40,000 years ago, Gianthold was the capital of the Lost Empire of the giants on Xen'drik. Protected by the fortress of Gianthold Tor, the giants of Gianthold learned mighty magics, trained fearsome soldiers, and created great works of art. But Gianthold was destroyed by the dragons of Argonnessen. Only the dragons themselves remember this event well, and their historians believe that the giants brought about their own downfall by misusing the magical secrets entrusted to them by the dragons. This is true -- but it is only part of the story…

The Stormreaver was a hero of the disastrous war against Dal Quor, and when faced with imminent defeat, he turned to his most powerful ally – an old dragon whose true name is lost, but whose wisdom had earned him the epithet, "the Truthful One." The Stormreaver forged a pact with the Truthful One, who was approaching the Twilight and his death: They would sacrifice their lives to power a great spell, the Reaver's Bane, which would turn all of Xen'drik itself against the Quori.

In his heart, the Truthful One regretted this decision. He considered the giants an inferior species, not worthy even of sacrificing the last few years of his life. His resentment pushed him into a fateful decision. When it came time to cast the spell, instead of truly dying to cast the Reaver's Bane, he sacrificed only his body. The Truthful One then claimed another dragon's corpse for his spirit. The Stormreaver died, but the Truthful One became a dracolich.

The Truthful One’s spirit became dark with corruption, and this darkness infected the magic of the Reaver's Bane. Although it successfully destroyed the Quori, it also poisoned the magical currents of Xen'drik. For the next thousand years, curses and disasters swept across Xen'drik. The dragons blamed the giants for failing to cast the Reaver's Bane correctly. The giants blamed the dragons for helping to cast the spell, but refusing to help repair the damage.

Relations between the dragons and giants continued to worsen. The drow elves rebelled against their giant masters, and the giants were slowly pushed out of their strongholds across Xen'drik, finally retreating to Gianthold. It seems the only thing that was agreed upon was that the Stormreaver would return to hold the Truthful One to his promise.

Many years later, a long-forgotten giant sorcerer -- corrupted by the Truthful One -- attempted to cast the Reaver's Bane again in an attempt to wipe out the Drow. The dragons could not allow this to happen. They cast a terrible curse upon Gianthold, wiping out the last refuge of the giants and satisfying the Truthful One's insane hatred of all giant-kind. The Truthful One now dreams of founding an undead draconic nation in Xen'drik -- and he plans to use the dragons of Argonnessen to clear his path to power.

Today, the Ruins of Gianthold are a magically-poisoned wasteland. Only traces of the city's original architecture survive, although Gianthold Tor still looms above the shattered landscape. Monster camps litter the area, and the most powerful tribes have carved out living spaces in underground ruins.

Gianthold itself has recently been occupied by hordes of monsters who worship The Stormreaver hero, hoping to exploit his future victories when he finally returns.