Blagothkus. He requires the party's aid on the walls, for not one but two white dragons have appeared and attacked! Leaving the ogres to hold off the orcs, the adventurers rush up and into the courtyard. There they find Blagothkus and Brunvild engaged with one dragon, while another is defeating ogres and destroying parts of the castle. Further, a group of cult warriors has followed the dragons and harries the giant defenders. Malkior lets loose a fireball at the second dragon, which draws his attention in the form of an icy breath that catches the entire party! Ulrik's healing skills are once again put the test to get the adventurers back into the fight, and a desperate melee ensues. The giants hold off their foes long enough for Malkior to relocate to safer ground, Ulrik to position himself for support, and Lariat to dig in to stand her ground against cultists and dragon alike. The giants are overwhelmed before they can fell their foes, but Ulrik is able to heal them from a distance, giving them just enough opportunity to land the final blows against one dragon and several of the cultists. Meanwhile, Malkior and Lariat continue to strike at their foes at every turn. It takes nearly every resource they can bring to bear, but finally the dragonborn warrior is able to strike the final blow against the second dragon. With both dragons fallen, the cultists and orcs lose their nerve and flee. In the aftermath of the battle, the gratitude of the giants to their allies knows no bounds. Brunvild names them honorary storm giants, an honor granted so rarely it is nearly unheard of. Blagothkus promises that he will bring his allies to the Council to coordinate their attacks, abandoning his foolhardy plan of attack. With the dragons defeated and the cult forced into retreat, their mission is a success!