Dreams of the Frozen
This is a three part adventure designed for Tier 1 characters. The recommended level for the adventure is 3. Fights in this adventure are designed to make use of the adversary types listed in the playtest manuscript and combine them in such a way to create interesting encounters. The Daggerheart playtest manuscript is required to use this adventure as it makes reference to the adversaries listed in chapter 4.
Part I. The Icelost Host Rises
The Rime of the Colossi stands at the peak of the continent. The Endless Days of the Thaw have returned to Rimelock Bay and with them are the assaulting scourge of the Icelost Host. This group of undead is formed from the foolish sailors that attempted to sail the Icecage Passage. They've broken free from the ice that imprisoned them during the Freeze and started their yearly assault on the Coldgrove.
This time, something has empowered these frozen privateers, and the Cryomantic Assemblage is losing ground. They've been sieged in their home and seek the help of the people of Rimelock Bay to break them free.
The party must break the siege on Coldgrove and find out what is causing these powerful undead to spawn.
The Vile Horde
The clarion call of the Horns of Warning blare across the Tundra. Danger approaches Rimelock and you have rushed to her aid. The Icelost Host--the frozen undead who lost their lives in attempts to sail the Icecage Passage now approach the city in droves. Few have ever made it past the Coldgrove, the druids of the Assemblage keep them at bay. They move with a speed that belies their atrophied bodies, chasing someone through the snow. Fifteen or more warriors ready themselves behind you at the gate. Who is the first to charge out and into battle?
The first to charge will be given the opportunity to act first in battle.
As you sprint onto the field of battle, leading the charge against this vile horde, what call do you use to rally your party?
Enemies at the Gate. At Far range from the gate are several frozen undead. The fight consists of 5 Icelost Minions, 3 Icelost Privateers, an Icelost Mage and an Icelost Slab. At Close range from the gate is an Assemblage Druid named Olivar Snowshoe, which they've been chasing since he left the Coldgrove.
Tactics. The Icelost are shells of their former selves. Make note of their Unsettling Move, a move shared between all the adversaries except the minion. They've been commanded to chase and kill all the Druids. They will attack anyone that protects him or interposes. Minions surround the first creature they can reach and Privateers follow, attacking where able. The Slab will spend 2 actions to jump the distance directly into melee with a group. The mage will move to Close to cast Terrify. Olivar has already been afflicted by the spell and cannot cast spells. He is effectively unable to fight. At the end of a GM move, Olivar can move Very Close, his injuries preventing him from moving much more than that.
The only thing the Icelost can verbalize is "Forward" and "Untold".
But What of the Druid?
Olivar is exhausted from running in beastshape, the host giving chase over the last two days, relentlessly following him. He is exhausted. He currently has 1 stress remaining.
As you fell the final frozen foe, it lets out a death rattle that sounds like broken ice on a lake. Though some of the many who fought this horde have perished, you have at least survived.
If the Olivar Dies. If it is narratively improbably that the Druid survives, he might have a note in his belongings from the Archdruid of Coldgrove addressed to one of the Elders of Rimelock, Danna Shay, that addresses the section below called What Olivar Knows.
Did the Druid Survive?
If Olivar perished in the fight, the NPCs might question what an Assemblage Druid is doing this far up the coast and suggest they take his body inside the walls of Rimelock and ask the Elders what to do. The NPCs might be fearful a dead druid would bring the Assemblage's wrath down on them.
Danna, one of the oldest members of the Elders lives up on Lightweather Lookout, a lighthouse and homestead that sits above the city looking down across the mouth of the bay. Danna will welcome them in and ask them about the Host, showing genuine concern for them as a mother might and then wonder if there might have been a reason for the Druid to have come to Rimelock, being chased by the Host.
If the party did not search the body: Danna mentions that vocalizations are new to the Icelost and Forward Untold reminds her of something. It has something to do with the Ships, but she cannot remember. She suggests the party might talk with Harbormaster Elcor Lascenas and things like evolution of the undead sounds like something of an eldritch nature and should be addressed to Quentin Hubert.
If the party found the note: Danna will ask them to find Qube as she is unsure where he might be.
Either way, Danna will speak with the Elders to ready a force to make for Coldgrove. Given the numbers that made it to Rimelock, there may be sizable opposition.
What Olivar Knows.
If Olivar survives, he can provide the following information
- He was sent by Archdruid Vaceran Hollowheart to Rimelock to find out any information he can about why the Icelost Host have become so powerful and restless.
- Vaceran believes some powerful magics are involved.
- All they say is Forward and Untold. What does it mean?
- Olivar's purpose is twofold:
- Find out anything he can regarding the magics that reanimate the Host, for this purpose he believes a person called the Frigid Wizard may know something.
- Request help from the people of Rimelock to break the siege
Search for Secrets
The party can ask around the city to see if anyone knows where the eclectic wizard might be. If the characters have Olivar with them, the NPCs are weary to engage. Not because he is an outsider, but because he is an Assemblage Druid. For more information about the Assemblage Druids see their Sidebar in Appendix A.
Questions to Pose
While the characters are searching for answers to Olivar's or Danna's questions, interpose questions of them to involved them in the world. Here are some sample questions you could ask during scene transitions.
- Has your character ever lost someone to the Host?
- What rumors might they have heard or thoughts they might have as to the origin of the Host?
- Has your character ever run into a member of the Assemblage?
- Are there any Elders in Rimelock that your character trusts? Who are they?
Below are some NPCs you can use to direct the party to Qube, saying that he is typically wearing a yellow belted toga. One might suggest his home, a tent near Ragged Runners. It should be obvious to anyone who sees his humble abode, that there are no firepits or ways to keep warm. He has a great many books, all of them tinged with ice from exposure. A note made of thin ice and scrawled in perfect penmanship hangs from the tent's exterior stating "Off to get supplies."
Ogra N'ruk. Wildborne Orc - (She/Her)
A middle-aged Orc Houndmaster, Ogra works for Ragged Runners. She loves animals more than people, and cares for all the snowdogs at their Kennel. She is pushing a cart full of wormmeat from Bayside Butchers toward the kennel. She's gruff unless someone has a pet, then she wants to know everything about them (The pet, not the character).
Bartin Locke. Wanderborne Galapa - (He/Him)
Bartin is a young Galapa adventurer who missed the last boat out last Thaw. He wears heavy clothes from head to toe that are Last Stop branded. He spent all his money on adventuring gear but realized he hates the cold--He's never actually used any of the gear he's purchased.
He'll inspect the characters clothes and suggest they might be worn out and could use an upgrade, saying he knows a guy.
Olmay Harrowind. Wildborne Dwarf - (She/Her)
Olmay is a heavily beared woman that crochets peculiar items and mends clothes. Her husband is a shephard for the few Stonegoats in town. She is covered in crocheted apparel from itchy stocking cap to socks. She even has a colorful muffler the shape of a beard that covers her own black one. She might ask the characters about the latest rumors around town.
Where is Qube?
Qube can be found near the Gateway Bazaar. He can't go inside for very long as the heat from the Mead Hall would start him to melting. He is currently waiting on a friend who is doing some shopping inside for him. He's planning to explore the northern Chaldwastes looking for an ancient machine buried there. (This ancient machine is the Starborn Forge, which is detailed in Act 3. For now, Qube has only heard rumors about it, and knows little about what it does.)
When the characters get to the Gateway Bazaar read the following:
This oblong two-story structure is made with old ship parts for walls and a glimmering white dragonscale motif roof. Vented at the top, you can see a slow rise of smoke escaping from the spine of the rounded roof into the frigid air. Through the abnormally large entrance you can see a lengthy firepit that runs nearly the length of the building as well as market stalls and throngs of people doing their shopping. What enticing scents waft through the cold air?
After incorporating the response, add or paraphrase the following:
In a patch of snow to the right of the large entrance is a 6 foot tall block of clear, shimmering ice wearing a yellow belted toga and a satchel.
The Ice Block. Quentin Hubert is an Ice Elemental who used the magics of a frozen book he found deep in a mine in the southern Stonegate peaks.
What Qube Knows. Qube has become an expert in the eldritch and arcane, having become one with a tome that turned him into his present form.
- The Icelost being so numerous and powerful is definitely the work of some magical influence.
- He worries it might be the work of the Hands of the Hundred. If asked to elaborate, Qube provides the following:
- The Hands of the Hundred are nomads that worship the Colossi
- They sometimes show themselves to those who huddle near the Colossi for warmth, hoping to see portents in the dreams that the metal giants give.
- He's heard that they wear metal masks on their faces and it's rumored that they can't take them off because they're frozen there.
- It is unknown what haunts the Icecage that causes the undead to rise, but likely it is some residual magic from the time of the Forgotten Gods.
- He overheard something about a powerful artifact being pulled from one of the Excavation sites last Thaw that was sent out by ship.
- One of the Ragged Runners was a guide for the expedition, but he's not sure who. (It was Cinthia Trin, she has since given up being a guide and only does the loop from Rimelock to Krulhatch to Silver Salvation.)
- He remembers the captain of the ship being a Clank that "spoke as though the world owed him breakfast. Which is quite funny you know, since they don't eat."
- The Harbormaster Elcor Lascenas might know more about the ship.
On the Docks
Down 100 feet from the town are the docks of Rimelock Bay. A winding, wooden staircase runs down the cliffs next to a pair of counterbalanced elevators used to haul cargo up and down. Several ships are docked here, and the bustle of getting ready to launch before the Freeze is evident.
Once down on the docks, the smell of salt air and the sting of the cold intertwine. Six larger vessels sit idle in the water, alongside small fishing boats and a few longboats. Sailors and deckhands move swiftly between ships, warehouses and two large freight elevators while wooden cranes covered in ice lift heavy crates overhead. What would you like to do?
The Harbormaster, Elcor Lascenas works hard and strives to give his children opportunities, which don't come often in a place like Rimelock. He is a former pirate, that hid out in the Rime, started a family and has a wife and three children. Now, he runs the Docks and refuses to look back on his ill-gotten gains, having put that life behind him. But the rumors never die and listening to the loose lips on the dock would easily uncover his past. None of them are true, of course, but they make him seem more a legend and keep the rowdy adventurers in line most of the time.
Rumors
- "I've heard he was once called the Daemon of the Ordin Sea."
- "He gave up pirating cuz there's naught left he hadn't stolen!"
- "He's a real family man now, but he wasn't always that way. Took Cora years to tame him!"
Optional Roleplay Opportunity
You can ask your players if they've heard any rumors about Elcor while they've been in Rimelock.
Questioning the dockhands, several of them remember the name Forward Untold, as being a boastful ship captain. They might even mention the vessel he captained being painted a bright green.
Once the characters arrive at the harbor office read the following
This A-framed building sits along the water's edge. Its exterior decorated with the shields and banners of many of the different countries and factions that trade here. A few of the dockhands sit on a bench outside enjoying a break from the labors of the day.
Elcor is typically in his office until late afternoon. If the characters wish to wait until he is gone to pick through his files, it would be simple to walk in as the place is not locked up. All money that is collected for dock fees for the day is taken with Elcor to The Holdings. A search of the place after hours reveals the information in Elcor's Truth in the form of a confession to Danna Shay and the Elders, resigning his position--one that has been looked over multiple times. If a character searches with fear, dockhands coming off a late shift might notice the light in the office and come to check.
Interrogating Elcor
If Elcor is questioned regarding a ship that took the passage last Thaw, he will deny any knowledge. Elcor has a tell when he is lying where he licks his lips.
Use a pair of countdown dice, both placed at 3. The first die is Elcor's Stress. The second is his Patience. When a character makes a successful check against Elcor, he marks a stress (reducing his stress countdown). If a character is unsuccessful, reduce his Patience die by 1. If his stress goes to 0, he becomes Vulnerable and provides the characters everything in the section: Elcor's Truth. If his Patience drops below 1, he will demand the party leave and will threaten to call dockhands to help him deal with them. If the party insists after that, he will fight or flee.
Prideful. Elcor will immediately refuse bribes. No roll can or should be made for attempts to bribe him. His patience drops by one immediately if this is done.
Elcor's goal if questioned about the last ship to brave the Icecage Passage is to use the records he keeps as the source of proof and lie about its existance.
"Certainly, let me check my books. Most captains know better than to challenge the cage by now though..." He licks his lips and he thumbs through logs. "No. I don't see anything about that."
If characters have talked to Qube, Danna or any of the Dockhands and relay the annecdotes about a boastful clank, Elcor will immediately get nervous.
"I...um. I can't recall anything like that." He licks his lips nervously. "It's not in my books. I take pride in their accuracy."
Determine which rolls to call for based on the character's approach.
Success with Hope. Elcor's attitude softens. He is burdened with his secret and wants to give the characters something without saying anything. "There might be a clerical error."
Success with Fear. Elcor continues to lie, but it becomes more obvious. His Stress die goes up, but his Paitence die goes down. "I'm not hiding anything. What would I have to hide?" He licks his lips again.
Failure with Hope. His patience is wearing thin. Accusations and rumors don't make up for what his books say. He loses patience, but might give them a clue. "I have a family to support and I can't do that without this job. What benefit would I have in lying to you?" or "Some talkative clank sailing a green ship. That would turn heads on the docks. The workers would like to never stop talking about it."
Failure with Fear. He loses patience and simply reiterates his position. "I've said all I have to say on the matter. Continue to push and you'll be outside the walls with nothing to show for it, just like those metal-masked folk last Thaw."
A Fight Breaks Out?
If a fight breaks out, Elcor will make a dash for the exit, calling for reinforcements from the dockhands outside. They do not fight to kill, only to contain. Remind the players that justice is swift and uncaring in cases of murder in the village. Killing may find the characters exiled from Rimelock.
For purposes of a fight, Elcor uses the Pirate Captain statblock and the deckhands use the Pirate Tough. Add one for each character in the party.
If Olivar is with them, he abstains from the fight.
Elcor's Truth
- Elcor took a bribe, not in coin, but in favor. A thing he swore he'd never do again. He was offered a recommendation for his eldest son, Abram, to go to Tyrenhall Academy of Magics.
- Abram left on the first boat out this Thaw.
- Forward Untold made the bribe, but Elcor suspects whoever was bankrolling the expedition provided the recommendation.
- A group of adventurers set out to a dig site called Seven-Delta and brought back a small bronze chest covered in verdigris.
- Elcor doesn't know what's in it, but several people in metal masks came asking after the boat only days later.
- They threatened Elcor and were thrown out of town.
- The Ship's name was the Zephyr Star, painted a bright green. It was Captained by Forward Untold, a Clank who boasted he was the best to ever sail was the captain of the ship. A group of rough looking adventurers that arrived on the boat went up to Seven-Delta, guided by Cinthia Trin.
- They returned close to the start of the Freeze with a copper chest and set sail for the Icecage Passage, despite warning not to. Elcor was provided a recommendation for his silence.
- Two days later, a small group of people wearing metal masks arrived in town and threatened Elcor. They were quickly thrown out of town. That was the last Elcor heard about the Zephyr Star and its captain.
Call to Arms
If Olivar has survived to this point, he will need to do the second part of his mission: The call for aid from the Elders of Rimelock. Depending on how the investigations turned out, Olivar may have split off from the party to relay his message and find the party as they are finishing up or bring them to Danna Shay's home (as discussed in Did the Druid Survive?) after they complete their investigation.
The keening wail of the Horns of Warning call out over the city and the meeting pyre is lit. The elders will address the town and all are present. It has been an age since the horns' call has sounded twice in a day; a foreboding message for the people of Rimelock.
Questions to Pose
This is a good place to assess how much the characters might know about the situation and perhaps some of their theories. You can, at your discretion, change later outcomes to align with those or diverge wildly.
- Has your player ever been burdened with a secret like Elcor's?
- Qube gave up his humanity to become something else, what does your character think about that?
- The horns' call has turned the mood of Rimelock's people heavy. What concerns your character the most right now?
- Has your character heard anything about these people in metal masks?
You can, if you feel it necessary, have the characters mark a stress at this point. Heavy hearts and dangerous times are ahead.
Six elders sit, bundled up on the elevated platform before the meeting pyre. A seventh, an old grey faun woman stands before the bonfire, staff in hand, looking out over the gathered people of Rimelock.
The faun is Danna Shay. If the characters met her, or are from Rimelock, they know her as the oldest of all the Elders.
Danna calls the people of Rimelock to aid the Druids of the Cold Grove.
To my dearest family...Word has no doubt reached your doorstep of the Icelost Host and its numbers. These dangers have undoubtedly overwhelmed the Druids of Coldgrove. We must, if we are to survive the freeze, help them as they have done for us so many times in the past. Those of you who are able, who are willing to brave the fight, step forward and be counted. From you, a leader of forces will be appointed and a Scouting party will be assembled. Sharpen your blades for battle and steel your hearts for death.
Any character that volunteers might also volunteer their party for leading the battle or scouting ahead. If Olivar survived he can describe the Coldgrove (See Siege of Coldgrove for a description).
If a Character is Appointed the Leader. They might make a rousing speech, they might stand before their forces and ready a battle plan. Allow your players to roleplay this moment in whichever way they see fit. If they attempt to rally their troops, the DC for the crowd is a 15. When traveling as a group of 30, the threats of the tundra leave them be.
If the Characters Volunteer to be the Scouting Party. The party is sent out that night to get as far afield as possible. Highlight the desolation of the empty tundra and the frigid winds that roll off the bay. Mention the sun never dipping beyond the horizon, merely watching over their slumber. They might run into an encounter between Rimelock and Coldgrove. A trio of Snow Bears or a pair of Chaldworm might be appropriate.
If the Characters are Forces in the Company. The Elders appoint an NPC of your choosing or one you create. This NPC might be level-headed and capable or entirely unworthy of the position.
There is an alternative for characters motivated by money, those that don't wish to save the Druids. If the forces of Rimelock depart to liberate Coldgrove, this allows the Ecclesiarches to operate a little more openly. The next day afterward a new ship arrives in Rimelock and with it, Oskar Zahk.
He is a mousey grey katari that flaunts a small army of servants who follow on his coattails. He entreats the party to find the wreck of the Zephyr Star and remove from it an artifact of great power that was lost. He's willing to pay a chest of gold to have it recovered. He cares little for the goings on between the host and the coldgrove. He'll pay a bag now and the rest at Silver Salvation when the party provides the artifact, a thing called the Iron Moon Prayer. A stone disc with gylphs all over it.
Whichever way they choose, when the party beds down for the first night, they do so near the Colossus known locally as Stone Watcher. Its body is lying sideways, embedded in the ice, a single arm reaching overhead. It's face can barely be seen beneath, turned to look toward the bay. When they sleep, the party has a shared dream.
As you lay near the warmth of the Stone Watcher, the dreams take you. Deep in your subconscious mind, whispers of a long cold forge fill your vision. Metal walls and tall arches lead to an impossibly large crucible poised over the mold of a gargantuan human shape. You lay in the center of this oversized mold, looking up as the crucible tips overhead, starlight pouring from it into the mold, filling it with the white hot flames of the sun. You burn for an eternity, in a river of fire that melts you away to nothing.
You might have all the characters make Reaction rolls with Knowledge(14) on a failure, each character wakes up and gains a Stress.
Siege of Coldgrove
Coldgrove is a perfectly circular grove of trees made of ice. In the heart of this crystalline forest is a small walled enclosure of huts. By the time the characters arrive, the forest has been mostly broken down and a hundred undead surround the walls made of thick ice. Druids fend off what enemies they can with spells, and are doing so upon the company's arrival.
The once beautiful grove of ice-sculpted trees has been flattened by the host who now surround the walls of the Druids' home. They claw at the walls and batter them unceasingly, the cold and exhaustion that would take one with blood in their veins are of little consequence to these undead. Among the Host are large, dangerous-looking humanoids that hunch and growl, pacing wildly waiting for an opening in the Druids' waning defenses.
These larger humanoids use the Mortal Hunter statblock. Describe them as hunched giants in heavy coats. They have long arms and bone spurs that protrude from their backs. They are lean and ravenous in their hunger.
Once the characters decide what tactics to employ set down a d8 countdown die. The die ticks when an adversary attacks the wall. Once the countdown reaches 0, the wall is breeched. The characters must bring down the Mortal Hunter they're fighting to stop the countdown. Even if they try to avoid the Mortal Hunter, it will advance on them during their fight.
Setting up the Map. A portion of the map will be the ice wall. It should be at the edge of Far from the party's starting position. Place the Mortal Hunter at the party's Close range, surrounded by 1 Skeleton Dredge for each party member. Add in one Icelost Slab, two privateers and a mage, then enough privateers to equal the party's number plus one. (i.e. If the party has five members add one Privateer). These units should be in Very Close range with the wall.
Tactics. At the beginning of the battle, the Mortal Hunter's Rampage activates. When the players have taken actions enough to activate to trigger it, move it through a line that gets it into melee with the backline. If you get the opportunity to use a fear to make a deathlock first, ensure that character is included in the rampage. This move splits the attention of the party where the biggest threat is in their backline, the minions are a distraction and the destruction of the wall is an eminent threat.
Each GM move, attack with at least the Mortal hunter, putting a deathlock on the closest character if you have the Fear to do so. Activate the minions to distract, and at least one of the adversaries near the wall to attack it and drive the countdown down.
If the minions or Mortal Hunter are dealt with, Leap with the Slab and move a privateer or Mage to Close. Continue to peel off enemies from the wall as one drops in combat. As always, keep the mages out of melee if possible, moving them to a close range they can see.
Finding the Archdruid
Once the battle is over, if the wall was breeched, Vaceran Hollowheart is on deaths door, laying in Olivar's lap (if Olivar didn't survive, replace with another druid of your choosing). He has enough time when the party comes upon him to say "The Iron Moon Prayer waits in the Icepack. Its power is great and terrible. It must be stopped." In this instance, the Druids will ask the Company to stay in a memorial feast of those that passed and help to defend the Cold Grove from further attacks. Even going so far as to suggest looking into Vaceran's words.
If the Archdruid lives, the company is treated to food made from the very ice and snow, but Vaceran is grim. He knows this is not the last of the Icelost Host and believes there are dangers within the Icepack that must be dealt with.
What Vaceran Knows.
- He suspects it the power creating these Icelost to be somewhere in the Icepack.
- The Host will continue to claw their way to the surface.
- The Icepack must be investigated and the source destroyed or contained.
- The Druids will hold their grove but must rely on adventurers to help them, should another horde draw forth from the waters.
- A large force would never be able to navigate the Icepack. It is best for smaller teams to go manage.
Information the characters gather previously will allow Vaceran to confirm his fears: An artifact of the Colossi is empowering the Host. He believes it is called the Iron Moon Prayer and can provide the following additional information.
- The Colossi are humanoids that used powerful eldritch magics to become powerful enough to fight the gods.
- They burned the land and scorched the skies and were eventually trapped here in the ice, frozen with the last of the Forgotten Gods' power.
- The Cryomantic Assemblage has been charged with keeping the Colossi from escaping and their power from being used to revive them.
- Such artifacts have been discovered and are highly sought after by members of the Hands of the Hundred and the Ramiform Ecclesiarch Network.
- The two factions are at odds with each other. One wishes to awaken the colossi, one wishes to become them.
- The ice whispers to Vaceran of something called the Iron Moon Prayer, and he is sure that this is what was loaded aboard the Zephyr Star.
As you speak with the Druids, we draw out from the walled in huts and the devastation, turning our attention to the southeast. Deep in the canyon river of the Icecage where an emerald green boat lies broken in half. Wood splinters and cracks as glacial ice crushes up against it. But inside the hull, green eyes flash and laughter echoes, a metallic and malicious sound. Then, all around it, bodies of the slain float to the surface, and speak as one. "Forward, Untold."
Part II. Wreck of the Zephyr Star
The characters may not have discovered all the information about the Zephyr Star from Elcor Lascenas, and may not know much about the factions at play here. It is feasible that they don't have the required motivation to further assist the Assemblage. If Vaceran Hollowheart died in Act I, the another druid can provide the information in his section.
The Endless sun is starting to edge closer to its long slumber. Only a month or so remain before the Freeze returns to the Rime. Though the sun beams down on the snow, blinding those who ponder for two long, there is a darkness that cracks at the hearts of those in Coldgrove. Looking in on our heroes after the battle has past, we find them in the spacious meeting hall of the Assemblage. Druids and Rimelock villagers alike sit on seats made of pure ice around a table set with sculpted foods and cold beverages.
Vaceran (or another druid, which could be Olivar Snowshoe) will start this part of the adventure out by explaining the Icecage to the party.
"With one problem out of the way, we are left with the main issue. The source of the Host's power must be coming from the Icecage. It must be returned here so that we might destroy it. My people are exhausted from the fight, yet more will come should we falter. We need protection and rest, but should we fail to nip the bud, more will arrive."
Allow the characters to provide input on how they might wish to tackle the situation, but remind them of the following pitfalls.
- The Icecage is difficult to traverse on foot in large groups.
- Predators prowl the passage.
- The host have shown a level of tactical ability they have never had before and there may be more of them lurking out of sight waiting to take the Coldgrove.
The Druids suggest prudence when speaking about the Icecage:
"The Icecage presents a difficult problem. It can be traversed on foot, but only by smaller groups. More than a handful, and you risk overturning solid footing. To make matters worse, Frost Drakes patrol those waters during the Thaw hoping for easy meals. Should we wait for the Freeze, then we may not be able to gain access to the whatever has caused the host to gain such power. Further, every day between now and then, we will be attacked by these undead brutes. A truly vexing situation."
The Druids offer to make Cryoclast Armor or an Ice Mansion for the party in hopes that it helps them, but can offer little else as they are a commune that does not keep money or items of power--eschewing those things for the ideals of the natural world.
Lost Motivation
If the party lacks motivation to pursue this hook or decide to stay in Coldgrove you might decide to send other groups out toward the Icepack that don't return, fueling a more difficult situation down the road.
To the Cage
The trek to the Icecage Passage will take most of a day's march (though this is entirely up to you to decide). Refer to the Chaldwastes Environment section for environment statblocks for travel if you want to add to the scene with the regional effects listed there.
Travel to the Icecage is the better part of a day's journey. Read to following:
The Endless day blinds as it reflects off the glittering snow. Miles of desolate planes stretch out around you. A cutting wind blasts upward off the basalt cliffs that overlook Rimelock bay to the Southwest, nipping at your cheeks.
Ask your players to help you paint the scene with questions like this:
What might we see in this tundra that reminds the characters that there is beauty even in this desolate location?
Incorporate their answers into the narrative, allowing the players the opportunity to add to it where you can.
Questions to Pose
This might be an appropriate time to ask some of the characters to fill out parts of their backstory as it relates to the situation at hand. Some of the example questions below might be helpful to get you started.
- While trekking through this broken landscape of snow and ice, what does your character miss the most about home?
- Peering up at the clouds, your character makes out faint shapes that remind them of someone or something. What do they see?
- The whistling wail of the gusting wind send sparkling showers of ice across your vision like so many jewels. The sound is haunting and reminds you of a fearful moment from your past, what was it?
- The rocks and snow present little to occupy the mind and trudging is thoughtless motion. What does your character do to alleviate the boredom?
Hands of the Hundred
When the characters are approaching the Icecage, followers of the Hands of the Hundred are found fending off a group of the Icelost Host.
As you take the next ridge a group of travelers are contending with some of the frozen undead who have climbed out from the icecage passage nearby. The travelers wear heavy hooded robes with chains on them as a form of body armor. They are attempting to protect their sleds, but it's difficult to tell from this distance who will claim victory. What do you do?
Setting Up the Map. The Sleds are in the character's Far range (at about 10 squares). Two Hands of the Hundred Priests are using the sleds as cover and are facing the party. Two Hands of the Hundred Believers are on the other side of the sled in Melee with a group of 10 Icelost Minions. Beyond them, in Very Far range are an Icelost Mage, and 4 Icelost Privateers.
Tactics. At the end of the GM Move, Move the NPCs. The Hands of the Hundred will cut through the minions and rush the Mage. The privateers will bring down the believers first and then attack the priests, who will attempt to continually move away and attack from a distance.
If the characters ignore the fight, only one of the Priests survive. If the characters enter the fray, they immediately notice that these robed figures have metal masks on their faces. If the characters have not heard of the Hands of the Hundred from Qube, Elcor or the Druids of Coldgrove, then these may just be travelers in need of assistance as far as the party is concerned.
Faithful of the Fourth Pillar. Faithful of the Fourth Pillar (Goes by Faithful) is an ancient Clank and leader of this group of Hands of the Hundred. One of the first to awaken nearly a century ago. He was told by a group of goblins about a dream they had near Golden Archon that a new Colossus would be born from the wreckage of a green star. He has been traveling the Rime looking for clues that eventually pointed him toward the Icecage. His group has been following the canyon's edge from the eastern most part of the Rime.
Things he might speak to the party about:
- The False Ecclesiarches murdered a group of his people at Iron Moon
- Iron Moon is a Colossus that absorbs the light that shines upon it during the Endless Day and creates a sphere of darkness around itself that no torch can dispel.
- They are only concerned with the duties of bringing the Colossi back to life.
- The greatest of their numbers shelters in their factory far to the north.
- They are Empty Vessels that seek to enact their divine purpose.
- When the purpose their creators left for them is complete, they will stand once again with their creators.
- Not all are Clanks, but all who believe in the divine purpose become as they are, such is the power of the prophecies.
If the party reveals that they are looking for the same thing as Faithful, he finds this turn of events to be fortunate.
- He may offer to help them by providing them shelter after their expedition, but only if the party has saved 3 or more of his party (including himself).
- He only requires that they give him the Iron Moon Prayer.
- He will outright refuse them and attack if he suspects that they watched his party struggle and die without intervening.
Descending the Walls of the Passage
Despite the sun's ever-looming gaze, the day slips to evening time and travel brings you to the cliff's edge, overlooking the Icecage Passage. This canyon follows a jagged line where the land mass has been forcibly split between the icy land where you are and the reaching peaks of the Stonegate Ridge. The gap is easily half a mile across and the ice floes that cling to the basalt cliffs are down 200 hundred feet or more. What would you like to do?
It is difficult to see much in the passage other than the floating white shapes of the Icepack and the dark shadows of boats that have sunk beneath the tides of the Thaw. The Zephyr Star is one of among 134 ships that went down in this treacherous canyon, but its easily recognizable green hull is visible. It will require the party to descend the cliffs and cross the Icepack. When the characters start their descent into the passage read the following:
We will set a 5 step progress countdown to descend the cliffs and navigate the icepack on foot. How are you safely traversing this space in search of the source of the Host?
Set up a progress countdown to descend the cliffs and navigate the passage with the countdown starting at 6. A second, secret countdown die keeps track of the Frost Drakes patrolling the waters. This countdown starts at 3.
A Critical Success moves the progress countdown down by 3 and they get a glimpse of the frost drake nests among the basalt cliffs as well as the Zephyr Star which will give advantage on the next roll.
A Success with Hope reduces the countdown by 2.
A Success with Fear only reduces the countdown by 1, but drops the drakes' countdown timer by 1. The most likely outcome here is a loud noise like the clatter of equipment as the party jumps from ice floe to ice floe.
A Failure with Hope causes the party to take a stress (if it makes sense), and does not decrease the progress countdown. Some ways this might manifest is that the floe they're on sinks, or that they reach a point where they can go no further and have to backtrack.
A Failure with Fear reduces the drakes' countdown timer by 2 and does not decrease the progress countdown. If this occurs, the frost drakes have found the party and will start closing in on them.
If the drakes' countdown die goes to 0, 3 of them find the party and attack. If the drakes' countdown does not reach 0, the party manages to get to the Zephyr Star, which the drakes instinctively are avoiding.
Frost Drakes
Setting up the Map. The map for this fight will be several large sections of icepack and open water. There are three Frost Drakes that start above the party in Far range, circling them.
As you make your way across the icepack, a screech cuts through the silence and echoes across the basalt canyon walls. Looking up you can see the shining scales of icy winged lizards swooping down toward you.
Tactics. The frost drakes are skirmish predators. They dive toward the enemy to make attacks from Far and can throw Icicle Barbs at Close range. Furthermore, characters attacking from Far or farther have disadvantage on their attacks because of the glittering scales. When it becomes your move, activate Swift Bite on one or more Drakes to get into Very Close with the backline. On the second turn, you should have enough action tokens to activate Icicle Barbs in attempt to pin one or more of the characters then move them away. Repeat this process until 2 of the drakes are at 2 hit points or less, at which point they will retreat if they are able.
Aboard the Zephyr Star
The Zephyr star was a Corsair with a recognizable hull painted a bright green. It was about 90 feet long and now sits split like an egg into two halves on a giant rock. The only thing that is keeping it above water is that the sails and rigging caught onto some misshapen pillars along the walls and its hull swung up against a jut out portion of the cliffside. It is effectively stuck there with the hold mostly underwater. The gun deck is accessible by climbing the pillar and jumping across. Forward Untold is in his quarters, the terrifying power of the Iron Moon Prayer having merged him with the back half of his beloved ship.
The hull of this ship has split in half, dashed against a basalt pillar and frozen against the walls of the passage, cradled by the icepack. The rigging of the ship's stern is caught in the stepped pillars giving it the look of a puppet. The bow sits at a jaunty tilt at a 45-degree angle, pointed toward the cliff face and its hold is stuffed full of icepack that now keeps it afloat. Both sides of the ship's gun deck are accessible by climbing up the pillar and jumping across. Bodies of the dead drift in the waters, their last expressions frozen upon their faces.
Bow of the Ship
The Bow of the ship has 2 accessible areas, the Gun Deck (Bow) and the Forecastle.
Gun Deck (Bow)
Strung between gun ports are hammocks that have frozen stiff, some with bodies still in them. Frozen corpses haunt this area, their faces lock in agony. Rickety stairs lead up to the main deck and beyond them, a doorway leads to the forward storage.
A search of the area finds one of the crew has a pair of Last Stop Friction Boots on.
Forward Storage. This area has a small, intact barrel of Worm Oil among the ropes and nets and frozen water barrels. Several empty barrels of this same size lay around the area as well but identifying it and what it does requires a Roll with Knowledge(14). Characters local to the Rime gain advantage on their roll.
Forecastle
Several corpses lay frozen against the railing of the ship's bow, tossed about by the collision with the pillar.
Inside the forecastle are the First Mate's and the Navigator's Quarters. A character standing on the Bow can see over the basalt pillar and over to the stern of the ship. It's too dark to see into, but one can identify the captain's quarters doors are split like a rictus grin.
The Navigator's Quarters. This room has several charts in diamond-shaped cubbies. A search of the area finds a map of the Rime with location markers for several of the Colossi and one site circled in red with a name--Varlan Borillos. The site: Silver Salvation (It is marked as Site 2-A).
First Mate's Quarters. This room has a small chest with 5 bags of gold in it. This was the pay for the crew upon successfully navigating the Passage. A search of this room discovers a note that says,
"Dearest Maude,
I hope the gold has found its way to you. The Ecclesiarches paid good coin, but this is sure to be the end of the Zephyr Star. Captain Untold is a boastful sort, but even he was worried over his chances.
Buy yourself something pretty and live a happy life in Port Fortune without me.
Yours,
Ulfrich"
Stern of the Ship
The Stern is propped up against the cliff face, the wood of the rudder floating nearby. It consists of two sections, the gun deck (Stern) and the main deck.
Gun Deck (Stern)
Several cannons have come out of their carriages and lie in a heap, having crushed two of the crew under their weight. Tendrils of glittering metal vines creep along the inner hull, crawling out from the back of the ship and running up the ladders to the main deck.
Should the characters uncover the two crewmen, they are Icelost Privateers who immediately attack the party.
Tendrils. The metal tendrils are actually originating from Forward Untold. They have pushed through sections of the roof of the area around the mizzenmast and grown out through there. The Iron Moon Prayer has caused his body to expand to incorporate the ship into himself. They cannot be harmed. Attacking one causes him to retaliate, however.
A tinny voice rattles across the ship as intricate lines start to glow on the tendrils. "You would dare to challenge the captain on his own ship? Then have at you!"
At this point the ship will start to rearrange itself, Forward Untold incorporating the ship into his own body. Move to section titled The Graveship Forward to the Untold Star.
Following the tendrils back into the aft cabins, the party will find the kitchen in disarray on one side and the quartermaster's room on the other. A search of the quartermaster's room finds several sabers and two improved weapons of your choice within.
Note. If the characters don't get these weapons, you can give them to members of the Icelost Host that attack the party during the fight with Forward Untold
Main Deck
The main deck is laced with metallic tendrils that run along the boards like creeping vines, but in geometrically perfect angles. The door to the Captain's quarters is split horizontally in such a way that it looks like a rictus grin, tendrils pouring forth from it. It starts to move like a mouth, forming words. You can see a pale greenish glow from within as it speaks, "Come to join the crew of the Zephyr Star have we?"
Characters can peer through the mouth to see a clank in traditional naval attire pinned to the mizzenmast in his quarters, a greenish box clutched to his chest that glows. Tendrils of metal and circuitry have crawled out from the clank's body to assimilate everything on the inside. This is the resting place of Forward Untold. He is using the Iron Moon Prayer to control the stern of the ship, using it as his body.
What Forward Untold knows. The clank has always been a member of the Ramiform Ecclesiarch Network. His wish to become reborn in the forge, to gain the power to sail the stars overtook him. He was willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to gain the power spoken of in the records of the colossi.
- He believe the power of the Iron Moon Prayer could ensure his safe passage.
- The Zephyr Star was headed to Highdark to the south.
- He has usurped the magics that reanimate the corpses of the fallen in the Icecage and now controls them.
- He is a part of a secret cabal that wishes to use the power of the Starborn Forge to remake the world, just as the Colossi did in ages past.
- The Assemblage is aligned with the oppressive Forgotten Gods. They are preventing anyone from trying to revive the Colossi.
- The Ecclesiarches don't want to revive them, they want to become them.
- "Let me show you the power of the Iron Moon Prayer. The secret to becoming a god!"
The Graveship Forward to the Untold Stars
Manic laughter echoes off the basalt columns of the cliffside as boards crack in a shower of splinters. Metal tendrils start to pull at the hull like muscles. The broken stern of the ship begins to shift, pieces of it transforming. The grin of the ship becoming a face, cannons merging to become an arm. The bodies of the dead becoming one with the vessel as it takes on a large humanoid shape, their cries of anguish ringing in your ears. The rigging and tackles swing dangerously all around, creating a maze of nets. You only have a few seconds before you too become a piece of this mechanical nightmare. Jumping to the other side of the ship might be an option. You each have to take an individual action to escape. What do you do?
Allow the characters each to decide their actions and call a roll for every one with a difficulty of 15 unless they use a spell or ability that has a DC associated with it (such as Arcane Door). Give advantage to characters that are descriptive in their exit strategy. Some example options are listed below.
- Jumping to the basalt pillar or using it to get to the bow of the Zephyr Star. (Agility)
- Flying to the deck amidst the swinging lanyards and loose rigging. (Agility)
- Hanging onto the deck as it transforms. (Strength)
- Teleporting or moving via magic. (Spellcast trait)
- Swinging on the rigging to safety (Finesse)
Characters who Fail with Fear fall into the ice cold water mark a stress and have disadvantage on their attacks until they take a short rest or clear a stress.
Characters that Fail with Hope land on an ice floe nearby. Flying characters would end up here if they failed as well.
Characters that Succeed with Fear might end up in the Gun Deck of the bow of the ship or hanging from the lower sections of the pillar depending on what they were trying to do.
Characters that Succeed with Hope make it to where they are trying to get to.
A Critical Success in this situation allows them to act first in combat.
The back of the ship has reformed into a dire looking automaton, its neck twisted sideways. Bodies hang from its masts, its arm now a giant cannon. It wields a rusty saber made from nails of the ship and pieces of its wooden deck have become its ghastly armor.
"No longer do I walk this weary world as a mortal. Today I am reborn as Forward to the Untold Stars! My first act as a colossus is to lay low those who would stop my ascension! Rise once more, crew of the Zephyr Star!"
Setting Up The Map. The Graveship Forward to the Untold Stars is a gargantuan enemy using the Icepack Graveship with one change--his attack is a cutlass at Close., standing 40 feet tall. He starts in the space of the stern of the Zephyr Star. Five Icelost Minions start at the Forecastle of the ship. An Icelost mage and 2 Privateers are in the Gun Deck (Bow) and Skeleton Dredges drop from the Graveship when it loses HP. These immediately activate as a reaction.
Tactics. Based on the rolls above, you might have accumulated some Fear. Because the Graveship does not need fear, it is best to turn that into action tokens and use Load Cannon and move the minions into range of anyone who made it to the deck of the ship. On the second turn use Fire Cannon at a group. If any of the minions are left, use them to make an attack and move as many of the privateers and the mage to make attacks as you can. Every other turn load the cannon and fire until it is the only thing left, not counting Dredges. Then move the graveship to the side of the Bow to make attacks from there. Forward to the Untold Stars does not surrender and continues to attack until he is defeated.
As you take the final blow, the pieces of the ship start to fall apart. The massive body of Forward to the Untold Stars falls forward, the deck becoming littered with the remains of the stern of the ship. Atop its pile lays the broken body of a clank in torn and destroyed naval attire clutching a jade stone disc with symbols etched across its surface. The bodies of the crew of the Zephyr Star can finally rest in peace...at least until next Thaw.
Aftermath
There are many ways that the party might decide to go at this point, but so long as they have the Iron Moon Prayer, they will be hunted or coerced.
- The party can slowly ascend the basalt cliffs in relative safety until they gain the peak.
- If they make good on their promise to return the disc to Faithful of the Fourth Pillar, four druids of the Coldgrove will assault the party, finding them to now be aligned with the Hands of the Hundred. They might be led by Vaceran or even Olivar at your discretion.
- As long as the Iron Moon Prayer is in the possession of the party, members of the factions will attempt to wrest it from them or demand they destroy it.
- The Druids will tell them it must be destroyed in the Forge of the Colossi but only a few members of the Ecclesiarches and Hands of the Hundred know where that is.
- The Hands of the Hundred will infiltrate whatever stronghold the party has in attempts to steal it.
- The Ecclesiarches will send a strike team out to fight the party or bully them into submission.
Appendix B: Locations
Rimelock
Rimelock sits at the mouth of the Bay that bears its name. It is the biggest established settlement in the Rime. The houses are all squat, rounded cabins with carved wood dragon-scale roofs that reach to the ground.
Rimelock has three major industries in town. They cater to the adventurers that explore the Rime, hunt chaldworms, and to a lesser extent they fish during the Thaw. The local businesses run 24 hours a day during the Thaw and then creep to nothing once the last ship sets sail.
The Village is led by the Circle of Elders. At their head is Danna Shay.
Ragged Runners
Run by: Albo Grint (Ridgeborne Dwarf, He/Him)
Guides with dogs and sleds cost 2 Handfuls of Gold. Near the main exit of town. Employs several guides and Icerunners.
No, the dogs aren't for sale.
Bayside Butchers
Run by: Tolvin Stavros (Seaborne Human, He/Him)
Buys and sells fish and Chaldworm. Situated just off the docks
Last Stop
Run By: Drace Elevardo (Slyborne Elf, They/Them)
The Last Stop is an Inn with an adventurer's store below. When one enters, they find a store and many people can be seen walking in and then directly back out to check the sign.
Holdings
The only thing that could be construed as a government building in Rimelock, Holdings is where all the businesses pay their tax. It is not guarded but the funds are locked in a chest which is in turned locked in a cell.
Holdings is run under the authority of the Elders, who have appointed a position called the Taker. It is a loathed position among the people but its current appointee, Elenor Beringaria (Orderborne Human, She/Her) is quite adept at the position.
Gateway Bazaar
The Gateway Bazaar is the largest warehouse in Rimegrove. It houses several stalls for food and goods as well as the Highhunter's Mead Hall. During the Thaw, the Bazaar sees commerce from all over being sold by intrepid merchants who cater to the thrill-seeking adventurers and academics focused on discovering the mysteries of the Colossi.
Highhunter's Mead Hall
Run by: Pagulo, Askanni, and Weiryth Highhunter. (Ridgeborn Giants, He/Him)
These towering brothers built the Gateway Bazaar as a challenge. In reward for their success, they were given the central area of the warehouse as a mead hall. A central fire that runs nearly from one end to the other, keeping the place warm and cozy.
Eventually, market stalls were built around the meadhall and it became known as the Gateway Bazaar, but to the Highhunters, it is still a meadhall for friends and warriors alike.
Coldgrove
Coldgrove sits at the mouth of the Icecage Passage. It is a perfectly circular forest of trees carved from ice and snow. At its center is a solid wall of ice 10 feet thick that protects the huts of the Cryomantic Assemblage. There are tunnels that lead out into the forest from inside.
Icecage Passage
Colloquially called "The Cage" this river butts up against the Stonegate Mountain range to the south. During the Thaw, the waters rise significantly and tempt sailors to try the passage. Few make it through and for every one that succeeds, a dozen more end up being crushed by the Icepack--small glaciers that float through the passage and out into Rimelock Bay.
Each Thaw, the Icelost Host are freed from their icy prisons to terrorize the living. The Druids of Coldgrove fend them off easily enough, though some occasionally make their way up the coast to Rimelock.
Chaldwastes (Environment)
Description: This frozen tundra is barren. It is covered in rocks and ice. The wind blows through the haunted remains of giant metal humanoids, trapped in the ice.
Tone & Feel: Lonley, Haunted, Barren, Rocky, Filled with Wildlife
Tier: 1
Type: Traversal
Difficulty: 14
Potential Adversaries: Beasts (Tundra Wolves, Polar Bears, Chaldworms, Frost Drakes), Humanoids (Rimeblood Hunters, Cryomantic Assemblers, Hands of the Hundred Cultists), Undead (Icelost Host, Skeleton Dredges)
Features
Freezing Temperatures - Passive
The blistering winds and negative temperatures in the Chaldwastes is a hazard all its own that requires planning and preparedness. While traversing this location, characters must roll a group Instinct (14) check. On a failure, all members of the group traveling mark a Stress and spend another hour being turned around by the repetative landscape.
Freezing winds and blizzards might make navigation difficult. What does the Leader do to ensure their party is headed in the right direction?
Hunting Grounds - Action (2)
The Chaldwastes are home to many hungry animals and little food to sustain them. A group of Beasts from the Potential Adversaries table happen upon the party. They may be able to be dissuaded from making the party their next meal if there are better options.
When faced with dangerous animals, does the party try to befriend them? Do they scare them off? Are the characters the prey, or the hunters?
Sinksnow - Action - Fear
Large cracks filled with fine sinksnow are covered in brittle ice and a dusting of snow, making them difficult to spot. All characters must make an Agility(14) reaction roll or fall into the crevice beneath. On a failure, a character becomes trapped in the Sinksnow and takes 10 direct damage which cannot be reduced by armor. A character can extract themselves or another character from the snow on a roll with Strength(14). On a failure, the character slips further in and increases the check to escape by 1. Every third failed attempt causes another 10 direct damage in addition to slipping deeper into the crevasse.
What do the characters do to aid each other? What might be at the bottom of one of these deep crevasses?
Icecage Passage (Environment)
Description: The passage cuts the Stonegate mountains from the Rime, wider than a mile long, it is packed with the husks of broken ships and ice floes that make crossing it a truly trecherous affair.
Tone & Feel: Isolated, Hidden, Haunted, Dangerous, Icy
Tier: 1
Type: Exploration
Difficulty: 14
Potential Adversaries: Beasts (Polar Bears, Flying Bladefish, Killer Whales, Frost Drakes), Humanoids (Rimeblood Hunters, Cryomantic Assemblers, Hands of the Hundred Cultists), Undead (Icelost Host, Skeleton Dredges, Icepack Graveships)
Features
Bodies of the Dead - Passive
During the Freeze, the bodies of those who died in the Icecage are locked in place, visible through the ice. Their bloated, drowned bodies preserved as a warning to those who would dare the passage. Any creature that dies in the passage is reanimated as a member of the Icelost Host the next Thaw.
Thaw and Freeze - Passive
During the Freeze that happens 3/4 of the year, the Icecage Passage is a solid, walkable space. The few short months of the Thaw, the ice breaks up into floes that float along the surface of the water.
Drowning in Treasure - Passive
Many of the ships that attempt the passage don't make it through and their bounties are left to freeze. Characters can spend an hour searching the wreckage of a ship and make a Group Instinct (15) roll. On a success, they find 2d6 bags of coins and treasure, but anyone who assists in the check gains a point of Stress. On a failure, all participants take 10 direct damage and lose a hope, finding nothing.
Dangerous Denizens - Reaction | Countdown (4)
When the characters enter the Icecage Passage start a countdown. It ticks down each time a character fails an action roll while in the area. When it reaches 0, an adversary or group of adversaries from the Potential Adversaries list finds the party.
Unsure Footing - Action (2)
The ice a character is standing on cracks open and they must make an Agility (15) reaction roll or fall into the water, taking 10 direct damage that cannot be reduced by armor and have disadvantage on all rolls until they take a short rest.
Appendix C: NPCs
This section is dedicated to NPCs that the characters meet throughout their journey.
Cinthia Trin
Ice Runner, Ridgeborne Halfing (She/Her)
Difficulty: 14
Personality: Tierless, Indomitable, fierce
Experience: Athlete +1, Bloodhound +1, Quartermaster +2, Tracking +1
Look: Never without her snow hounds. Scarred, weary, and always draped in heavy pelts to ward off the cold.
Motive: The Loop. Take the package. Bring it to the destination. Take the next package. Bring it to the destination. Keep moving. Can’t stop. Too many rely on her.
Cinthia was one of the best guides in all of Rimelock, but now, she only cares about the Loop. After taking a group of adventurers north to excavation site Seven-Delta, she had a dream of the sun cracking open in the sky and pouring out fire that drowned the Rime, freeing the colossi. A dream so real that she still has it to this day. She only cares about the loop. Nothing else matters, because someone so small as her can never make a difference against something so huge.
Danna Shay
Town Elder, Ridgeborne Faun (She/Her)
Difficulty: 16
Personality: Community-minded, Speaks softly, Carries a Big Stick
Experience: Survival +3, Ears the to Ground +2
Look: Old goat of a woman with thick white braids that fall on either side of her withered, tanned face. She wears a heavy purple shawl and her fur has gone silver. She carries a gnarled wooden staff lacquered to a fine finish and covered with beads.
Motive: Danna has seen Rimelock through the last 50 Thaws. She is a mother hen type that wants to keep everyone safe. Little has changed in that time, and little has needed to as far as she's concerned. It was Danna who brokered the agreement between the Druids of Coldgrove and the city.
Features
Use a Fear. Danna gains insight about a character's motivations from nosy Rimelock citizens.
Drace Elevardo
Merchant and Innkeeper Slyborne Elf (They/Them)
Difficulty: 14
Personality: Practical, Utilitarian, Greedy
Experience: Merchant +2, Quick-witted +1
Look: Pallid to the point of near grey skin. Shrewd golden eyes and white hair. They wear gear from their shop branded with the image of a moon rising over the outline of a rocky mountain range
Motive: Money. Buy low, sell high. Goods are always top quality, and there's always another adventurer setting out to make a fortune.
"Out here it’s all finders keepers, I just make sure to let everyone know what a generous buyback policy I have."
Elcor Lascenas
Rimelock Harbormaster Seaborne Daemon (He/Him)
Difficulty: 14
Personality: Proud, Hardworking, Family-oriented
Experience: Sailor +2, Harbormaster +2
Look: Dusky red skin and horns that curl back from his forehead and around pointed ears full of golden jewelry. He is slight of frame and wears a heavy grey longcoat to hide it.
Motive: Elcor took a bribe last Thaw, a thing he swore he'd never do. It wasn't for money, but for a recommendation for his eldest son, Abram, to have an apprenticeship at the prestigious Tyrenhall Academy of Magics. Abram left on the first ship south, this Thaw and Elcor has been racked with guilt ever since.
Olivar Snowshoe
Cryomantic Druid Orderborne Katari (He/Him)
Difficulty: 13
Personality: Artistic, Curious, Overly-cautious
Experience: Icy Architect +2, Naturist +1
Look: Olivar is a black and white (Tuxedo) furred katari in heavy white robes of the Assemblage accented with a green and blue sash stitched with fat penguins. His hood has cat ears.
Motive: Olivar just wants to get back to the Coldgrove and to making his structures. He enjoys building strong walls and shelters out of ice. He appreciates the artistic forms that his contemporaries make, but he much prefers the graceful lines of a well-built bridge. His current goal is to ask for aid from the Circle of Elders and to discover what he can about the Icelost Host.
Quentin "Qube" Hubert
Frigid Wizard Ice Elemental (He/Him)
Difficulty: 16
Personality: Curious, unassuming, good-humored
Experience: Ancient History +1, Forbidden Knowledge +2 Magical Knowledge +2
Look: A block of solid, polished ice who can crush a portion of itself to form a face and limbs. He wears a bright yellow toga, wrapping around what would have been one of his shoulders if he had any.
Motive: Exploration. Qube was once a mortal man. But by discovering a powerful, frozen, and eldritch tome, managed to turn himself into an ice elemental permanently. Which suits him, honestly, as he uses his new form to explore the furthest reaches of the Rime.
Vaceran Hollowheart
Cryomantic Assembler Wildborne Elf (He/Him)
Difficulty: 14
Personality: Stern, Wise, Protective
Experience: Ancient History +2, Knowledge of the Land +2
Look: Dressed in simple white and blue robes, his frail form disguises power and knowledge that have accumulated over the years. He has thinning golden hair that is slicked back that hangs in a braid down his back.
Motive: Preservation. He and his kind seek to keep the icy tundra as the Forgotten Gods left it--a prison for the Colossi. He can be overbearing in his pursuits and rarely asks for forgiveness for his actions.
Oskar Zahk
Wary Ecclesiarch, Loreborne Katari (He/They)
Difficulty: 14
Personality: paranoid, brilliant, volatile
Experience: Magical Knowledge +3, Bloodhound +2
Look: Grey furred and mousy in the face, but overcompensates for his nondescript genetics with over-the-top scholastic chic fashion. Too many buckles, too many straps and an army of servants to cater to his every whim.
Motive: Progress has stagnated. Innovation has died. We have failed as an age. Gods. Mortals. All of it. Starting over from scratch is the only way to make things right again, with Oskar leading the way. He wants to be remade as a colossus and he believes the texts that have been translated from two of the prophecy discs hint at a device that can create gods.
Appendix D: Adversaries
This section details the Adversaries found in this adventure that are not in the Playtest Manuscript. These are Homebrew and may not be balanced.
Beasts
Frost Drake - Skulker
Motives & Tactics: Fly, Hunt, Feed, Kill
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: 2
Bite: Very Close | 2d8 + 3 Phy
Difficulty: 15
Minor 1 | Major 10 | Severe 21
HP: 5
Stress: 2
Experience:
Features
Reflective Scales - Passive Any attack made against this adversary at Far or farther range is made with disadvantage.
Swift Bite - Action +2 Attack Modifier
Spend a Stress and choose a target in this adversary's Far range. This adversary moves into Very Close range with the target and makes a Bite attack against them.
Icicle Barbs - Action (2) Choose a point within this adversary's Close range. All targets within a Group of the chosen point must make a Reaction roll with Agility(15) or take 2d12 + 3 damage and be pinned in place by the barbs. As an action, the pinned target can free themselves.
Icelost
The Icelost Host are the dead sailors and passengers who dared to attempt the Icecage Passage. These frozen undead have bluish skin that clings to their dessicated corpses and torn clothing from violent deaths. They feel no pain or regret and obey their master with unflagging devotion.
Icelost Mage - Ranged
Motives & Tactics: Terrify, Destroy, Obey, Kill
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: +2
Bone Staff: Far | 3d8 Mag
Difficulty: 13
Minor 1 | Major 8 | Severe 12
HP: 4
Stress: 2
Experience:
Features
Unsettling - Passive
When a character attempts to attack this creature with a Melee attack, if they do so with Fear, they take a Stress regardless of if the attack is successful or not.
Terrify - Action
Spend a Stress. This adversary calls up illusions of the dead at all targets in front of them within Close range. Each target of the adversary's choice must make a Reaction roll with Presence (13). The targets who fail see the vision of someone close to them that has perished. They lose a hope and become frightened. Until this adversary is brought to 0 HP, all damage the target does is reduced by half (rounded up). Once this ability has been used on a target, they cannot be affected by this ability again until they finish a long rest.
Icelost Minion - Minion
Motives & Tactics: Feed, Devour, Consume, Obey
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: -1
Rime-crusted Sword: Melee | 4 Phy
Difficulty: 13
Minor 1
HP: 1
Stress: 1
Experience:
Features
Minion (6)- Passive
For every X extra damage a character deals to this adversary, they also 1 HP to an additional minion within the attack's range.
Group Attack - Action (2)
Choose a target and activate all adversaries Icelost Minions within Close Range of them. Those minions move into melee with the target and make one shared attack roll. On a success, they deal 4 damage each. Combine this damage together.
Icelost Privateer - Standard
Motives & Tactics: Kill, Obey, Destroy
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: 1
Rusted Saber: Melee | 3d8 + 1 Phy
Difficulty: 15
Minor 1 | Major 13 | Severe 23
HP: 3
Stress: 2
Experience:
Features
Unsettling - Passive
When a character attempts to attack this creature with a Melee attack, if they do so with Fear, they take a Stress regardless of if the attack is successful or not.
Horrifying - Passive
If this adversary deals Hit Point damage to a target, that target also loses a Hope.
Icelost Slab - Bruiser
Motives & Tactics: Pummel, Kill, Obey, Destroy
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: 0
Frozen Morningstar: Very Close | 2d10 + 5 Phy
Difficulty: 14
Minor 1 | Major 13 | Severe 22
HP: 5
Stress: 2
Experience:
Features
Unsettling - Passive
When a character attempts to attack this creature with a melee attack, if they do so with Fear, they take a Stress regardless of if the attack is successful or not.
Powerful Leap - Action(2) -1 Attack Modifier
The Icelost Slab moves anywhere within its Close range, making a powerful leap that cracks the ice on contact. All creatures in the Very Close Range of where they land must make a Reaction roll with Strength (14). Targets that fail are knocked over and are Vulnerable until they take an action. The Icelost Slab then can then make an Frozen Morningstar attack against a target of its choice.
Hands of the Hundred
The Hands of the Hundred dress in hooded robes and heavy coats covered in chains as a symbol of their faith in the imprisoned colossi that they worship. They wear metal masks shaped as impartial faces.
Hands of the Hundred Priest - Support
Motives & Tactics: Worship, Revive, Obtain Power, Believe
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: 2
Improved Scepter: Far | 3d6 + 3 Mag
Difficulty: 14
Minor 1 | Major 9 | Severe 16
HP: 3
Stress: 2
Experience: Eldritch Knowledge +3
Features
Calculated Risk - Reaction
If an attack would defeat this adversary, Mark a Stress and roll 1d20. If the roll is higher than the damage done by the attack, the adversary is not defeated and instead has 1 Hit Point.
Call to the Void - Action (2)
Target an ally within this adversary's Close range. The ally marks a Stress and takes an attack against a target within their range with advantage.
Hands of the Hundred Believer - Standard
Motives & Tactics: Worship, Revive, Obtain Power, Convert Others
Tier: 1
Attack Modifier: 2
Improved Cutlass: Melee | 2d8 + 4 Mag
Difficulty: 14
Minor 1 | Major 11 | Severe 18
HP: 5
Stress: 3
Experience: Eldritch Knowledge +3
Features
Calculated Risk - Reaction
If an attack would defeat this adversary, Mark a Stress and roll 1d20. If the roll is higher than the damage done by the attack, the adversary is not defeated and instead has 1 Hit Point.
Disassembling Strike - Action +1 Attack Modifier
Mark a Stress to make an attack with its improved cutlass against a target in Melee. On a success, the target loses an armor slot without gaining its benefit.
Appendix E: Items
Below are items that appear in the adventure. These items are homebrew and may have unintended balance issues. Use them at your own risk.
Iron Moon Prayer
Prophecy Disc
The Iron Moon Prayer is a rough disc 2 feet in diameter and roughly an inch thick. Carvings and glyphs are etched into its surface. It is made out of a substance that is not of this world which makes it impervious to all damage.
As an action, a character who holds the Iron Moon Prayer can also hold an amount of metal the size of their hand or larger and use the power of the disc to heal 3 hit points. If they do so, they permanently mark a Stress. This also absorbs the metal into the body of the character.
If a character ever tries to use this ability and cannot mark a stress, their ancestry changes to Clank and they become an NPC under the control of the GM.
A creature that possesses this device (in hand or in a backpack or satchel) for more than 4 hours must make a Reaction roll (16) with Presence. On a failure that character marks a stress and loses a hope. Regardless of the save, they holder has terrifying visions of rivers of fire and blood. Wars from ancient times and oppression on a scale unseen in this age.
Appendix F: Session Zero Questions
You can use these questions to help tie in your characters to the story. These can replace or add to the class questions. You can also use them to create bonds between the player characters.
The Rime
Swallows
its Victims
Whole
The Thaw has come to the Rime, with endless days and melting snow. This warmth has broken open the Icecage Passage and the undead that haunt it have returned for vengeance.
They are more powerful now than in years past, but no one knows why.
Uncover the secrets locked within the ice along with the massive metal humanoids.