Raso Resch Stevens Terror Beneath the Frozen Gate a Tier 1 Adventure for Characters from Levels 1 to 4

A Tier 1 Adventure for Levels 1 to 4 Terror Beneath TSamplehe Frozen Gfileate Raso Resch Stevens Terror Beneath The Frozen Gate A Tier 1 Adventure For Characters From Levels 1 to 4

Credits Contents

Designers: Joe Raso, Karl Resch, Jeff C. Stevens Introduction...... 4 Editor: Alan Tucker Chapter 1 - The Village...... 10 Layout: Joe Raso Chapter 2 - The Hunting Grounds...... 26 Cover Illustration: Petar Penev Chapter 3 - The Festering Abscesses...... 35 Commissioned Art: Fez Inkwright, Joe Raso, John Chapter 4 - Tunnels of Fear...... 42 Latta, Petar Penev Chapter 5 - The Broken Tower...... 47 Stock Art: Daniel Comerci, Daniel F. Walthall, Dean Chapter 6 - The Druid...... 55 Spencer, Earl Geier (Misfit Studios), Jack Badashki, Jeremy Mohler (Outland Entertainment), Louis Chapter 7 - Greenlings Unleashed...... 59 Porter Jr., Rick Hershey (Fat Goblin Games), William Appendix A - Meriele’s Crystal...... 63 McAusland (Outland Arts) Appendix B - Creatures...... 65 Art - Public Domain: Photoshoped wikimedia-files: 2013-10-22_ Appendix C - The Happy Wanderers...... 74 Psilocybe_cyanescens_Wakef_378614.jpg (by Caleb Appendix D - Art Listing...... 75 Brown) , Small Round Lidded Basket MET 36.3.60 EGDP016263.jpg (by Metropolitan Museum of Art), Arctic Fox file:Iceland-1979445.jpg (by Jonathen Pie) Background: Parchment texture by Seth Tomlinson, snowflake design by Fez Inkwright, page number box by Darrin Scott Cartography: Dyson Logos, Joe Raso Playtesters: Bob Anger, Cory Repta, Dave Caughlin, Mark Vickers, Mike VanHooydonk, Stuart Teather; Ava Vickers, Claire Raso, Julien Vickers, Mara Vickers, Sophie Raso

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon MastersSample Guild. file All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Joe Raso, Karl Resch and Jeff C. Stevens and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. Some artwork by Caleb Brown, Daniel Comerci - danielcomerci.com, Daniel F. Walthall, Darrin Scott (Inspired by Dungeons and Dragons products), Dean Spencer, Earl Geier (Misfit Studios), Fez Inkwright, Jack Badashski, Jeremy Mohler (Outland Entertainment), Joe Raso, John Latta, Jonathen Pie, Lewis Porter, Jr. Design, Petar Penev, Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art by Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games, Seth Tomlinson, William McAusland used with permission. All rights reserved.

2 About the Designers

Joe Raso oe Raso is a dad, a husband, and a long suffering DM who’s had the pleasure of gaming withJ the same group since his university days. Some of Joe’s recent publications on the Dungeon Master’s Guild include: The Great Dale Campaign Guide, The Seer’s Ruin in The Demon Wastes, the Toybound Avenger in Mist Kickers, as well as numerous articles in the Khyber Khronicle. You can follow him on twitter @_joe_raso and on his blog https://theschemingdm.wordpress.com Karl Resch arl is an artificer/cleric/bard who has adventured his entire life in the midwest. He Kenjoys playing games with his wife (losing often), teaching his daughter the sounds dragons make, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of his son this spring. He has been an alpha playtester for all released sourcebooks for 5e D&D. Karl’s published works include: Court of Stars: The Trinket Lord (Dungeon 205), Fear of the Dark, and he has contributed to three of Jeff Stevens’s collections with For Whom the Bell Tolls (Encounters in the Savage City), Blood in the Water (Encounters in the Savage Wilderness), and Alianthra, the Bloodthorn (Villains and Lairs II). He’s extremely thankful to have worked with Joe and Jeff on this project, whose encouragement and guidance were invaluable to the creative process. You can follow Karl on twitter @ArtificerAlf. Jeff C. Stevens eff is a freelance RPG writer and producer. By day, Jeff works in the financial industry and lives inJ central Missouri, US. Although not written in his job requirements, his work includes daydreaming about the next game session, the next adventure writing project, or the next Encounters project he’s going to tackle. Jeff’s has a number of best selling publications on the DM’s Guild, including Dragon’s Breath Tavern, Happy Jack’s Funhouse, Villains & Lairs, and the Savage EncountersSample series. file You can follow Jeff on twitter @Jcorvinstevens and his website at www.jeffstevensgames.com.

3 Introduction

elcome to the village of Joarl: an unassuming motte-and- bailey farming community whereW a mysterious enchantment has entrapped its inhabitants beneath a layer of ice. The story begins as the adventurers arrive at Joarl’s icy gates. Investigating the frozen community uncovers strange creatures and dangerous secrets hidden within. Terror Beneath the Frozen Gate is a Tier 1 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure. It is designed for characters starting at 1st level. Those who uncover the secrets of the frozen village and save its residents will likely reach 5th level by the end of the story. Story Overview

Terror Beneath the Frozen Gate is quest to free villagers of a remote settlement from their icy enchantment. The adventure’s plot can be summarized as follows: • As the adventurers explore the frozen village, they discover underground locations containing hidden and mysterious magical crystal fragments. • The adventure becomes a treasure hunt to recover the fragments and end the village’s icy enchantment. The melting ice, however, releases a terrible evil that the adventurers must contend with. Meriele’s ancient tower. Recent Events

The following is a brief summary of events that led to • Opportunistic cult leaders learned of the events Joarl’s current frozen state: in Joarl and tried to leverage the situation to summon a terrible evil. As the cultists began their • An ancient tower materialized in caverns beneath ritual, the druid realized the terrible truth of their the village of Joarl. Dark creatures trapped within activities. threatened the village, spurring its leaders to seek help from a powerful druid. • Desperate to stop the cultist’s threat, the druid unleashed a powerful spell, trapping • The druid discovered the tower harbored the the summoned evil beneath a layer of ice. remnants of a baelnorn, a good-aligned elven lich, Unfortunately, the druid and the villagers were torn apart by the magic that caused the tower’s also victims of the same icy effect. Sampleappearance. The druid sought to recover the file baelnorn’s enchanted crystal shards in hope of • The adventurers arrive a number of days later healing the creature. and discover the frozen village.

4 The Sundering Adventure Background Two great cataclysmic events brought Meriele’s ancient tower to rest below the village of Many millennia ago, a small elven community raised Joarl. These events were the First and Second a tower to store their village’s cultural treasures. Sundering, powerful and transformative incidents Meriele Parimon was a powerful elven wizard that affected all of the Forgotten Realms. who lived there and dedicated her existence to its protection. She transformed herself into a baelnorn, The First Sundering occurred nearly twenty a benevolent, lich-like creature, allowing her to watch millennia ago when elvish high mages created over the village’s legacy for generations. Evermeet, but in the process wrought havoc by remaking the very shape of the Realms. Unfortunately, after she completed her The Second Sundering is a recent world-shaping transformation, a cataclysm befell the Realms event. From 1484 to 1489 DR, a series of wars, reshaping the fabric of reality and spreading earthquakes, droughts, and floods brought woe devastation across the land. In a desperate effort to and misery across the land. Faerûn once again save the tower, Meriele cast a mighty spell. Her magic underwent a transformation, reversing many of ripped the tower from existence, sheltering it in a tiny the effects inflicted by the Spellplague a century demi-plane of its own. before. The Tower’s Return Though saved from destruction, time stood still for Solavar the Druid Meriele. She and her tower existed in the demi-plane void for millennia until another catastrophic event The druids of the Circle of Leth have long kept triggered its return to the Realms. The extra-planar watch over the lands surrounding the village of Joarl. space collapsed abruptly, materializing the tower They know of subtle twists in the Weave that make beneath the village of Joarl. The stress of the passage planar barriers weak in the area. They understood fractured the tower as it came to rest in caverns enterprising spell-casters might use these anomalies beneath the village. to more easily summon creatures from the outer planes. It was this twist in the Weave that caused Although baelnorn do not possess phylacteries as Meriel’s tower to materialize beneath Joarl. typical liches, Meriele had special ties to a large crystal of great beauty. As part of her transformation Solavar is a high druid and one of nine masters into a baelnorn, she invested this great crystal with a making up the second ring of the Circle of Leth. She portion of her essence. is tasked with watching over Joarl. Karvin and Inna Ickbert, the Joarl’s village elders, reached out to her The arcane upheaval that destroyed Meriele’s demi- for help addressing the terrors beneath the village. plane also splintered her treasured crystal. Its shards They agreed to keep the danger secret while the druid were scattered throughout the caves beneath Joarl. sought a way to address the problem. Similarly, Meriele’s physical form was rent asunder. She now exists as three separate entities haunting Mending the Crystal her broken tower, each a fractured piece of her Solavar entered the broken tower and survived the former self. shadow creature assault. Inside, she discovered A Terrible Discovery Meriele’s broken form and determined reassembling her treasured crystal might restore the baelnorn. She A series of earthquakes heralded the arrival of began scouring the subterranean passages beneath Meriele’s tower beneath Joarl. A pair of children were Joarl for more of the crystal fragments. the first to discover its arrival when the top of the tower broke through the basement floor of their small Fellowship of Theros cottage. They descended into the structure and were Newly arrived to the Great Dale is a loosely organized immediately attacked by shadowy creatures. Only one collection of cultists who are eager to delve into the of the children managed to escape. secrets of Dun-Tharos. They hope to petition with the A search party tasked to find the missing child was fiends that haunt these lands. The group splintered also assaulted by the shadows and one searcher fell from the Fraternity of Tharos in Impiltur after recent victim to the darkness. purges thinned their numbers. Power struggles among the surviving Fraternity members forced a RecognizingSample the terrible danger beneath the village, few to flee to the Great Dale. fileThese exiles are slowly its elders directed the farmhouse to be boarded up building a network of like-minded individuals within and sought the aid of a powerful druid who watched Uthmere, or the larger villages such as Lethgate or over the region. Solin.

5 The Circle of Leth The Circle of Leth is a druidic circle based in the Forest of Lethyr. It is arguably one of the most powerful orders of druids in all of Faerûn and is overseen by the Nentyarch, an archdruid of remarkable power. A little over a century ago, the Rotting Man, a half-fiend chosen of Talona, battled the Circle of Leth. The druids were forced to flee their tree-fortress at Dun-Tharos. Ultimately, the Rotting Man is believed to have fallen to the hordes of fiends he’d awoken. To this day, the Circle of Leth remains vigilant for evil-hearted individuals who might re-awaken the legacy of the Rotting Man.

People of Ill Intent Although the Ickberts’ had done well to keep the shadowy terrors beneath their village secret, eventually the story reached the ears of men with evil in their hearts. Among these was Gredd, a cultist who had visions of harnessing great power by summoning evil creatures as the Rotting Man had done a century prior.

After hearing of Joarl’s plight, Gredd gathered a group of followers and they made their way to the unsuspecting town. The Summoning A ten-day ago, Gredd’s collection of cultists arrived in Joarl, disguised as traveling performers. They entertained the village for a few days before five of their order began chanting in the center of the village. The villagers presumed this to be just another interesting spectacle and watched with anticipation. The Druid’s Terrible Choice In the caverns beneath the village, the druid Solavar had nearly finished gathering Meriele’s crystal shards. While there, she sensed a great evil being summoned in the village above. Determined to stop it, Solavar combined her magic with that contained in the crystal shards to unleash a powerful spell which sealed the extra-planar gate the cultists had opened.

Though Solavar’s spell succeeded, it also encased the entire village beneath a layer of ice. The druid is now trappedSample by the effects of her own spell, frozen until file outside help can arrive.

6 Adventure Structure

Terror Beneath the Frozen Gate consists of an The Crystal Fragments exploration of the frozen village of Joarl (Chapter 1), followed by a treasure hunt for Meriele’s crystal Much of this adventure is a quest to find fragments of shards in the subterranean caverns (Chapters 2 Meriele’s broken crystal. These items are detailed in through 5). Ultimately the adventurers may free the Appendix A, but a few key aspects of these fragments village of its frozen enchantment (Chapter 6), but are: must then contend with the terror released by the Emotions. Each fragment is imbued with a portion of receding ice (Chapter 7). Meriele’s emotions. Characters carrying one will feel Chapter 1 - The Frozen Village. The characters these emotions. arrive at the gates of Joarl and are confronted by Self-Seeking. The crystals want to find each other. its frozen mystery. After exploring the village, they Once a fragment is found, it will urge whoever carries should discover one of four entrances to the caverns it to seek out the other fragments. beneath the village. Pacing. Once a crystal fragment is found, the DM Chapter 2 - The Hunting Grounds. A cave outside can use it as a tool to guide players through the the village leads into natural caverns that wind under adventure. As a DM, you can decide how many the stricken town. fragments are needed to free Solavar and end the Chapter 3 - The Festering Abscesses. A secret door freezing enchantment on the village. beneath the Ickbert mansion leads to a series of old Crystal Fragment Common Abilities tunnels. These underground caverns contain two plant communities in conflict. Each of Meriele’s crystal fragments are unique manifesting one of the baelnorn’s emotions and Chapter 4 – Tunnels of Fear. Though the villagers granting a minor magical power. Additionally, they have kept secret the dark terrors beneath their feet, each possesses the following ability: they still fear them. This fear has grown over time, resulting in the spawning of a meenlock hive in • While holding a crystal fragment you are aware caverns. of the number of other missing fragments. You recognize the approximate direction where Chapter 5 – The Broken Tower. Meriele’s once they can be found and can sense their relative beautiful tower lies broken, buried under the village. distance from you - near (less than 30 feet) or far Her sundered form now haunts the structure. (more than 100 feet). Chapter 6 – The Druid. Solavar the Druid waits frozen in an underground cavern for someone to recover crystal shards that may set her free. Chapter 7 – Greenlings Unleashed. Adventurers who rescue the village from its freezing curse must contend with a terrible evil freed from the melting ice. Sample file

7 Character Advancement Adventure Hooks

You can track experience points as the adventurers Joarl is located in the Great Dale region of the defeat monsters, or simply allow characters to Forgotten Realms, although this adventure could just level up when reaching certain points within the as easily be placed in any remote village. adventure. The following descriptions provide possible reasons The Suggested Character Level Advancement for the adventurers to arrive at Joarl’s frozen gate. table provides recommendation of story points when Rumors of Evil. Rumors that a shadowy evil may leveling up may be appropriate. hide beneath Joarl have spread. Somehow word Table: Suggested Character Level Advancement of this has reached the adventurers. Perhaps clergy from a temple in the nearby city of Uthmere Character commissioned the adventurers to see if there is any Event Level truth to these tales. Arriving in the Village 1st Delayed Arrival. The adventurers may be Discovering an entrance to 2nd commissioned to find someone who traveled to Joarl Joarl’s underground but never returned. Possibly a merchant is waiting Discovering the frozen 3rd on a shipment of goods or a local healer desperately druid needs herbal ingredients found in the woods near the village. Finding the last crystal 4th fragment needed to end the Magical Anomaly. A sage studying the Weave noticed druid’s freezing spell a disturbance which appeared to emanate from Joarl. Defeating the summoned 5th The sage is intrigued to discover what could have greenlings caused this and sends the adventurers to learn what produced the disturbance. Encounter Balance We designed this adventure to include a variety of challenges for characters of levels 1 through 4. We wanted to create a “sandbox-style” adventure that gave players a chance to explore the environment however they wished. This provides a challenge when designing encounters. The unique mix of an adventuring group’s skills and abilities will dramatically affect how tough an encounter might be. To that end, the encounters in this adventure are NOT perfectly balanced. Some areas will seem relatively easy to skilled adventurers, while others could prove deadly, particularly to those who are unprepared. You have been warned! We expect you, the dungeon master, to make this adventure your own. Change that stat block, add more creatures, or skip encounters all together. We encourage you to chanage and Sampleimprovise everything we’ve written. file All that matters is making sure the players at your table, including you, are having fun.

8 Map of The Great Dale

The Great Dale The Great Dale is a land in the Forgotten Realms found within the Unapproachable East, a long journey from the Sword Coast. It is a land filled with ancient and terrible secrets waiting to be discovered. Here, powerful druids clash with the fiendish taint left behind by an ancient empire. Opportunity and intrigue await those who join the rush of factions seeking to control the rejuvenated city of Uthmere. Above all, the Great Dale is a land of adventure. This setting is fully detailed in The Great Dale Campaign Guide, now available on the Dungeon Master’s Guild. This guide is filled with exciting new ideas for Dungeon Masters and players to add to their home games. Inside you’ll discover: • An overview of Dunwood, the Dale, the Forest of Lethyr, and surrounding lands • A history of the Great Dale and the factions that influence the region. • A new player character race: the Volodni • 11 class archetypes such as the Nar Demonbinder, the Nentyar Hunter, and Rauthmari Battle Mage • 3 new character backgrounds customized for the Great Dale • 6 feats including cooperative Circle Magic • 18 spells wielded by the Great Dale’s mystics and learned wizards • 13 magic items used to tame a war-torn land • 15 unique NPCs waiting to help—or betray—adventurers • 13 new monsters to challenge players, including the Demon Lord Eltab • A collection of adventure ideas to create your own campaigns in Samplethe Great Dale. file Though not required to enjoy this adventure, The Great Dale Campaign Guide is a great way to expand your story beyond Joarl.

9 Chapter 1 The Village

he adventure begins with the characters nearing the small village of Joarl. Joarl T This is an unremarkable village, kept safe from Chapter Objectives danger by its motte and bailey construction. A few villagers usually act as guards, but its main combative The adventurers are confronted with the mystery of force consists of skilled hunters, many of whom sell the frozen village. The main objective is to discover pelts and meat in towns a few days travel away. one of four entrances to the underground caverns beneath the village: Nearing the Village • Follow wolf trails from Area V.3 – Effencamp As the characters near the village entrance (Area V.1), Farm to a cave entrance to the Hunting Grounds read or summarize: (Chapter 2). A chill breeze cuts through the warm air of • Find a secret entrance in the basement of Area this Midsummer day. It increases as the dry, V.10 – The Ickbert Mansion which lead to the caverns of the Festering Abscesses (Chapter 3). dirt road rounds a tree-lined bend. Ahead, you see a small motte and bailey village covered in • Locate two keys that unlock the well cover in snow and ice. Area V.5, then descend into the Tunnels of Fear (Chapter 4). • Discover the entrance to the Broken Tower Sample(Chapter 5) beneath the cottage in Area V.11. file

10 Sample file

11 What’s Going On? The adventurers have come upon the village of Joarl, caught in a powerful spell cast by the druid Solvara. In the center of the village (Area V.6), a group of cultists, masquerading as an entertainment group called the Happy Wanderers, attempted to summon a frightening entity, only to be thwarted by Solvara’s magic. Frozen in Place Nearly all of the original inhabitants of the village are frozen, caught in their last action before the druid’s spell was cast. Unless otherwise stated, villagers are neutral human commoners, with children having 2 hit points. Frozen Bodies. In their current frozen condition, the villagers are extremely fragile. Unless otherwise noted, each frozen body has an AC of 8 and 10 hit points. The ice does, however, protect the frozen villagers by providing them with resistance to non- magical weapon damage. Each body is covered by a thin layer of frost that still allows their possessions to be searched. A body reduced to 0 hit points from weapon or force damage breaks (appendage drops to the ground). If the druid’s spell is lifted, these villagers scream out in pain when they thaw. Staying Overnight V.1 - Guardhouses If the adventurers choose to spend a night in the frozen village, roll a d20. A roll of 11 or higher A small guard post stands next to a larger building indicates they encounter one of the events below. which acts as an enclosed stable and tack room for the open-air stall. • Three meenlocks, who have made their way from under the village, are found gorging on The main gate, festooned with long icicles, stands a dead wolf near the entrance to the Ickbert open, with two militia-type guards frozen in place. Mansion (Area V.10A). They appear to be stopped in time, with one still holding a copper mug pressed to his lips and the • A brown bear meanders into the village during other leaning back in her wooden chair, caught in the night, growling and roaring as it roams the mid-conversation with the first. streets until reaches the food storage huts (Area V.7). Once there, the bear trashes the huts while Guardhouse feasting on the frozen food inside. • If Vixie the arctic fox hasn’t befriended the The room is coated in a glaze of frost. A small, adventurers (see Area V.4), two wolves from the unlit pot-belly stove rests in the far corner of Effencamp Farm (AreaV.3 ) have found Vixie and the room. Four wooden spears lean against chased her to village’s entrance (Area V.2) where the stove. To the right stands a small desk, on she uses the tree as cover. Their howls and yelps which rests a half-eaten cake, a folded piece of Sampleecho around the village. parchment, and an open journal.file

12 Cake. The cake is frozen solid but could be chipped The Man, Woman, and Children away with a dagger, or warmed if placed next to a fire, The two were celebrating their anniversary when the thawing a section. It’s a delicious peach cake glazed frost came. with honey. Treasure. Examining the man reveals a small, Parchment. The parchment is slightly brittle but wooden box wrapped in a red ribbon in one of his opens easily. Several hand-drawn red roses adorn the pockets, just beneath the ice. With care the ice can be front of the parchment and a scribbled message reads chipped away to retrieve the box. It contains a small “happy birfday moma” on the inside. emerald ring worth 50 gp. Journal. The pages are brittle but move freely. The Searching the woman uncovers a freshly knitted, journal appears to be a ledger of those who entered large, blue and yellow handkerchief, neatly pressed the village, giving dates, names, descriptions, and folded. professions. The last entries are dated 4 days ago and read: The children carry a wicker basket that contains • Biltok: gnome tinkerer, returning with repairs. four ham sandwiches, a medium-sized bowl of potato salad, a small jug of apple cider, and a loaf of • Rurik: a performer come to join the Happy pumpkin bread, all of which is frozen. Wanderers minstrel group who arrived a few days earlier. Residences There is nothing of particular value in the residences • Analeese: butcher from the village of Bezentile in Area V.2. If searched, consult the Residences looking for local hunters to provide her with fresh Treasure Table below. In order to find the treasure, a game. successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check is Tack Room required: Table: Residences Treasure The stalls are empty. Three leather saddles rest neatly on small, wooden stands. d6 Scene Treasures 1 A family of three A leather pouch sits at a table, each containing 20 cp, 6 Open-Air Stall caught in the act of sp, and 5 gp rests eating a bowl of lamb near the father’s Three horses stand frozen in the stall. One has stew. hand. its mouth full of straw, one has its head in a 2 A man stands over In his hand are bucket, and the last has its neck outstretched two young children, two small, silver over the fence, reaching for a clump of grass. apparently scolding spoons, each them. engraved with a name: Bindo and V.2 - Main Entrance Bilby. 3 A woman stands in On the counter The large, wooden doors of the main entrance stand the kitchen snapping beside her is a open with no signs they have moved since the sudden green beans into a magical pipe that frost. bowl. blows bubbles. As the party enters the village, read or summarize: 4 A man sits in a chair A potion of in the living room, healing rests on a Passing through the icicle-covered main sharpening his handaxe. side table. gate leads to an otherworldly sight: villagers, 5 Two teenagers One holds a animals, carts are all encased in thick ice. wrestle on the rabbit’s foot, its ground, one appears hair worn thin. Near the entrance, a human man and woman to be screaming while share a loving kiss under a large fruit tree, while the other bites the twoSample children hold a small wicker basket and tug other’s ear. file at the grownups’ clothing, as if begging them 6 An old woman sits ...from a bag of to stop. on her bed, packing a apple flavored wooden pipe pipeweed.

13 V.3 – The Effcamp Farm key resting near the opening of the den. This key opens the brass padlock at the well in Area V.5. Four generations of the Effcamp family live in this area, maintaining a small farm for the village. The Actively searching the wolf den and succeeding on crops—corn, tomatoes, beets, bell peppers—are a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a frozen but can still be cooked and eaten. finger, the upper half gnawed to the bone, wearing a gold band (10 gp). Most of the Effcamp family—humans ranging in age from 8 to 85 years old—are frozen in the garden, each V.3 B - A Hole in the Wall tending to the vegetables. Characters examining the ground near the wolf den A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check and succeeding on a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) reveals drag marks leading to a large pile of hay check notice humanoid footprints leading out of assembled against one of the buildings. A successful the village through a hole in the wooden palisade. DC 10 Wisdom (Nature) check reveals the drag Succeeding on this check by 5 or more suggests marks to be surrounded by wolf tracks. Succeeding the tracks were made by a running, Medium-sized on the check by 5 or more reveals a total of four individual. wolves made the prints. This break in the wall is 3 feet square, which has V.3 A - Wolves in the Hay allowed wolves to enter the village. A Medium-sized or smaller creature can squeeze through the hole Four wolves have made their way into the frozen without difficulty. village and have constructed a den out of several large bales of hay. They have been feasting on the Characters exiting the village through this hole are frozen Effcamp family, with the dismembered body greeted by four snarling wolves outside the wall. of 32-year-old Jacob Effcamp resting next to the lair, Characters can easily follow the humanoid’s tracks his clothes torn to shreds. The wolves are aware of beyond the wall for many hundreds of yards before any creature in Area V.3; though, they do not attack arriving at a cave entrance hidden just inside a forest unless the creature approaches their den. clearing. This cave is the entrance to the Hunting Treasure. Characters easily notice a gleaming copper Grounds, Chapter 2 – Area HG.1.

Sample file

14 V.4 – The Garden and the Fox A robust woman is frozen in place while hoeing her garden of turnips and carrots. Near her feet, and on the lower part of her dress, are several small, canine footprints. A large apple tree with frozen fruit grows next to the garden, while a small, empty garden house stands near the apple tree. The Garden House An old man sleeps on a large pillow-covered chair and a mug filled with frozen spirits dangles from his fingertips. Each door of the garden house has a smaller, 1-foot square entrance covered with a flap of leather. This entrance is used by the couple’s pet arctic fox named Vixie and uses the jackal stat block with the following If treated well, Vixie accompanies the characters and additions: can help during a fight, acting as an ally. • Snow Camouflage. Vixie has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in snowy Treasure. Searching the garden house yields terrain. one pound of dried elk meat and a wooden chest containing 18 sp. • Damage Immunity. Cold The Other House • Pristine Fur. Vixie’s pure white coat never soils, appearing clean at all times. The house is empty, with a thin layer of frost covering the dusty floors and countertops, and coating some Vixie was rescued by the man sleeping in the chair cobwebs in the corner. (Humbrel) while he was on a hunting vacation. The man stumbled upon the poor, malnourished pup, If searched, a successful DC 12 Intelligence nearly dead. He felt sorry for the creature, so he (Investigation) check reveals a loose floorboard, returned home with a different type of trophy for his under which is a small leather pouch containing a wife. tiny wooden soldier figurine carved from applewood worth 1 sp. Roleplaying Vixie. Vixie is a trained arctic fox, answering to her name and obeying most simple commands. She wears a pink leather collar with the V.5 – The Well name Vixie stamped into it. She’s curious about the This is the village well. A simple wooden roof covers characters, but watches them from afar until she is the well, held up by strong wooden beams. either coaxed out with a successful DC 14 Wisdom Water Bucket. Secured above the well is a sturdy (Animal Handling) check, or until she feels the metal pole from which hangs a wooden bucket characters mean her no harm. suspended by strong hemp rope. The bucket can be • She’s concerned about her masters. She’s noticed raised or lowered by turning a handle. that everyone in the town appears to be frozen, but her main concern is her masters: Humbrel Locked Cover. Due to too many accidents near and Helga. the well, the village has covered the opening with two sections of heavy metal grating, but leaving a • She has seen a few creatures moving about the 2-foot-radius hole to allow the bucket to ascend and town, but she’s kept her distance. descend. • She saw a woman peeking into windows and Two large, magical padlocks, one copper and one opening doors yesterday. iron, both free of rust and grime, secure the grates. • A little girl came out of the large house. Vixie These padlocks cannot be picked or forced open. SampleTwo keys are needed to open thefile grates. One key is almost ran up to her, but the strange-looking creatures appeared and scared both Vixie and the on Karvin Ickbert in Area V.10 and the other key is girl away. found in the wolf den in Area V.3A.

15 Entering the Well. With the grate open, characters What’s Going On? can explore down the well. If they do, proceed to Area A character succeeding on a DC 12 Wisdom TF.1 in Chapter 4 – Tunnels of Fear. (Perception) check, or one with proficiency in the V.6 - The Happy Wanderers Arcana or Religion skills, believes the hooded figures were in the middle of a ritual when something went This is where the cultists performed their failed wrong. ritual, standing frozen in a circle with villagers watching expectantly. If the adventurers discover a cultist’s necklace and succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (History or Religion) Ten villagers, their frozen faces filled with check, they note the image on the necklace’s charm amazement and fear, stand around five hooded resembles a symbol used by a demonic cult known as figures. The hooded figures face one another in the Fellowship of Tharos. a circle 40 feet across. The Ice Two of these figures are frozen with looks of A massive chunk of ice broke through the ground. This was not part of the cultists’ ritual; rather, it is astonishment, one appears to be turning to a side effect of the druid’s spell which stopped the run, while the remaining two shield their eyes ritual. with their arms. The ice radiates magical if targeted by the detect A large mass of ice rises from the center of the magic spell suggesting a mixture of abjuration, circle, as if gigantic ice stalagmites shot up conjuration, and evocation magic. In addition, any from below. creature touching the ice must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or suffer 1d6 points of cold damage. If the save fails by 5 or more, the The Hooded Figures creature finds itself stuck to the ice, suffering 1 point The cultists each wear a satin cloak: one half a light of cold damage each round it is stuck. Consider the blue, the other half black. character grappled (escape DC 12). The five cultists found here are Using Fire on the Ice. Though fire causes the ice to melt slightly and steam to rise, the ice mass • Carrio - androgynous elf, hiding eyes regenerates constantly. • Gredd - male human, surprised • Jezarra - female human, surprised • Miri - female human, turning to run • Rurik - male dwarf, hiding eyes Although it’s unlikely the characters will have a chance to interact with these cultists in this adventure, they may appear in future publications. A brief summary of each is presented in Appendix C – The Happy Wanderers. Treasure. One cultist carries a note in their cloak. If unfolded, the note reads “The village of Joarl, in three days.” The note was dated seven days ago. Each of the cultists carries a dagger and a leather pouch containing 2d4 gp. Characters actively examining the cultists notice that each wears a necklace. If the ice is carefully chipped away, charaters noticed the necklace holds a charm with a strange symbol tucked under their clothing . If theySample succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) file check, they find ascroll of comprehend languages. On a result of 18 or higher, they also find apotion of poison.

16 V.7 – Storage Huts These small huts act as storage facilities for the village. Searching the western-most hut reveals glass jars filled with fruits and vegetables, dried meats, dried herbs, and spare firewood. The largest hut on the east side is a smokehouse, with several strips of meat hanging from a rack above a lifeless fire. The center hut is used for cold storage, containing uncooked meat, poultry, and fish kept in woven baskets. In the center of the room is a hole covered by several wooden planks. Removing the planks reveals a 10-foot-wide hole that is 20 feet deep. The hole contains a brown mold (Chapter 5: Adventure Environments of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). V.8 – The Frozen Gnome Biltok, the gnome tinker listed in the journal at the gate, was frozen in place, his arm outstretched as his knuckles rap on his client’s door. The small cottage is rustic and smells of evergreen. It’s occupied by an elderly man whose two grandchildren are frozen in place playing marbles on the living room floor. Searching the house and succeeding on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals two similar timepieces, each with broken springs and requiring 20 gp worth of repairs. V.9 A - Caught in a Trap Treasure. Biltok carries a leather satchel which holds a brass mechanical timepiece and an invoice that As the adventurers approach this area, they hear the reads ‘timepiece repair 20 gp ’. The timepiece has a faint sounds of metal clinking against metal coming value of 100 gp, keeps accurate time, and requires from the small house at the end of the road. winding every three days. An adventurous human thief, who calls herself Night Finger, has gotten herself into a bit of a pickle. She V.9 – Night Finger entered the house of Jeba King, one of the towns Several small houses are empty, their occupants trappers. Jeba, being a foul-tempered and untrusting currently frozen watching the Happy Wanderers old man, always kept a few saw-toothed, spring- (Area V.3). Searching the homes easily yields: loaded hunting traps set for anyone who might enter • 4 white candles his home uninvited. • A rusty set of navigator’s tools Though Jeba is now frozen, found sitting on a small • A one-gallon blue, ceramic jug stool while oiling a bear trap, his security system has worked correctly. • A small hand drum with a broken drumhead which can be repaired with a mending spell, by a Night Finger. She is a chaotic neutral female human skilled drummer, or by a leatherworker. spy in her early twenties and inexperienced. She Samplestumbled upon the frozen villagefile and, after noticing its inhabitants incapacitated, decided to do a bit of looting. She carries a bag of holding which holds several items she’s already pillaged:

17 • 2 silver candlesticks (5 gp each) • “Trying to sleep with your eyes open is difficult.” • A pot of black and a pot of white makeup If asked about the well: • A small purple leather pouch containing 5 small • “Thing’s been locked up for years.” pearls (10 gp each) • “Elders say it’s to keep people from falling in. I • A vial of antitoxin think it’s to keep something from coming out.” • A piece of pink chalk • “Jacob Effcamp wears one of the keys around his Night Finger’s real name is Kimmie Smythe. neck.” She’s arrogant, strong-willed, and sassy. She’s not If asked about the decrepit farmhouse (Area V.11): interested in helping the adventurers and plans to leave the village once she’s freed from the trap. She’s • “All I know is there’s a sign saying to ‘keep out.’ reluctant to accept help, so she tries to make it sound Must be a reason for that.” like it was their idea if the party helps her. Freeing Night Finger. Opening the hunting trap V.10: The Ickbert Mansion requires a successful DC 13 Strength check. A Karvin and Inna Ickbert, an elderly human couple failed check deals 1 piercing damage to the trapped (neutral good nobles), are the town leaders. They live creature. in this modestly decorated mansion. If freed, and if the characters were friendly with About the Mansion her, Night Finger’s hard heart gives in a bit and she The mansion stands stoically atop the village’s motte decides to keep track of the adventurers, climbing hill granting clear view of the lands around Joarl. to the top of the tree in Area V.2. From this vantage It is well constructed of stone and timber carefully point she can see the majority of the village. If the cultivated from the nearby forest. characters need help later in the adventure, she may lend a hand. If the characters were overly rough The Ickberts are believed to be descendants of with Night Finger, however, she stomps out of the the original Joarl clan who built a simple stone village and moves on to the next large city, where she watchtower sometime after the retreat of the Great continues her life of crime. Glacier here. The mansion was built later around the V.9 B - Not Quite Frozen stone tower. General Features Analeese, the butcher listed in the journal at the front gate (Area V.1), is found frozen where she was talking Though a layer of frost covers the floors and to a hunter holding three rabbits. The frozen rabbits furnishings, the mansion is clean and well kept. It’s were freshly killed and can be thawed and cooked. furnished with modest but finely crafted elements throughout. Analeese. The butcher carries a leather satchel that contains a large cleaver (1d6 slashing damage, 2 lbs., Lighting. Generally unlit, but good quality oil lamps light). can provide lighting in each room if used. Illsner. The hunter, Illsner, is a barbarian from the Doors. Interior doors are made of wood and north. His tribe is born with a natural resistance generally unlocked. to cold damage, leaving Illsner only mostly frozen. Stone Pillars. Three-foot square pillars carry the Though he is unable to move his limbs, he can move weight of this structure. They are fashioned of the his eyes and speak with great difficulty. same stone blocks used to create the original round Illsner can be thawed if placed by a fire or warmed tower in the central part of the mansion. with magic. The thawing happens within a matter of V.10 A – Front Entrance minutes. Two unlocked large oak doors, fastened with black If thawed, Illsner is hungry and thirsty. He has the iron knockers, open outward. Small footprints, both following information to share: humanoid and exotic, lead to and from the door. • “I don’t know what happened. One minute I was talking to Analeese about my rabbits, then there Characters succeeding on a DC 13 Wisdom was a flash of blue and white light. After that I (Survival) check can determine the exotic tracks were Sampleby a large insect-like creature. Succeedingfile by 5 or couldn’t move.” more on the check correctly identifies the strange • “I’ve been frozen in place for about four days.” tracks as being made by meenlocks.

18 V.10 B - Welcome Hall V.10 D - Kitchen The main welcome room has a tall, vaulted ceiling. This large room is dominated by a grand fireplace Several sets of footprints are melted into the frosty where most meals for the mansion are cooked. floor. Karvin and Inna Ickbert are found in this room. Both The tracks are the same as those in Area V.10A. are frozen in the middle of an argument as Inna dices an onion, preparing to add it to a bowl of potato salad. The humanoid prints can be followed to the stairwell and Area V.10G. The freshest humanoid prints lead Iron Key. Karvin carries a gleaming iron key used to to Area V.10E and Area V.10F where Jessica Ickbert open the grate covering the well. This is one of two is hiding. keys needed to access the well. The exotic footprints lead to Area V.10C and to the V.10 E – Supplies stairwell. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) This closet contains several shelves on the north and check reveals there are two set of exotic footprints. south walls which hold wicker baskets, pans, pots, a V.10 C – Cloak Room set of cooking utensils, and five place settings for the table in Area V.10G. A small cloak room contains a pair of leather boots and a simple, pale blue cloak. Humanoid footprints are easily noticed leading to Area V.10F. The exotic footprints continue through the cloak room,Sample to Area V.10D. A character succeeding on a DCfile 12 Wisdom (Perception) check while listening at the door to Area V.10F hears faint whimpering.

19 V.10 F – Pantry Jessica Ickbert. Jessica Ickbert, the couple’s granddaughter, is spending some time with her grandparents over the summer. Her mother and father took a long vacation to New Sarshal in Implitur and aren’t due to pick Jessica up for another three weeks. Jessica uses the stats of a human commoner with 2 hit points. Last year, her grampy Ickbert gave Jessica a precious ring, which she never takes off and cherishes dearly. This is a ring of warmth. Jessica, currently in a kitchen pantry, is hiding from two meenlocks that have infiltrated the mansion. Her footprints to the pantry are easy to follow, as are those of the two meenlocks. What Jessica Knows If asked about the well and the padlocks, Jessica states that her grandfather carries the iron key. She thinks one of the Effcamps found at the southern area of the village carries the copper key. The locks were created a long time ago, before her grandfather was born. From what she’s been told, the locks and grate were added to the well because a group of boys fell in while playing on the stone edge. She thinks it took a while to get the boys out of the well, but she really V.10 G – Dining Hall isn’t sure. A 15-foot-long rectangular table, surrounded by eight The Meenlocks. Jessica states that she saw two wooden chairs, rests in the center of the room. Three small, creatures with clawed hands scurrying about place settings, all arranged on the west end of the the mansion this morning. table, are covered in frost. A door on the west wall leads outside to a small outhouse. Ring of Warmth. The ring kept Jessica from freezing when the druid cast her spell. If she removes it, she’ll V.10 H – Guest Chamber feel the current cold just as anyone else, but she does A double-sized, straw-filled bed, its sheets and covers not freeze. neatly made, rests along the east wall. It currently functions normally, but much of the magic A rapier hangs above the bed, fastened to the wall by in the ring was consumed by protecting Jessica from several hooks. the spell. If used for that purpose, the ring has enough magic to thaw and revive one more frozen creature in Treasure. The rapier is an Ickbert family heirloom the village. After that, it loses its remaining magic and and is a +1 rapier and possesses the Conscientious become a mundane, gold ring worth 5 gp. minor property (see DMG pg 143). The words “Solair’s Blade” are etched into the metal blade in flowing Common script.

DMG Ring of Warmth +1 RapierDMG Ring, uncommon (requires attunement) Weapon, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing this ring, you have resistance to You have a bonus to attack and damage rolls cold damage. In addition, you and everything you made with thismagic weapon. wear and carry are unharmed by temperatures Sampleas low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit. file Conscientious Property: When the bearer of this item contemplates or undertakes a malevolent act, the item enhances pangs of conscience.