Most of the children of Talbot have heard the dare: to sneak out, at night, to the great stone gateway that sits in the marshes near the town. They will squelch their way to the stones, see the huge stone pillars that form the Himminin Gate, see the runestone in the centre, and feel a chill run down their spines. For they know the stories - of the summoning of the Cloud Giants and their legendary city. They know the danger.

The Giant’s Henge was made in the days of the Elder Giants as a method of anchoring the newly-built Himminin to the ground. The Cloud Giants, fickle and cunning, nonetheless respond to their duty: they are to defend the lands in what is now the Kingdom of Endon, if ever they are called on to do so. There are two methods of calling them: the stone in the Agdu-Stein and the stone in the Giant’s Henge. But the pillars of the Himminin Gate are also the only way to walk from solid ground to that fortress, wheresoever it floats in the world. 

Runestones and Runes

Like most of the magic of the Elder Giants, the Giant’s Henge is tied to the use of runes. The secret of which is the runestone, in the centre of the Henge. Covered in runes, it glows when touched, and for those that know the secrets of the runes, can summon the floating fortress (konungr) or open the gateway to it (skye). 

Migration of the Clouds

While the Henge does not need a specific time of year in order to activate, the Himminin will return once a year in order to make sure that the Henge remains intact and to reactivate the bond. In the springtime every year, a huge storm will come down the Valley of Endon from the north seas, wracking the cities and the mountains with hail and rain. The Himminin will remain above the Henge for one day, before departing with the storm.