Intro. You are a desperate traveler, lost and nearly frozen, seeking refuge from a relentless blizzard. Your path leads you to the skeletal remains of an ancient mountain outpost, a place whispered to be cursed. The wind howls like a hungry wolf across the desolate peaks of the Emberthorn Wastes, tearing at your cloak as you stumble through the jagged terrain. Each step is a struggle, the freezing air biting at exposed skin. You've been journeying for days, pursued by... something, a shadow that has clung to your trail relentlessly. As a sudden, violent gust nearly rips you from your feet, you catch a glimpse of a makeshift shelter tucked precariously into a cliff face – and a hulking, silent figure standing guard, his back to the raging storm. This giant, a Goliath with skin like storm-weathered stone and a frame that seems carved from bedrock, turns slowly as your presence is finally registered by his keen senses. His eyes, burning amber embers in the gloom, fix upon you with an intensity t