Cairn of The Winter King

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AGE
12+
NOEeNS
eNS
E SSE N T I A l sm
CAIRN OF THE WINTER KING
A ROLEPLAYING GAME ADVENTURE FOR 4TH-LEVEL CHARACTERS
Matthew Sernett
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Credits
INTRODUCTION
Design
Matthew Sernett
Cairn of the ';Vinter Kin8TM is a D UNG EONS & DRAGONs
adventure for four to six characters of 4th leveL To run

Editing
Miranda Horner
this adventure as the Dungeon Master, you n eed the
DUll8eon Master's Book and the tokens from the Dun8eon

Managing Editing
Master's Kit"" . (The Rules Compendium'-~ oHers a more exten-
Kim Mohan
sive treatment of the rule s and ca n be used in pJac e of the

R&D Director
DunBeon Master's Book.) Players need Heroes of/he Fal/ell
Bill Siavicsek
Lands "" or another book for players that enables them to

D&D Creative Manager
create characters.
Christopher Perkins
D&D Design Manager

Adventure Background
James Wyatt
A half-elf fugitive from justice ha s come to Fallcrest bea r-

D&D Developm ent Manager
ing a powerful item stolen from the Winter King. The
Andy Collins
half-elf traveled to Fallcrest through the Frost jaw Peaks
Art Director
far to the south_ As he traveled through a mountain range
Kate Irwin
during a storm, h e took shelter in a frozen cave beneath
a pillar of ice fllled with skulls-the Cairn of the Winter
0&0 Senior Art DirecLOr
Jon Schindehette
King. Exploring deep into the cave, he found the ice scepter
in the grip of a figure frozen to a throne and encased in

Graphic Designer s
ice_ He took th e scepter and left the cave when the storm
Leon Cortez, Keven Smith, Emi Tanji
cleared. No\\' a seemingly endless ,,,inter has befallen the

Additional Graphic Design
Jand in the middle of summer, and the people ofFallcrest
Yasuyo Dunnett
and the surrounding lands are desperate_
Cover Illustration and Cartography

Jason A. Engle
ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
Pub lishing Prod ucti on Specialists

Angelika lokatz, Erin Dorries
The characters arrive in Fallcrest just as another snow-
storm begins to fall [rom the black clouds. Unprepared for

Prepress Manager
Jefferson Dunlap
the sudden freeze, the people ofFalicrest have gathered
together to discuss what to do, and the characters capture

Imaging Technician
their interest as travelers who might have n ews of a place
Carmen Cheung
not consumed by ,",'inter. While the characters are talking

Produc t ion Manager
about the strange weather. a rhythmic and deep chant-
Cynda Callaway
ing resonate s between peals of thunder, and it appears
to come from the sky. vVhen the characters investigate ,

DUN GEONS & DRAGONS, D&O , d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF
THE COAST,
Dun8con Master's Kit, He roes of the Fallen Lands, Monster
Vault, Rules they witness a ship filled with undead warriors descend-
Compendium, Cairn of the Winter Kin,g, all other Wi~ards of
the Coast ing from the clouds. The ship bears a message from the
p roduct n ames, and their respective logos are trademarks
of Wi~ards of
t he Coa st LLC in the U.s.A, an d other countries. All Wi~ards
characters and Winter King: Return the ice scepter!
the di stinctive likenesses thereof are property ofWi~ards of the
Coa st LLC The characters must use the ship to fly to the Cairn of
Thi s material is protected under the copyright laws of the
United States of
America. Any reproduction or unauthori~ed use of t he materia l
or artwork the Winter King and either return hi s scepter or kill the
contained herein is pro hib ited without the express written
perm ission of Winter King. Only then will winter loosen its grip. They
Wi~ards of the Coast LLC Thi s product is a work of fiction.
Any similarity
to actual people, organi ~ations, places , or events included
herein is purely can choose to bring the fugitive and the ice scepter with
coi nc idental. Pr inted in China. 2010 Wiza rds of the Coast LLC
them, or make the journey without one or both.
300-24465000-001 EN
The characters mll st succeed on a skill challenge as
987654321
they rovv the sky ship back through the storm or face the
First Printing: November 101 0
ISBN; 978 0-7869 5631-9
first battle at the Cairn in an injured state. They must navi-
Visi t auf website at www.Dunge onsandDragons.com
gate the danger s of the \Vinter King's realm and find their
way to hi s throne room to confront or appease him. If they
succeed, they win much treasure and save thousands from
a cold and hungry death. If they fail, winter might claim
the Nentir Vale forever.
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OJ
STARTING THE
their goods. The work promj ses to be r elaxed and net them 0:::
50 gp each. All they have to do is show lip in Fa llerest :J

ADVENTURE
and greet the halnings's leader, Ba rroTurnfin , with their ~
fr iend 's speci al hand shake. From th er e on , it should be a OJ

When th e adventure starts , the characters a r e assum ed to
month of smooth sailing down th e r iver to new Sights and >
o
be arriving in the city ofFallcrest in the Nen tir Vale. For
sound s to the south. (Of course, it doesn't work out th at ..:
information about FalJcrest and the Nentir Val e, sec the
way.) OJ
DUI18eon Ma ster's Book.
J:
Opti ona lly. you can place th e st art of thi s adventure
QUEST: MEET UP WITH THE HALFLINGS I-
in \,, hatever settl em ent you like or put Fallcrest wherever
4th -Level Minor Quest (17S XP) \J
Z
you w ish in your campai gn . "Opening Scen e" on page 4
The characters comp lete this qu est if they meet u p w ith
u ses flam es a nd places in FallcIest for conven ience, but
the halflings at their camp in Fall crest. Th e ir le ader, Barro ~
fee l fr ee to change any stich elements in th e ways that suit
Turnfin, ha s no work for the characters now that w int er ha s ~
you. [0 a ny event , the adventure doesn 't linge r long in the
frozen much of t he river and sta ll ed trade, but he offers to ill
town be for e sending the characters off to the Cairn of the
pay each character 150 gp for th e job they ca me out to do
Winter Kin g.
if the strange wint er we ath er end s within th e month.
To start thi s adventur e, YOli can do th e foll owing:

+ Use one orthe following hook s for th e character s' tr avel
Hook: Marriage Proposal
to Fa llc rest , or li se one of your own d evising.
Th e ch arac ters bear happy news for Amara Azaer, a tief-

Describe a nd rol eplay through the events of th e open-
li ng merchant in Fa llcrcst. Belli s lronoak , a m erchant of

ing scen e (p age 4).
Hammerfast whom sh e h as long pursued, has accepted

Run Encounter 1: Sky Raider s, page 6.
h
er proposal for marriage and th e joinin g of the ir com-
Continu e th e adve nture with "Aftermath of the Battle,"
panie s. Amara runs Hou se Azaer, a trading comp any in

page 8, or, if th e char acters leave on the sky shi p ri ght
Fa I Icrcst.
after encounter] , w ith the skill challenge on page 10.
W h en you r ead th e second pa ssage o f read -a loud text in
"Opcning Scene" on page 4 , the wa r ehou se th e ch aracters

Hook: Investigate
pa ss on the way to th e h a lning ca mp belongs to Amara.
the Iron Circle's Ties
She is there arguing , ... ith th e guard s and the peop le \'" ho
are cutting up her cli ents' goods.

If th e charac tcr s just completed the Reavers of Hark em voId
adven tu r e from th e Dung eon Master 's Kit, th ey could be
QUEST: AZAER BELLIS'S ANSWER
travelin g to Fallc rest pr epared to pretend to be Iron Circl e
4th-Level Minor Quest (175 XP)
m ercen a ri es. They learn ed from a lettcr on anlron Circl e
The cha racte rs com pl ete this quest if th ey let Amara Azaer
m ember that the individual and a number of othcr Iron
know Be ll iss answer. It should provi de a nice ro leplaying
Cirde mercen ari es ar e suppo sed to go to Fallc r est and
moment as Amara worries about her abi lity to see Bell is
m eet' up with a m a n namcd Arm os Kamroth to ",'ork fo r
Ironoak again. It shocks her out of he r ange r at the guard s
hiln .
and gives her the opportu nity to describe th e situa t io n in
the town from he r pe rspective as som eone w hose good s
QUEST: INVESTIGATE THE IRON CIRCLE'S TIES
have bee n commandeered.

4th-Level Minor Quest (175 XP)
Th e characters comp lete th is quest if they talk w ith Arm os
Hook: Discover the Cause
Kamrath and d iscover what he knows about th e Iron
Circle: nothin g! Armos wanted t o hire extra muscle from
News of the unnatural w inter ha s tr aveled quickly, but the
out of
weather itself h as n ot ye t spread as far as the ironically
tow n to break so me legs and steal the possess ions of
debtors, but t he current sit uation has h im more interested
named Winterhaven , a forti fied town ab ollt 50 miles to
in hirin g the characte rs as guards for h is estate. Th e Iron
the northwest.1ts lead er, lord Padraig , sent th e characters
Circle inten de d to turn Armos to its side with blac km a il
into the storm to see ifthey could bri ng ba ck new s ofit s
and br ibery once some agents gained his tru st. The
cause. H e paid them in advance , hopin g they would honor
characte rs have ruined th ose plans .
their promise once they h ad in formation.
Hook: Boat Guards

QUEST: DISCOVER THE CAUSE
4th -Level Minor Quest (175 XP)

A fri end of th e ch a racter s and h er partn ers h ave ta ken a
The charact ers complete th is quest if they learn of
m orc lucrative stint of caravan gua rd duty and can't mak e
the W inte r Ki ng and successfull y commun icate t hat
it to th ejr u sual summ erjobs in Fallcrest as bo at guard s
info rm at ion to Lord Padraig.
for th e Turnfin clan of hal flings. The fri end has as ked the
ch ar ac ter s to take over guardian sh ip of the h alnings a nd
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OPENING SCENE
When the characters go to the tents by the river,
read:
While the characters were traveling to Fallcrest , snow
As you approach the camp, you pass a warehouse with crates
began to faJi in the middle of summer. This turned out
and barrels 9f ina in tumbled heaps outside it. Six humans and a
dwarf
to be no freak weather occurrence but a long-term trend.
are dumpin8 their contents into the snow and hackin8 the
Dark clouds covered the sky, and the snow hasn't stopped
containers up. Food appears to be the only exception. They take
falling. The hardship this is causing people becomes obvi-
the food back inside throu8h doors j1anked by members of the
ous as the characters near Fallcrest. Outlying farms are
Pallcrest Guard. One of the 8uards sees you lookin8 and nods his
abandoned, their crops buried in snow and blighted by
head toward the camp. His messa8e is clear: Move alona.
cold.
When the characters continue on, read:

When the characters arrive in Fallcrest, read :
The walk down to the camp by the river is a lonely one, even as
Your hopes for hot food and a warm fire seem dashed as you
other latecomers to the crowd file onto the street to crunch their
approach FalIcrest. The Bate in its hi8h stone walls stands
way throuah the snow and the chill air. The people you see don't
unBuarded, and a drift of snow holds open the huge wooden
say anythin8. but they look worried and defeated.
doors. Inside are few sians of life. Businesses and homes stand
By the time you arrive at the camp, the area around the
tiahtly shuttered, and you spy only a couple thin trails of smoke
halflin8s' tents is packed with people . They stand shoulder to
from nearby chimneys. Even the lord's castle, barely visible
shoulder, and bonfires roar nearby, but stilI they stomp their feet
throuah the aloom and blowina snow, looks dark and lonely on a
and rub themselves aaaimt the cold. You can see people's breath
distant hilltop.
as they shout at a baldin8 man in fine furs standin8 on a chair in
You spot a few dots of ruddy light by the river where a crowd
the center of the crowd.
is aathered amid some tents. Plumes of white smoke rise from
bO"!fires to streak across the darkening sky, looking like the claw
Unprepared for the sudden winter, the citizens are run
marks of some behemoth.
ning out of coal and wood for fires , and tempers are high.
Lord 'Varden Faren Markelhay has brought the people

Allow the characters to explore the tOvvn as they wish.
together to explain his plan to take all food and keep
Most of the buildings in the town are currently locked up
it under guard for rationing while teams of people cut
and abandoned or occupied by suspicious people carefully
up furniture and other objects for firewood. The Lord
guarding what little food and fuel for fire they possess.
Warden is earnest in his desires to help his people, but
Iviost of those who stayed have sent a representative to the
many consider his efforts draconian.
camp of the Turnfin halflings in response to a ca1l from
The Turnfin halflings are a clan of river traveling ship-
the Fallcrest Guard. Everyone else has gone to the camp.
pers who come up the Nentir River to Fallcrest at this time
Lord Warden Faren Markelhay decided to hold a town
of year to collect goods before traveling south again. They
meeting at the halflings' camp so everyone could hear
have brought news that the lands to the south are no better
what he and the halflings had to say. If you used one of the
off. Their journey through the Witchlight Fens-which
hooks that came with this adventure, the characters can
often has its perils - was made eerily easy by the stillness
learn that the person they are looking for is likely at the
brought by the cold. They had to contend with the freez
Turnfin camp with the other folk from the town.
ing water, though, and had to break ice to make their way
to the light ofFallcrest's civilization. Barro Turnfin, leader

of the Turnfin clan, says as much when several of the Lord
U S ING T HIS A D VEN TURE
vVarden's people raise him on their shoulders.
Roleplay the characters' interactions with the citizens

As with any published adventure, Cairn of the Winter Kina
and the Lord \Varden. The characters' words are of great
might not be perfe ctly suited to your group and the world
interest to the people because they are travelers and might
in which you set it. Make any changes you need to make
know a land not blighted by the unnatural cold. As such,
your game more fun.
those gathered push the characters to the center to stand by
Some of the encounters use the poster map provided
the lord \t\'arden so that everyone can hear what they say.
in this product. For the others you can use 0&0 Dun8eon
The characters' report likely confirms what most people
Tiles, or draw their maps out on a blank battle grid.
fear; The winter is widespread and has been for weeks. -
Although normally the people follow their Lord War-
den's orders without much complaint, the dire nature of
the town's predicament is causing unrest. Things could
get ugly. Use the following statements from some of the
citizens of Fallcrest as inspiration for roleplaying '''ith the

\
players.
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UJ
Faren M a r ke lhay, Human Lord Ward en ofFallcrest:
Have th e ch ar acters mak e an InS igh t check (a ch aracter Z
"You've heard from Barro Turrifin! The lands downriver are
can aid anoth er ch aracter ifh e or she w ish es) and let th em U.J
in winter too! Ration ina is th e on y l way. We will outlast this.

know th e fo llowing abollt the groups base d upon how h igh ~
Srranae weather has come andaone in the past. This too shall
th ei r check r esult was. \,J
pa ss!"
General Cr owd (DC 10): Most of th e citi zen s are Z
con fl icted. They want to obey the ir lord , but th ey'r e all z
Armos Kamro th , Human Landow ner and Secret
worrying about wh at th ey' ll have to give up . UJ
Cl.
Cleric ofTialnat : "Let each person take care of himse lf! Until
Guards (DC 10): T he guards are gett ing n ervous. A o
this is over we should be with our families. not stand ina about
few of th em are dov.mright tWitchy, p u tt ing h ands to sword
the freez ina co ld and sta rvina ourselves. First we chop up trade
h ilts whenever anyone in the crowd shouts.
aoods. Will we cut up our houses for firewood next?"
Turnfin Haillings (DC 10): The Tu rnfln s sen se
da nger in the crowd and are retreatin g to their tents. Some

Barstomun Strongbeard, Dwarf Leader of the Porter s'
are keeping h and s close to weapons.
Guild : "You've aot more than you need, Armas! .if you do n 't want
Farmer s (DC 14): The farmers look pretty desperate.
to share , maybe we should he lp ourselves! "
They're in cline d to su p port th e Lord \ Vard en an d are look
ing fo r a way to do th at.

Amara Azaer, Tieflj ng Mer chant and Operator of
Merchan ts (DC 14): The merchan ts are worri ed , a nd
House A za e r: "Armas is riaht! You'll pay every copper for my
Armo s is telling th em w hat th ey want to h ear. They'r e get
prop erty. Lord Warden, or ... or .. . "
ting worke d up to defend their po sseSSion s bu t are worr ied
about opposing the Lord ' Varden.

Bors H ungren , H u man Farmer : "Or you'll what, tiej1ina?
Porters and Others (DC 21): T h e strong-looking
What will you do to the Lord Warden? What will you do to the
porters h ave m ade a sil e nt a ll ia nce w ith some shjft y
man who is tryina to feed my family? You foraer that the peop le
looking h alflings a n d h umans . Th ey'r e fannin g ou t
who put food on your table-the farmers - are the ones worst hit
through th e crowd and occ aS ion a lly whispering in to
by this storm."
cars while the dwar f wh o sh outed at Arm os ta l ks to th e
farm er wh o sh ou ted at th e ti e n ing. It looks li ke th ey're

Rag Vanna r , H u man Farmer: "You merchants worry over
trying to sta r t a riot.
a few crates? A few contracts broken? I've lost everyt hilla! My
While th is is un fold ing, om inous thunder begins to
whole crop is dead! No w I'm just tryina to keep l11y family alive,
ro ll in th e darkeni ng sky, and the snow begi n s to fa Jl more
and the Lo rd Warden has a plan to do it."
heav ily. Allow th e ch aracters to do what th ey li ke w ith
th e in for m ation th eir In sigh t check gains. They m ight try

Lannar Thi stIeton, Ha l fljn g Owner of the Fallcrest
to counter the ill wi ll in the crowd tow a rd th e m erchant s
Stables: "When will it be over? It's been snowinafor over a
or try to calm everyone down. Perhap s th ey pOint out th e
week, and it's aettina worse. We should pack up what we can and
n e'er do \vells to t he gua rd s or warn th e Lord Warde n.
head north!"
Read "War Ch ant from the Sky," below. During
whatever dra m a unfold s, introduce th is elem ent at a dra -

A r mos Kam rot h, H u man Landowner and Secr et
mati cally appropri ate m oment.
Cleric ofTiamat : "Pool of a halflina ! When has the winter
ever been made better by headina north? Perhaps we shou ld all
War Chant from the Sky
head into the Winterbole Forest and camp on Lake Wintermist.
When th ings start to becom e te n se or a fi ght brea ks out .

I'm sure the Tiaerdaw barbarians will welcome us with open
have the characters least involved in th e hull abaloo m ake

arms!"
P erception checks.
Perception Check (D C 14): A ch aracter who fa ils th is

G r ullde lma r , Dwarf Priest of Pel or: "Pelor is theaod of
check can bare ly d iscern frightene d shouting from a few

summer and sunlight! We shou ld all pray to Pelor! "
memb ers on the edge of the crowd.
I f a character su cceeds on th is check , h e or sh e h ears

D irina M ornbr ow, Human Priest of Erath is: "Non
th e shouting but also someth ing more ominous. Between

sense! Erath is is our city's patron aod! We have taken the safety
pe a ls of thu nder, a d eep a nd rhyth mic ch anting r ever

of our lands for aranted. We must make sacrifices to Erathis!"
be rates through t he area. The soun d is sim.i1 ar to tJ1at a
crew m igh t m ake wh en row ing a sh ip - an d it seems to be

At some p Oint, small groups start formin g in the crowd.
coming not from the r iver but from above!

Some of th e farm ers start m ur muri ng togeth er,joined a
Th is reve lation shou ld cau se th e char acters to look

momen t later by porter s an d other le ss we ll off citizen s.
aroun d. Turn to Encou nte r 1: Sky Raiders, on th e next

Me rch a nts cluster around Ann os Kam roth , worr ied ly di s
pa ge, to continu e t he adventu re.

cussing their future. Th e Tu rn fin h alflings sta rt windin g
their way thr ough th e crowds toward their tents , and the
guard s look about nervously with h ands on th eir weapons.
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.... -
6 Decrepit Skeletons (0) Levell Minion Skirmisher
ENCOUNTER 1:
Medium natural am mate (undead) XP 25 each
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative + 5
SKY RAIDERS
AC 16. Fortitude 13, Reflex 14. Will 13 Perception +2
Speed 6 Darkvi sion

Encounter Level 5 (1,200 XP)
Immune disease , poi son ; Resist 10 ne crotic ; Vulnerabl e 5 radiant
STANDARD ACTIONS
Setup
CD longsword (weapon) + At-Will
Effect: The skeleton can shift 1 square before th e attack.

6 decrepit skeletons (D)
Attack: Me lee 1 (o ne crea wre); + 6 vs. AC
2 flesh-crazed zombies (F)
Hit: 4 damage.
3 skeletons (S)
Shortbow (weapon) + At-Will
5 zombie shamblers (Z)
Effect: The skeleton can shift 1 square before the attack.
Attack: Ranged 20 (one creature); +6 vs. AC

When the characters investigate, read :
Hit : 3 damage.
S.r 15 (+2) De. 17 (+3) w;s 14(+2)

The wind changes, and yo u can hear the chantin8 more dearly.
Con 13 (+ 1) Int 3 (-4) Cha 3 (-4)

I t's a war chant of so me kind, and it's comin8jrom the sky. You
Alignment unaligned languages -
see a few fo lk pointina to the clouds and 5houti"8, but yo u per -
Equipment longsword, shortbow. 20 arrows
ce ive nothing. Then thunder explodes above yo u and, in the flash
ofliahtnina that comes a moment later,you see it: a lontJ ship
1 Flesh-Crazed Zombies (F) Level 4 Skirmisher
with a tattered black sail beil18 rowed throu8h th e air! Suddel11y
Medium natural animate (undead) XP 175 each
it takes a curving dive and drops into the fri8id river, only to
HP 55 ; Bloodied 27 Initiative +6
ski d up onto the icy shore near the halfl-ina camp. The chantin8
AC 18, Fortitude 17. Reflex 16, Will 14 Perception +3
Speed 6 (8 when cha rging ) Darkvision

stops as fur-dad warriors leap from the boat, each lettin8 loose
Immune di sease, poison
an unearthly roar. After a moment of shock, the terrifi ed crowd
TRAI TS
surges away.
Flesh-Crazed Charge
Wh il e the zombie is chargin g. its move ment does not provoke

The fur clad warriors are und ead servants of th e Winter
opp ortunity attacks.
King come to d eliver a deadly message.
Zomb ie Weakness
A criti cal hit automatica lly redu ces the zombie to 0 hit pO ints.
Tactics
STANDARD ACTIONS
<D Club. A.-Wm

The undead spread out wide from th e shi p like living
Attack: Me lee 1 (o ne creature); +9 vs. AC
ra ider s crazed for plund er and blood. They attack th e
Hit : 1d8 + 6 dam age. or ld8 + 6 if the zombie charged th e
townsfolk and th e cha ra cters in equal m easur e. All attack
target.
until destroyed. The char ac ters shou ld h ave a hard time
+ Bite. At-Wm
protecting the cit.i ze ns from the undead.
Atta ck: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. AC
The characters mi ght not know how to permane ntly
Hit: 2d6 + 5 damage. and th e target is dazed unti l t he end of the
zombie's next turn .

kill the zombi es at fir st. Ifno player talk s about ki cking
th em while they're down or making sure they are dead . a
Deathless Hunger + Encounter

character skilled in Religion can surmi se how th ey mu st
Trinner : The zombie is redu ced t o 0 hit points . but no t by a criti -

be d estroyed. In any event , it should not remain a my stery
cal hit.
for more than a coup le of rounds.
Effect (No Action) : Roll a d20. On a 15 or higher. the zombie is
in stead reduced to 1 hit point.

The Sky Ship
Str 18 (+6) De. 15 (+4) w ;s 13 (+3)
Con 15 (+4) In.1 (-3) Cha 3 (-2)

The longsh ip is a semi sentient vehicle with a ta lking
dragon figurehead.
EqU ipment club
When a living creature comes within 5 squares of

When a living creature com es within 3 squares of
the sky ship, read:
the sky ship, read:
The dra80n fiaurehead at the prow of the ship shakes free of the
The fi8 urehead turns to yo u and asks, "Do you carry the ice
ice around its face and turns to look at you. In a deep voice that
scepte r of the Winter Kin8?"
booms out above the rumble of thunder, it inton es, "Return the
ice scepter to the 8rasp of the Winter Kin8 , or this shall be a for -
If th e character ans\'ver s yes, th e figurehead in cl in es its
ever winter, and the cold and dead sha ll feast upon the warm
head slightly and says, "Then you may board ." lt makes
and livin8."
no attempt to discern th e truth or worry about h ow many
p eopl e say they have th e ice scepter.
----------------------- Page 7-----------------------
3 Skeletons (S) Level 3 Soldier

5 Zombie Shamblers (Z) Level 5 Minion Brute
Medium natural ammate (undead) XP 150 each
HP 45; Bloodied 22 Initiative +6

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative +1
AC 19, Fortitude 15, Reflex 16, Wi!l15 Perception +3
AC 17, Fortitude 18, Reflex 15, Will 15 Perception +1
Speed 6 Darkvision
Speed 4 Oarkvision
Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5 radiant
Immune disease, poison
STANDARD ACTIONS
CD Slam + A,-Wm
The skeleton gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and deals 1 d6 extra
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); + 10 vs. AC
damage on opportunity attacks.
Hit: 8 damage. cr:
UJ
STANDARD ACTIONS
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
f-
CD longsword (weapon) AtWiII
Deathless Hunger + Encounter Z
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
TriY8er: The zombie is reduced to 0 hit points, but not by a criti- ::J
Hit; 1d8 + 5 damage, and the target is marked until the end of
cal hit. o
the skeleton's next turn.
Effect (No Action); Roll a d20. On a 15 or higher, the zombie is U
Z
S'r 15 (+3) Dex 17 (+4) w;s 14 (+3)
instead reduced to 1 hit point. UJ
Con 13 (+2) In' 3 (-3) Cha 3 (-3)
S'r 18 (+6) Dex 8 (+1) W;s8(+1)
Con 15 (+4) In'1 (-3) Cha 3 (-2)
Equipment longsword
If the character answers no or gives no answer, a bolt

Ice: The ice at the edge of the river is difficult terrain. A
oflightning explodes from the sky, striking the mast and
creature that attempts to run or charge over a square of ice
passing through the ship to leap from the figurehead's
must succeed on a DC 14 Acrobatics check or fall prone
mouth at the offending character. The ship also attacks in
on the first ice square it enters. Dealing 10 damage to a
response to any attack.
square of ice can turn it into a square of river instead.
Attack : Ranged 20 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
Guards and Citizens: Treat the guards and citizens
Hit: 3d8 + 4 lightning damage.
as minions with defenses of10 and a +5 attack that deals
5 damage if it hits. Many run, some try to help against the

Features of the Area
undead, but most become victims, particularly in the tight
confines of the tents. Use as many as you see fit.

River: Any creature that enters the frigid river or starts
Fires: A creature that moves into a fire square or starts

its turn in it takes 5 cold damage.
its turn in one takes 5 fire damage.
Difficult Terrain: The logs and boats are
difficult terrain and provide cover.
Tents: The tents provide cover, but an attack
directed at a tent's side that deals 5 damage
opens a rent through which creatures and
attacks can freely pass.
Totem Poles: The half1ings erect these
animal totems when they camp. They feature
birds, fish, and amphibians - the animals the
half1ings see in their travels. A DC 10 Athletics
check allows a creature to climb one, some-
thing a citizen might do if pursued by undead.
Development
Continue the adventure with "Aftermath of the
Battle" on the next page or, ifthe characters
leave on the sky ship right after encounter 1,

\-vith the skill challenge on page 10.
----------------------- Page 8-----------------------
AFTERMATH
+- However, the vVinter King did not CDunt upDn the
enmity bel ween the Prince ofFrQst and the Raven

OF THE BATTLE
Queen. For his hubris and his alliance with her fQe,
the Raven Queen cursed the Winter King so that all he

In the immediate aftermath of the battle , the sky ship still
touch ed wDuld turn to' ice.
sits along the shore of the river, occasionally intoning its
+- Amid the fin est food and drink, the Winter King
demand for the ice scepter. As the people in the to\vn return
starved. He demanded that the Prince of Frost remDve
to take care of th e dead and injured , the area is quickly
the curse , but that fickle lord instead froze the king
consumed in a tumult of mourning , cries of the \vOll11ded,
solid and entQmbed hi s fortre ss in ice. The frozen pile
cheers for the bravery and skill ofthe characters , ,vonder
of skulls became the cairn that marked the Winter
and fear at the sky ship, and questions and theories about
King's grave.
what happened and most of all why.
+- N o one the characters speak to' is certain vvhat the ice
Rol eplay some of these interactions, llsing the informa-
scepter is , but clearly it belDnged to the Winter King.
tion below as inspiration.
Eventually, LDrd Warden Faren Markelhay cQnvinces

Thurmina, Human Sergeant of the Guards : "The
everyone to be quiet and stands again Dn the chair to'
\Alint er Kina? That's just an old story !"
address them. If your pJayers are likely to take the hint,
you might have the Lord Warden be rattled by the attack

Barro Turnfi o , Ralfl ing Leader of the Tu rnfin Clan:
and roleplay through characters' attempts to' cDnv ince him
"No, it's not! My cousin said he's seen his cairn in the Frosljaw
that his peDple need him to act like a leader.
Peaks. A Breatpillar of ice with skulls inside !"
Read or paraphrase the following words from Faren

Nimozar a n t he G reen , Human W izard Occu pyin g
M arkelhay :
the Septa rch 's Towe r: "Th e ha lflinE is correc t. There was a
"People ofFalicrest! My people! The terr ible thin8s we witnessed
Winter K inE once. In the chaos before the rise of the Empire of
on this day were not an accident. Som eone in Pa l/crest has the
N erath, th e Winter KinE ruled lands fa the south of h ere."
Win ter KinE's scepter. B u t these heroes who saved us from the
m onsters aboard that ship are not to blame. T hey came late-just
Orest N aer umar, Tiefling Own er of N ae rum a r's
in t ime to help. No, someone else has brou9ht this doom up on us_
I m ports , Fallcrest's Finest Shop: ''I'm famili ar w ith ma ny
You know w ho yo u are_ Comeforward now to en ter my protec-
types of maBie items, bu t I've n ever heard of an ice scepter."
tion, or f a ce the a a Uows!"
N im e n a Sandercot , Human Own er of Sandercot

At t h is pD int , have the ch aract ers make a DC 14 Per-
P rov i sions : """ ell, w hatever it is , it must be here. W hy else
ception Check: On a success, a character nDtices a male
would a ship come d own from the sky? So m eone brinE m e more
half-elf trying to' sneak away while most everYDne else is
bandaEes- and an ale! "
silent and still. If all the characters fail. SDmeone in the
crDwd nDtices the half-elf and ShDutS abQut it. They attack
ArulOs K amrath, Huma n Landowner a nd Secr et
with the intention of severely beating him.
Cleric ofTiam at: "That's riEht! And that means someone
The half-elf is Marko Lancet, a criminal and fugitive
brought it here, recently! You there! You 're st rangers in townr
from a prisDn in the distant sDuthern city-state ofHadrakar.
You brouEht this w inter upo n us. didn't y ou?"
He has the ice scepter.
Alluw the characters to' take the lead in talking to' the
Ice Scepter level 6 Rare
townsfQlk. Tfthey want mQre informatiQn abQut the
]'his reBa! scepter seems made aJice and is set with sapphires. 1'hou8h
\Vinter King and th e ice scepter, seve ral peQple can con-
the scepter is cold to the touch, its Wielder nevertheless feels warm and
tribute pieces Qfthe legend, and N imozaran the Green
conifortable in the coldest wind_
can confirm the details:

Implement (Rod, Wand , Staff) 1.800 gp
+- The Winter King was a human warlord whO' united sev-
Enhancement: + 2 to attack rolls and damage rolls
eral barbaric lribes over a hundred miles to the SQuth.
Critical: + 1 d8 cold damage per plus
+- He is called the Winter King because in the course of a
Property: You gain a + 2 item bonus to the damage rolls of cold
attacks made with this implement_

single long \\linter. he conquered several human cities
Power (Encounter): Standard Action. You use JreezinlJ burst (wizard
and laid claim to' a dwarven kingdom, erecting a tower-
1). You can use Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for the attack
ing pile of skulls of thQse he defeated to' IOQm over his
ro lls and the damage roll.
fortress's entrance.
Power (Daily): Free Action_ TriBBer: You hit an enemy with a cold
+- The winter lasted SO' long and was so advantageous to
power using this implement. Effect: Every target hit by the power
hi s soldiers that it was said he made a pact with a fey
is immobilized (save ends).
lord of great power known as the Prince DfFrost.
----------------------- Page 9-----------------------

Marko Lancet
What happens to Marko is up to the characters, Depend-
ing on ho\'\' the characters handle things , the discovery of

Nlarko Lancet grew up on the mean streets ofHadrakar.
Marko lancet could have many diHerent results.

He lived a life of fraud, gambling, and petty theft until he
The heroes don't intervene: The people ofFalJcrest

was caught. It was his sentence to slave away in the mines
lynch Marko and hurl the ice scepter onto the ship. The sky
of the Frostjmv Peaks, but he escaped, killing a guard in
ship does not leave. Instead it demands rowers to take it

the process. 'Vhile on the run from patrols, he was forced
and the scepter back to the Cairn oftbe Winter King. And
to head higher into the mountains. A storm in the cold
the snO\v continues to falL

peaks forced the patrols to give up, and Marko saved him-
The heroes agree to take Marko with them: Marko

selfh)' taking shelter in an ice cave beneath a pillar of ice
is hardly pleased to go, but he feels that it's better than the
filled with skulls-the Cairn of the Winter King.
noose. If you like, you can photocopy the statistics on this

Exploring deep into the \\finding cave, Marko Lancet
page and allow the players to usc Marko as a companion

found the ice scepter in the grip of a figure frozen to a
character.
throne and obscured by a thick coating of ice. He took the
The heroes board t he ship w ithout the scepter:

valuable-looking object and felt warmer. \!\fhen the storm
The ship believes them when th ey say they have it and it

cleared, he left, now unafraid of the cold. The strange
takes off. lacking the ice scepter can impact later parts of
winter has bothered Marko, but he didn't know the cli -
the adventure, but for now you can continue with "Skill
mate of these northern lands, and the ice scepter has kept
Challenge: Sailing Stormy Skies" on the next page.

him ,varm. He intended to sell it in Fallcrest, but given the
mood of the crowd just now, he thought it best to leave. A
Lord's Request
Marko doesn'tvvant to admit any of his past and calls
himself a traveler until hard-pressed. At first he isn't will -
The ship strikes out with lightning against individuals
ing to admit where he got the ice scepter, but he quickly
who attack it, and snuw squalls quell fire or other ongOing
realizes his hopeless situation and tells how he entered the
effects that might damage it. Someone must board it and
ice cave and claimed it.
return to the Winter King, with or without the ice scepter.
Marko does not want to go back to the Cairn of the
Marko Lancet cannot row the ship on his own, and most
"Vinter King and is willing to give up the ice scepter to
people in town would rather face prison than board the
settle the matter. However, the people ofFallcrest aren't
unearthly vessel. Lord \Varden Faren lVlarkelhay again
feeling forgiving, and ifit looks like he faces certain death
turns to the characters.
or punishment by remaining in the town, Marko changes
his mind and offers to guide the characters through the ice
Read or paraphrase the following:
cave if they'll take him with them.
"My new friends , you've seen how poorly we dealt with the
Winter Kins's minions. N one of us are up to this task. If you will

Marko Lancet Level 4 Companion ao
to the Winter Kina.you take the hopes ofF'allcrest and all the
MedIum natural humanoid, half-elf XP -
surroundin8lands with you, Will you board the ship, ao to the

HP 42; Bloodied 21; Healing Surges 8 Initiative +6
Winter Kina . and stop this endless winter?"

Speed 6 low-light vision
QUEST: STOP THE ENDLESS WINTER

STANDARD ACTIONS
4th-Level Major Quest (875 XP)

CD Short Sword ~eapon) At-Will
Th e characters complete th is q ue st if they kill the Winter

Attock: Melee 1 (one creature); + 10 vs. AC
Hit: 1
King, return his ice scepter and convince him t o end the
d6 + 2 damage, or 3d6 + 2 if Marko has combat advantage
against the target.
winter, or t rick hi m int o becom ing frozen once again.
?r Silvertongue Deceptio !!Jcharm) '+: Encou~ter
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); + 8 vs. Will
If the characters talk about rewards, townsfolk begin
Hit: The target is dominated until the end of Marko's next turn.
promising free boarding, free food and drink whenever
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
they are in town, free repairs to armor and weapons, and
Deadly Dodge. At-Will
anything else they can think of. Buoyed by his people's
Tri88er: An enemy hits Marko with a melee attack.
reaction to the characters' request , the Lord Warden offers

Effect (Immediate Interrupt): Marko slides the triggering enemy
1 square, and one ally within reach of the triggering enemy
them the Tower of Waiting and the island it sits on in the
becomes th~ target of the triggering enemy's attack.
river . It's little more than an empty shell right now, but
Skills Bluff +10, Diplomacy +10, InSight + 6, Stealth +11, Street-
Faren Markelhay assures the characters that work can
wise +10, Thievery +11
begin to turn it into a strong and comfortable home.
St, 14 (+4) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 9 (+ 1)
Assuming the characters accept, continue the adven-
Con 15 (+4) Int 11 0:.2) Cha 16 (15)
ture with "Skill Challenge: Sailing Stormy Skies" on the
Alignment unaligned languages Common, Elven, Dwarven
next page_
----------------------- Page 10-----------------------
SKILL CHALLENGE:
of the events multipl e times . Rem emb er that only two
ch aracters can stop rowing at a time.

SAILING STORMY SKIES
Level: 4 (XP 525).
Complexity: 3 (requires 8 succes ses before 3 fa ilures).

The fi gurehead of th e sky ship is concer ned only wit h two
Event A: Frozen rop es sn ap . and the sail Oaps wildly.
thin gs: bringing th e ice scep ter back to th e W inte r Ki n g
The ship h eaves and sways violently, a nd th e figu reh ead
and hav ing enough peopl e to row th e shjp. Being a con -
ca ll s ou t, "Set that sail! Secure th e lines!" A character
struct of no great intell ect or discernment, it car es only
n eed s to make a DC 14 Alh letic s che ck to cl imb th e mast
th at it receives a n swers in the affirmative to its q u est ion s.
and gath er the flapp ing material while another chara cter
Beyond that , it knows the way to the Ca irn of th e W inter
makes a D C 14 Thievery ch eck to throw and secure th e
King, and it kn ows ",.rh en enou gh people arc work ing th e
lines. Both ch ara cters mu st m ake checks until both suc-
oars to send it airborne.
ceed . Each time that on e or both fai l, th e chara cter s lose a
Fo r t. he purpose of thi s adventure, the number o f crew
hea ling surge apiece from th e j ost ling of th e ship.
need ed to row the ship is equal to th e numb er of char ac-
Event B: The ch ar acters spot wh irling funne l clouds
ter s, but if YO li wan t , you ca ll h ave the ship require more
ah ead as a fierce snow squ a ll obsc ures the path fOr\'vard.
people. Perhaps some brave tow n sfolk mll st a lso com e
A successful DC 2 1 Percepti on check or DC '14 Na ture
a long. There might be tearful good-byes with loved ones
check can determine the safe st direct ion . If the ch arac-
cert a in that thos e on th e ship are going to th eir deat hs.
ters fa il . they lose hvo hea ling surges apiece as they pa ss
People mi ght m ake brave speeche s. or th e character s
through a tornado. If they succeed . a DC 21 D ipl om acy
mi gh t need to convin ce the town sfolk that some of th em
check convi nce s the fi gu reh ead to pi ck th e safest route , or
mu st come a long.
a D C 14 Athl etics check can trim t he sa il to cause the ship
to travel th e better course. Fa il ing either of th ese ch ecks
Boarding the Sky Ship
cau ses th e chara cters to lose two hea ling surges apiece in
th e whirling tempe st.

W h en the characters board the ship and en ough crew are
Event C: The cold becom es inten se. Eac h character

aboa rd to row, the figureh ead intones, "Set to th e oars, and
mu st succeed on a D C 14 Endu rance check or lose a heal -

I sh a ll pil ot our cour se through the storm." It says nothin g
in g surge. Characters who h ave co ld res istance ga in a

else until its command s are followed.
bonu s to the check equal to th e amount of res istan ce.
Even t D: Hu ge ha iJ batt er s th e ship . Characters who

When the characters start to row, read:
can't take shelter som ehow whil e row ing (s uch as by cover-
As yo u pull upo n the oars, the areat ship a lides into the air like an
ing up with a shield) mu st succeed on a DC 14 End urance

arrow shotfrom a bow. Each stroke you make feels like YOlt are
check or lose a healing surge . Also, th e fi gu rehead gets

puI/ina heavily at water, and yet it se nds you hurtlina skyward.
damaged and disoriented . A ch aracter mu st su cceed on a
DC 21 Arc an a check to revive it , or th e ch arac ter s lose a

If m ore th an two of th e characters stop rO\v ing. the ship
h ealing surge apiece b efore the ship revives itself.

plu mm ets and wa rn s them , "Row or die. The Wi nter Ki ng
Event E: The ship tumbl es in a strong ''''ind o Each char -

can send anoth er ship ."
acter mu st sllcceed 011 a D C 14 Ac robatics check or lose a
h ealing surge . One ch aracter wh o fa il s a lso fa ll s overboard

Assumi ng t h e characters continue to row, read:
and end s up gripping the frosty edge of the sh ip. The char-
Your view of th e around below quickly becomes obscured by
acter or a helpin g character mu st succeed on a DC 14

douds. Throuah the jreez ina mist and wind, you see flashes of
Athl etics ch eck to pull the ch arac ter back on board. The
1i8htn ina.lce bea ins to crust the sh ip, and your fin8ers and face
chara cter hanging over th e shi p loses a h ea ling surge each

become numb with cold. You lose any sense of how fa r you've
tim e he or she fail s thi s ch eck.

aone or wh ere you' re headina.
End ing the Skill Challenge: Ac hi eving 8 sllccesses

Running the Skill Challenge
indicates that the characters receive the XP. not th at the
skill chall en ge h as ended. Fai li ng checks can still cau se

The ch arac ters need to continue rowing th e shi p a nd avoid
the loss of h ealing surges as d escribed be low. The skill
or endur e th e d an ge r s of the storm . or else they lose hea l-
ch allenge shoul d not end until each ch aracter h as made at
ing surges. This skill challen ge has a different form at from
least two skill ch ecks-and you've h ad en ough fun .
others. In stead of u sing prim ary and secondary skill s,
Resolution: W hen th e skill ch allenge is over, continu e
it reli es on a number of events to provoke skill cllecks.
with "Arr iving at th e Cairn " on the next page.
Describ e these events as you wish .
Try to engage th e player s in the n arrative and react to
th eir act.ion s. Rather than run ning event s seq uenti ally,
you can h ave event s h app en concurrently or interrupt
th e characters' action s with new events. You ca n run any
----------------------- Page 11-----------------------
to
represent them. Their ultimate fates are up t.o you and Z
ARRIVING AT
et:
the
players.
THE CAIRN
U
The
Cairn LiJ
Read the following when the characters have com-
I
The
Cairn is a 40-foot-ta11 spike of bIlle-white ice that I--
pleted the skill challenge and you are ready to
resembles a great overturned icicle. Within it are hundreds ~

continue the adventure:
of
skulls: human, elf, dwarf, halOing, tiefling, dragonborn,
The sky ship descends rapidly throuah the clouds to reveal
children , adults-even some giants. A steep pile starts at the ~

snow-capped mountains all around. The air is cold here but pre-
bottom within the pillar of ice, but farther up the piJJar the
ternaturally still as the sky ship slows to a alide. Fat snowflakes
>
skulls are frozen aloft in the ice , eerily floating.

wetly slap aaainst you and the ship.
If someone attacks the Cairn, it unleashes an attack in
The ship slides to a stop in a snowyvailey in the shadow of a
a
close burst 20 that deals 4dlO + 10 cold damage [0 all
huae spike of ice filled with skulls. Beneath the 40joottall ice
creatu res in the burst. The Cairn has AC 2, Fortitude 20,

pillar is a tunnel into the mountain. Once the ship stops, all you
Reflex 2, 200 hp, and immunity to cold, necrotic, pOison,

hear is the whisper of snowflakes strikina snow.
psychic, forced movement, all conditions, and ongOing

Into the silence the fiaurehead suddenly intones, "Behold the
damage.
Cairn of the Winter Kina_ Brina the ice scepter before his throne,
or the snow will never stop fallina."
Entering the King's Realm The characters

Marko Lancet have
some time to take stock and examine their situation.
They
might \vant to rest, but unless they have a magical
If Marko is with the heroes, he is astonished to be back at means
to camp, the interior of the cave offers the only
the Cairn. In fact, he has a hard time believing it.
natural shelter. The characters might also consider resting
in
the boat, but the weather conspires against this.
Read or paraphrase the following words from Marko
The tunnel into the mountain extends a mere 20 feet
Lancet:
before being blocked by two huge doors- doors that Marko
''I'm back. I t's not possible. I thou8ht it would take weeks to 8et
Lancet did not encounter. The doors are not locked, but
here. I thouaht we'd die. But there it is, that horrible pillar of ice
encrusts them , and it takes a DC 14 Strength check to
skulls, and h ere I am. Maybe I never left. Maybe l'm delirious. crack
them open. A DC 21 Perception check detects no
Maybe . .. . i\Jaybe I'm dead, and my head is in that cairn. Could sound
through the door , but the barest hint of smoke does
I BO there now and see myself? If I climb up and look into the ice, scent
the air.
wiII my eyes be 100kin8 back at m e?"
When
t he characters open the door, read:
Marko has experienced some strange stuff recently, and A
wave of warm air bursts throu8h the doors, carrying with it the
the harrowing trip through the storm after the attack of the
scents of rich food and wood smoke. The smells of roast 8oose,
undead warriors has unhinged him a little. Unless the char-
sucklin8 pi8, lemon tarts, and other foods you haven't eaten since
acters stop him and snap him out of it , he climbs the hillside
childhood lin8er around your head.
surrounding the tunnel entrance and starts peering in at the
Down the tunnel you see the source of these delightful memo
skulls inside, examining everyone for some resemblance
ories. A room Blitters with candleli8ht around a table laden
to himself Nothing happens unless he attacks th e Cairn, with
plates of food and BoblelS of drink. Beyond it, a bearded
which might occur ifhe sees his reflection in its surface. man
dressed in furs sits with a demure youn8 woman at a table
Unstable as he is, Marko is willing to continue with the by a
fire. Three huntin8 hounds lie at their feet lazily 100kin8 in
characters once they calm him. (",",Vhat else should I do? your
direction.
Stand out here and freeze?") Marko wants to help with his
The man lifts his stronaface up at the cold air cominafrom
knowledge of the ice cave. If the characters ask, Marko can the
doorway, sees you, and smiles. "Come in,jriends," he says.
guess which path heads toward the throne room. You can 'i\nd
close the doors behind you a8ainst that cold. Sit, eat, and
decide ifhe is right, or you can roll a d6 and allow Marko rest
after your lon8journey."
to be right on a roll of 3 or higher.
The
man is a servant of the Winter King, and his hounds
Other Characters If the characters brought are
dire vvolves disguised by an illusion. He hopes to lull
others along, the latter folk are too frightened to enter. the
characters into a false sense of security. The food
However, any non player character tag-alongs might help and
drink is an illusion that holds a curse for those \vho
out later. Perhaps they fearfully stay near the sky ship
consume it. Read more about this area and continue the
but rally their courage to miraculously show up in the
adventure on the next page "vith "Encounter 2: A vVarm
dungeon when the characters are in the direst need. You
Welcome."
might use some of the human statistics in Monster Vault'''
----------------------- Page 12-----------------------
2 Dire Wolves (D) Level 5 Skirmisher

ENCOUNTER 2:
large natural beast (mount) XP 200 each

A WARM WELCOME
Speed 8 low-light vision

TRAITS
Pack Harrier
Setup
The wolf has combat advantage against any enemy that is adja
cent to two or more of the wolf's allies.

Bortek, h uman barbarian (B)
Pack Hunter (mount)

2 dire wolves (D)
The wolf's rider has combat advantage against any enemy that is
Zanna, gnome illusionist (2)
adjacent to one of the rider's allies other than the wolf.
STANDARD ACTIONS
The contents of the table , the two hunting hounds, and

CD Bite. At-Will
the demure young woman are cloaked with illusions. The
table holds a disgusting array of bones, rotting flesh, and
Hit: 2d8 + 4 damage, or 3d8 + 4 against a prone target. The
gore from travelers through the mountains who passed too
target falls prone if the wolf has combat advantage against it.
close to the Cairn of the Winter King. The hunting hounds
5t'19(+ 6) Oex16(+5) W;s14(+4)
Con 19 (+6) Int 5 (-1) Cha 11 (+2)

are in fact dire wolves. The human woman who appears

to h e a servant is Zanna, a gnome illusionist loyal to the
V\Tinter King.
Bortck is th e only creature who is as he appears-a
Bortek's ploy is to claim that he is the \i\,Tinter King. He
povverfully built human warrior. Yet Bortek has a secret
wants the characters to partake of the food and drink and
agenda. He hopes to win honor with the V\Tinter King by
to give him the ice scepter. If things go as he plans, they'll
bringing back the ice scepter himself.
rest in the room while barred from entering the rest of the
Bortek does all the talking. His "servant" Zanna doesn't
dungeon , and Bartek will return to finish them off once he
talk because she's concentrating on keeping up the illusions
has brought the scepter to the Winter King.
on herself and the wolves. She smiles and nods when she
must, but she tries to escape notice by playing the part of a
Assuming the characters give him the chance, Bartek
starts the conversation . Read:

servant (passing out drinks, taking away dishes, and so on).
"Welcome. I am the Winter Kina. I assume you have somethina

Bortek, Human Barbarian (B) Level 5 Elite
Brute for me. You can aive it to my servant Zanna. Once we have that
Medium natural humanoid XP

400 business out of the way, I hope you'll dine with me and teU me
HP 152; Bloodied 76 Initiative
+ 4 how the world has chanaed durina my lona sleep,"
AC 17, Fortitude 18, Reflex 17, Will 16 Perception
+2
Speed 7
Bortek doesn't lie well (Bluff +3),50 he tries to stick to the
Throws +2; Action Points 1
facts. Characters who succeed on Insight checks against
his Bluff can tell he is anxious and suppressing some
anger. Zanna plays her part impeccably (Bluff +1 3), but

Hit: 2d12 + 3 damage, and Bartek can push the target 1
square. someone who exceeds her Bluff with Insight understand s
@)Handaxe(weapon).At-WiII,--::-:-_",,:,: __ _
magic is somehow at play in disguising her appearance.
Attack: Ranged 5 (o ne creature); +10 vs. AC
Bortek and Zanna have been frozen alive for hun-
Hit: 2d6 + 4 damage.
dreds of years. They know nothing of the outside world
<- Axe Sweep (weapon) At-Will
as it is, and they 're unwilling to tell the characters about
Attack: Close burst 1 (e nemie s in the burst); +10 vs. AC
the rest of the dungeon. They don't know by what means

the \-\finter King fetch ed the characters. Sooner or later,

TRIGGERED ACTIONS
( < .... Battle Fury -+- Encounter
combat should break out.
Tri88er: Bartek is first blood ied.

Attack (Free Action): Close burst 1 (enemies in the burst); +10
Tactics
vs. AC
vVhen combat breaks out, the illusions on the dire woJves

Hit: 2d12 + 6 damage, Bortek can push the target 1 square,
and
and Zanna fade (but not the table; that's the Winter King's
the target is knocked prone.
Miss: Half damage.
doing). Bortek mounts one of the dire wolves and rides
Skills Athletics +11
it over the table to attack the characters. The other two
5t, 18 (+6) Dex 15 (+4) Wis11 (+2)
surround them from the sides, hoping to gain combat
Con 16 (+5) Int10(+2) Cha 12 (+3)
advantage. Zanna uses her powers against the characters,
Alignment evil languages Common
but trie s to flee \ivhen she is bloodied-if possible , invisibly
Equipment greataxe, 4 handaxes
due to see me not.
----------------------- Page 13-----------------------
~
Table ofIllusory Delights: The tabl e orgo,. o
is disguised by an il1usion offin e victua ls. A char ..J
UJ
acter train ed in Arcana can detect its m agiC w ith 3
1 minute of study and a su ccessful DC 2 1 Arca na
ch eck. The character mu st th en su cceed on a ::E
et:
second DC 2 1 Arcana ch eck to know it is an illu-
<
sion and that it bears a curse. 3
A creature that eats or drinks from the table
<
cannot regain encounter power s and cannot
regain hit pOints except by u sing its second wind.
et:
These effects last until the creature tak es a n
UJ
extend ed rest. r-
At som e point after the character s have fall en ::l
for th e il1u sion or discovered it, it van ishes, revea l- 0
ing th e me ssy remains of the travel er s and th e U
blood filled cup s. ,.vords in frost appear am id th e UJ
go re: " 00 you think you are guests in my house?"
Cursed Beds and Resting : The beds in the
chamber are large, comfortable, and covered in

Gnome Illusionist (Z) level 6 Artillery
multiple thick blanket s. The bed s are not illu sion s
Small fey humanoid XP 250
but tru e invitations to rest well. The chests aTe empty a nd
HP 57; Bloodie d 28 Initiative + S
sa fe for th e characters to u se.
AC 20, Fortitud e 15, Reflex 17, Will 18 Perception +4
However , anyone who rests in this chamber or takes th e
Speed 5 Lowl;ght vision
blank ets or bed s from it suffers nightmar es of a freeZing
STANDARD ACTIONS
death. The n ext time such a character is in combat after an

CD Gnarled Staff (weapon) + AtWiII
extend ed rest , he or she takes a -2 penalty to attack roll s

and damage roll s due to flashback s or the dimly remem

Hit: ld8 + 6 damage .
~~ Bedazzle {illu sion, impleme nt, radiant) At-Will
b ered nightmares. A character can eliminate th e penalti es
Attack Area burst 1 within 10 (enemi es in the burst); +11 vs. Will
by taking an extended rest elsewhere.
Hit: 2d6 + 5 radian t damage, and the target g rants combat
A chara cter tra ined in Arcana can detect ma g ic asso-
advantage (save e nd s).
ciated w ith the beds and the chamber after 1 minute of
< ... See Me Not (illu sion , implement, psychic) . Recharge !2J@
study and a successful DC 21 Arcana ch eck. The ch aracter
Attack: Close bla st 3 (enemie s in the blast); +9 vs . Will
mll st th en succeed on a second DC 2 1 Arcan a check to
Hit: 2d6 + 10 p sychi c damage , and th e target cannot see the
und er stand th e nature of the magic.
Fires: A creature that start s its turn in the sam e square
as a bra zier or moves into one take s 5 fire damage.

Not There (illUSion, te le portation) Encounter
Effect: The gnome te le ports up to 5 squares and creates two
Dog Pen: The adjacent chambers are dank and dark
duplicates of itself Within 5 squares of its de stination space.
room s th at smell h eavily of dog. Dirty rags, wh ich are th e
The dupli cates last until th e gno me attacks or until they are
torn remain s of th e clothes of un fortunate trave ler s, litter
de stroyed. Each duplicate ha s 1 hit point and the same abil"
th e Ooor. Despite th e unwelcoming nature of each one,
ity scores and defe n ses as the gnome. The gnome can use its
each chamber is a safe resting spot for a ch aracter .
actions to ha ve a dupli ca te act in any way it could. except that
the dupli cates ca nnot use p ow ers and cannot flank.
Development
MINOR ACTIONS
Veil (illusion) At-Will

IrZann a escape s the room, she head s to area 20 (page 17)
Effect: The gnome can di sgui se Itself and up to three allies within
to warn th e vVinter King, and then she head s to a rea 10
5 squares of it to appear as any Small or Medium creatures. A
(pa ge 16) to
join her sister, Azrinda. If sh e m akes it th er e,

creature ca n see t hr ough th e disguise with a successful In sight
Za nn a and Azrinda can be a challenge as a team.

check opposed by th e gnome's Bluff check.
Skills Bluff + 13, Stealth + 12
Once th e ch aracters defeat the foe s in thj s area, no on e
St. 10 (+3) Dex 14(+5) WI, 13 (+4)
com es to attack them. The Winter King set up th e tab le of
Con 15 (+5) Int 18 (+7) Ch. 20 (+8)
illu sory d elight s and the cursed bed s to test th e astuten ess
Alignment un aligned l a nguage s Common , Elven
or humili ty of the bearers of hi s ice scept er. lfthe ch arac-
Equipment robes, g narl ed staff (quarterstaff)
ter s pr esum e they are guests and fall prey to hi s curses, so
mu ch the better. Yet if th e ch aracters do not eat or drink
from the table and decide to rest in th e d og pen , the ir
safety and a good re st are assur ed.
\.
(
----------------------- Page 14-----------------------
THE WINTER
Floating Encounter
Encounter 10: Guard P atrol (page 3 0) ca n be pl aced

KING'S REALM
wherever you like in the dungeon. Use it to increase the
difficu lty of an otherwise easy encounter, or h ave th e char-

These ch a mb ers once served as som e of th e hold ings of a
acters hear th e approachin g gua rd s as th ey wander th e

clan of dwa rves. ''fhe con stru ction is clearly dwa rven. Ceil -
dun
geon. No map is provided for t hi s encou nte r. Instead ,
in gs in corridors are 10 feet high , and ceilings in chambers
have
it occur in th e chara ct er s' curr ent location. Also, con -
arc 20 fe et hi gh. Th e dun geon is freezing cold except in
sid
er using th e encount.er if th e player s are bogged down
rooms with fire s (areas 1 and 8). Frost coats mo st every-
in
di scussing what to do.
thin g. Icic les h a ng from the ceiling and \vall s w h ere water
Don't \'vait so long for th e opportun e moment that it

from the mountain has leaked into the area. Although yo u
never
com es . Instead , use thi s encounter early on , and
should fee l fr ee to describe slippery footin g, t he ice is not
then
use it again when it feels ri ght. Anot her patrol can
diffi cult terr ain unl ess otherwise noted . Non pl ayer char ac-
eaSily be wandering the dungeon in anoth er area .

ter s carry torc h es w ith them except in ro om s that cont a in
fir es. Tn combat, they set the torches down before engag- Area
Descriptions
ing. Otherwise, th e dungeon is dark.
The
numb ered locations on th e map on page 32 are
Running Events d et
ailed below.
in this Dungeon 1. A
Warm Welcome
The \ "'inter King sent the sky sh ip to retrieve th e ice scep- Thi s
area is describ ed in encounter 2 (pa ge 12).
ter, but he's in no hurry. He ca n freeze th e land s for mil es
around until he gets wh at h e wan ts. Of course, he m igh t 2.
Guardroom
continu e to rreeze th em. Plu s, th e characters are lost hi gh
Th e
door into this ch amber from the ha ll is locke d , and
in th e icy mounta in s; they h ave nowh ere to go.
carved into the ancient wood are the wo rd s "Do not open
The Winter Ki ng's minion s, on th e oth er h and , con -
on
pain of death by order or th e \rVinter King. " Th e door
stantly vie for hi s attention and esteem. Many of th em
can
be opened with a DC 14 Thievery check or a DC 21
hope to w in power by being the one who brin gs him
Strength ch eck.
either th e ice scep ter or th e indi vidual that carries it. Thu s.
In the time of th e d""arves, thi s chamber con stantly

inhab itant s in thi s dungeon aren't inclin ed to attack th e
had
guard s who prot ected th e complex fr om unwa nted
ch aracters irthey seem will ing to go quietly (to an ambu sh
en
try through the te leportation circle in th e adjacent
in the vVinter King's thron e room) . Nor are the inhabitants
ch
amber. W hen th e Winter King occupi ed the dungeon,
part icul arly likely to h elp on e another if waiti ng to att ack
th e
gu ard s' spirits h aunted th e place and kept him from
th e weaken ed characters later makes for a bett er stra tegy.
lI
sing it as well . They still guard th e te.Ie portation circle
At its core, thi s is a du ngeon where th e characters can
and
attack as soon as a creature pa sses th rough the east-
wande r and tll e nonpl ayer characters mi ght m ove about.
ern d
oor s in this area. Run Encou nter 4: Spirit Gu ardi an s,
The nonpl ayer character s have good rea son to b e where
page
19. when this h appen s.
th ey are, and clements oftheir movement arou nd th e dun -
geon are built in to the adventure , but you should fee l free
to improvi se. If t he characters are being incau tious, th ey 3.
Teleportation Chamber
should be attacked by th e dungeon's deni zens. I f t hey're When
the characters enter t h i s area, read:
trying h ard to be stea lthy and barely scrapin g by, t.h e non - The
floor of this chamber is en8raved with a circle of Tunes.
play er ch arac ter s in th e dungeon might not n otke th em , or

mi ght grow overconfident. The
dwarves of old used a teleport ation ci rcl e to quickly
Similarl y, the ch aracter s might pick a route throu gh
return to their home wh en traveling abroad . At yo ur
th e dungeo n that avoid s battles or prevents th em from opti
on , a character wh o sllcceed s on a DC 2 1 Arcan a
seeing cert a in ro om s. They might b e lucky and head check
can determin e th at th e circl e is still fun ction al , but
straight for th e W inter King's throne room. That's okay. it
work s only as a d estination and not a lso as a startin g
They still migh t visit other locations later. If you feel th e
pOint.
need to show th em a particular area or encounter, adju st Th
e pre sence of th e tel eport ation ci rd e g ives you and
things so th at the char ac ter s are likely to h ead that ,vay. th e
player s the opportunity to retu rn to th e Cairn of tlle
Maybe a mysteriOU S noi se is all your pl ayer s ne ed. P erhap s Wi
nte r Kin g at som e later date-aft er th e ch aracter s have
a n onplayer ch aracter m ight beg for its life in exchange for
learned hovv to use th e device. Gai ning that kn owledge
in formati on th at m akes th e players go the way you w ish . cou
ld be the subje ct of a quest or an entire adventure:
Alternatively, a guard patrol might draw or drive the ch ar- How d
o the characters learn th e inform ation th ey need?
acter s into a room or corridor. What
dangers lurk in thes e dungeo ns lIpon th e characters '
return? It's up to you!
----------------------- Page 15-----------------------
4. Frozen Temple
5. Great Hall
~
..J
vVh en t he Wint er King claimed th is complex from the

When the charact ers ente r th e ch a mb er , r e ad:
<:
UJ
dwa rves who bui lt it , h e froze their templ e to M.oracl iJl
This larae chamber holds two mass ive tables. Sce nes of dwarves
"
wh ile its h igh pr iest wa s kneeling at th e altar. The cha m -
eatina and drinkina aTe carved into the walls and pill ars.
<Il
be r is n ow fil led w ith solid ice from ODor to cclUng, a nd
U
its doo rs a rc frozen shut w ith an en ch an ted ice lock th at
P e r ception DC 14: You can see liaht dimly f/ ickerina and
Z
re qu ires t \ "/O keys. The Wi nter Kin g feared th at h is sac-
hear clatterina cominafrom the area to the north . It sounds like
~
r il ege mi ght have anger ed MOfadi n , and he plann ed to
so meone is m ovin8 dishes .
UJ
"
r eopen th e templ e on ce h e found a way to pla cate th e god .
f-
Yet th e vengea n ce ofMoracl in never came to pass, a nd
6. Collapsed Passage
Z
th e two keys becam e sym bo ls of rank among th e W inter
Thi.s r ubbl e-fill ed ha ll once led to li vin g qua rter s for dwarf
$:
K i ng's follower s.
serva nt s, crafter s, and m incr s, as well as t.o the mi nes.
UJ
The ghost of th e hi gh p riest now h aunts this temp le,
:r:
and it ca n not leave th e ch amb er. Th e spirit has no power
r-
7. Kitchens
to speak , b ut if the character s com e close to the fr oze n
Thi s area served th e dwar ves a nd the Winter Kin g as

door s, th e ghost's ha n ds a nd face poke through th e doors'
kitchen s for th e compl ex . On e of t he W inter King's

surface like a pr ison er through b ars. The ghost tr ies to get
recently th awed ser van ts, a hum an tra n smuter n a med

the ch a ra cter s to examine the m agic lock, and he m outh s
Ravid e th e Black , is in here tr y ing to wa rm lip and fi nd

th e wo rd s for "ice" and "key" in D warven , p lead ing for
someth ing to eat before he report s for d u ty. He's intent on

rel ease.
gettin g dry and looki ng pre sen ta bl e be for e h is aud ience

The characters can open the frozen lock on th e doo r
w it h th e Win ter King, so he is n't inte rested in e ngagi ng

w ith a D C 2 1 Th ievery ch eck . A DC 26 Strength ch eck
i n any battle h e migh t h ear nearby, in stead hoping th at
can a lso p ull ope n th e doors. Each failed Thi every check
the problem takes care of itself. An oty ugh is in a pit that

or Strength ch eck cau ses the lock to u n leash a bl ast of cold
th e \i\lin ter King's kitch en s u sed as a garbage and body

th at dea Is 2e1 10 + 5 cold d a m age t o alJ cr eatures adjace nt
di spo sa l, an d some dwarves wh o th aw ed out at abou t th e

to th e d oor. O nce th e doors ar e opened , however , th e room
tim e th at Rav id e did are aw aiti ng hi s order s. For m ore

is fill ed solid wi th ice and th e gho st still begs for r elease,
about thi s ch amber, sec En counter 8 : What's for Di n ner?,

thi s t im e pointing to th e keyhol e in the ice surr ou nded by
pa ge 26 .
r un es a nd mouth ing th e word s for "fir e key." A Thiever y
check has n o effect on thi s m agic lock.
The oute r door can be op ened safely WitJl th e ice key
8. Library
fo un d arou nd th e wh ite dragon'S neck in area 11 (page
When the char acters enter the ch a mb er, r ead:
16). The ice inside m ight be m elted w ith d ays of efTor t by
Sto ne shelves line the walls of t his room, bookshelves sta nd amid
th e ch ar acters, but u sing th e fire key cau ses it a U to evapo
it, and the fl ooT tiles are shape d like opened sc rolls. The books
rate in an in sta nt. T he fire key is with the tiefl ing na m ed
and scrolls in this room ha ve all turned to s08ay mush.
Anger in a r ea 14 (page 17) .
P e rception DC 2 1: Character s search ing th is ch am -

QUEST: THAW MO RADIN'S TEMP LE
ber can fi n d a vial made from t he horn of a m inotaur. Th e
4th-Level Min or Quest (1 75 XP)
airti ght conta iner open s with an aud ible pop , a nd in sid e is
Th e ch aract ers comp lete this qu est if t hey open the outer
a n elix ir of draBon breath (fire).
d oors a n d me lt al l t h e ice ins ide t he t e m p le . The ghost of
th e high p ri est t h en sta nd s up ou t of th e kn eeling dwarf
Elixir of Dragon Breath (Fire) level 7 Uncommon
corp se be fo re t he a lta r a nd turns to face th e characters,
Elixir 10 0 gp
b owing grate fully once before vanishing. At t hat mome nt,
Power (Consum able+- Fire): Min or Acti on . Use t his powe r after
t h e cha racters regain any h e a li ng su rges th ey have lost or
yo u drink the e li xir. Un t il t he end of t he encounter, you ga in an
at-will attac k power that re quires a stand ard action to use : Close
spe nt.
blast 3 (each creature in th e blast); + 1 0 vs. Refl ex. Hit: 2d6 +
Constituti on modifi er fi re da mage.
----------------------- Page 16-----------------------

9. Alchemist's Chamber
th e W in ter King's follower s (th ose wh o rod e th e sky sh ip to
Th is ro om served a gnom e alchemist as a lab. The a lche -
Fallcre st and th ose n ov.' occu py ing t he dun geon) . P ud dl es
mi st sta nd s frozen in area 1 1, b ut h er work r em a in s.
of vvater near th e front of th e room indic ate where they
Treasure : Character s can fi n d three p otions ofhea lin8
stood .
in th is room . All three poti on s are sti ll fro zen in side th eir
Many more of th e Winter King's army awa it relea se
con tai ner s. The ch aracters can u se them after thaw ing
in these ran ks ofice-coated creatures. Most are hu ma n
th em over a fire . Or , th ey can brea k th e conta iner s and
war riors , but a few gnom es, dwa r ves, tie nin gs, ogres, and
consu m e t he potion s as though th ey we re solid .
other m on sters are here . Put wh atever frozen fo es you like
in th is room . Tn add ition to th ese creatures, at the back of

10. Prison
th e chamber stand rank s of th ose frozen by th e Winter
Th e st Oll t, iro n-reinfo rced door to thi s area is lock ed.
King's touch. Th ese statues ofpcoplc a nd creatures are
en ti rely made o[ice except for t he ir skull s- an eer ie warn-

W h e n the chara cters investigate t he door or come nea r it ,
th ey hear a woma n's voice ca lling we akly from with in th e
ing of wh at th e Winter Ki ng m igh t d o to the ch arac ter s.
area.
Allmv the ch ar acter s to in ves tigate as they li ke . The ser-
vant s of th e Wi nter King are t.hawin g, but only slov,riy. The

Rea d :
chara cters can attack th em , or take t he ir mundan e equ ip
"H elp! Whoever yo u are, if y ou aTe not one of th e W inter K ina's m
en t by ch ippin g away th e icc. 1 f th e ch arac ter s attack
se rvants, yo u mu st help me. l can help y ou if yo u release me! th
e wh ite dragon or take its ice key, the ice surroundin g it
Please, it's so cold,"
crac ks. See En coun ter 3: Let Sleeping Dragon s Die , page
]
8, for what happen s n ext .
Th e charac ters ca n talk to the sp eaker through the d oor,
Treasure: The equ ipm ent carri ed by th e frozen people
but h er voice gradu ally grmvs hoarse and weak, and she is
largely unrem ar kabl e except for one ma giC item ju tting
from th e ice aroun d one hum an . Pick a comm on level 7

begs the m for something to drink and eat w ith her last
wh isp ered pleas be fore becomin g sHent.
magiC item th at woul d be use fu l to on e of the ch ara cter s.
The door ca n be opened with a D C 21 Thkvery check

or a D C 2 1 Strength ch eck . It has AC 5 , For ti tud e 10 ,
12. Trapped Room
Rdlex 5, and 3 0 hi t p oints. R
ead t h e following when t h e ch ara cter s op en t he
Th e wom an beh ind th e door is Azrin d a , a gnom e ill u-
door to this r oom:
sion ist and sister to Zann a, w hom th e characters m et
This chamber bristles with traps and da naerous defensive mea-
in encou nter 2 on page 12 . She claim s to be th e W inter
sures. A lever proj ec ts f rom the fl oor on the fa r end, and yo u see
Queen , scorn ed by her hateful husband an d impri soned
sawina blades and portculli s spik es pokinafro m the ce ilina. An
before the Prince of Fro st froze th em aiL For m ore infor
open pi t and holes in the walls promise death. Yet everythina
mation about Azr inda and how to ro lepl ay h er, tu rn to is
coated in a thick laye r of ice,free z ina traps in the middle of
Encounter 7: An Aud ien ce with the Queen , page 24. lf lhe
activation.
chara cter s ignore her pleas and continue on , after a few
rou nd s she gat her s h er forces and fol1 ows the ch arac ters to
None of the lrap s in thi s room a re cu r rently a danger to
attack the m wh erever they go n ext. th
e char acters. Th e ice coating th e m prevents their act iva-
ti
on, a fac t th at a D C 10 Thievery check ca n deduce with
11. An Army on Ice a
glance . If th e ch aracters decide to mess arou nd with
T h e doors to th is chamber are slightly aj ar. When the
the traps - perhap s resetting them wh ile they rest in the
characters open it, read: va
ult- a DC 14 Thi every check, the app lication offlre,
Warriors and monsters stand in frozen ranks. coated in thick or
an atta ck aga inst the ice can a ll ow a trap to be act.ive.
ice . A white draaon the size of aarizz y l bear hanasfrom the ceil For
m ore information abou t th e tr aps and the levers, see
ina. its enorm ous span of winas clasped by icicles and its body
Encoun ter 5: Trapp ed Ambu sh , page 2 0 .
encased in ice . Yo u see a larae key made of ice hanainafrom a

rope around th e draao n's neck.
vVh en Ole W imer King's curse caused him to start tu rn ing

thi ngs he touched to ice, many of h is victim s were h is own
soldiers and servants. These frozen vic tim s we re br ought
to the dwarves' old guard barracks. Late r, wh en the Prince
of Frost punished th e W inler King, h e froze all those he
fo u nd in and around th e Win ter Ki ng's Realm and had
ser va nt s pl ace th em h ere. Wh en Marko Lancet stole th e
ice scepf er, it disr upted the Prince of Frost's mag iC and
th awed mu ch of t he d un geon a lon g w ith freei ng some of
----------------------- Page 17-----------------------
13. Vault
16. Well
The dwarve s kept th eir riche s in this chambe r, but th e
This well served the dwarves and th e Winter King as an
Winter Kin g sp ent mu ch of the d warve s' wealth up on hi s
internal water supply. The we ll is 3 0 feet deep , and the
armies. Some of the treasure still r emains , inc1uding a pil e
wate r in it ha s a thin coating of ice . If th e ch a racter s inves
of coin s sepa rate d from the re st that wa s to b e th e hoa rd
tigate th e well , you might u se it as a source for a nother
or th e whit e dragon Thrym zen (see area 11, above , a nd
adventure. Perhaps a cave entra nce is at th e wate r level . or
en count er 3 , page 18). a
secr et door is somewh ere in th e chut e.
The heavy iron door to the vault is locked by a kiJld of
combin ati on lock. Letter s in Davek script. the alphabet
17. Conference Room
of th e Dwa r vcn a nd Giant languages, are on four whee ls The
dwarf king and later th e Winter King lI sed thi s room
internal to the d oor such that only one letter is vi sible at a for
private meetings.
tim e . Ea ch wh ee l ha s all the letters in the alphabet on it.
Perception DC 21: A chara cte r can notice a spy ho le UJ
ln scrib ed in th e door are the fo ll owing word s in Dwarven:
that allowed eavesdropping from th e roya l quarter s. P eek- :c
"None but a d wa rvc n hand can open me, and only aner
r-
ing
through it reveals the dark interi or of the icy bedroom.
brin ging me a giant 's head. " The solution to thi s riddl e is to
u se th e wheels to speJl th e word "head " in Giant and th en
18. Royal Quarters
"hand " in Dwa rven . When thi s is done, th e lock cl icks
Th
e dwarf kings of old and th e Wint er King u sed th ese
open .
chamb er s as a private re sid en ce. Th ank s to the Winter

If th e cha racter s don't speak Dv.'arven and Giant, th ey
Kin
g, everything in th ese room s is m ad e ofice: tables,
can't solve thi s riddl e . lrthe characters know th ose la n-
ch
a irs, bed s. th e mirror, and oth er per sona l effects and
guages but th e pl ayer s can 't solve the riddle , allow th e m to
furniture .
m a ke DC 2 1 Int elligence checks and give them a hint or
P e rception DC 21: A ch a rac ter sea rchin g in the bath-

th e a n swe r if th ey succeed. A DC 26 Thievery ch eck can
room can find a secret door behind th e frozen garderobe.

d etect th e faint cli cks of th e wheels and allow a cha rac ter
Op
ening it reveals area 19.
to unlo ck th e d oor.
Trea sure : Insid e the vault are crates, barrels, a nd
chests of treasur e : 4 50 cpo 255 sp. 300 gp, and gem s and
19. Secret Passage
j ewelry worth a total of350 gpo The vault can b e locked , T
hi s secret passage serves a s a mea n s of entering or exiting
unlo cked , a nd opened from th e inside, so it make s a great a
rea 20 unseen. At the top of th e spiral stair s is a collapsed
room in whi ch to r est.
passage that served as an escape tunn e l.
Aft er th e ch a ra cter s have rested and opened th e door,

whil e th ey are looting the chamber, or whil e they ar e 20.
Throne Room
try ing to figure out th e riddl e, run Encounter 5 : Trapped Whe
n the characters enter this area, r ead:
Ambu sh , page 20 .
This huae and J reezina cold chamber has hiah ceilina s dr ippina
with icicles like stalactites in a cave. Four ma ssive and a litterina

14. Cold Forges ice
chandeliers illuminate the room with hea tl ess blue fla mes
Thi s chamb e r ser ved as th e forge room for th e dwarve s. on
hund reds of unmeltina ice candles. On a high da is at one
Now its chimn eys are clogged with ice . and th e forges end
stands a hiah-backed throne on which Stts a fi aure as still
burn w ith cold nam e . The Winter King changed the fir es as
death. Ske letal and silent, the Winter Kina is entombed in
of th e forges with hi s cursed touch. so
lid ice at least a f oot thick. One hole pi erces the cold coatin8: a
The ti ening n a med An ger is in this room with a couple
slot over his riaht hand in which the ice scepter wo uld easily f it.
of und ead a lli es and an ogre. For more information about To
add to the eeriness of the scene, you hea r voices wh isperina,
thi s chamb e r or to run an encounter with the se chara c
"Beware the wrath of the Winter Kina ."
te rs, tllrn to En counter 6: Cold Anger, page 2 2.

The
Winter King does not spea k or m ove a nd seems
ISA and ISS. Guardrooms
frozen in place until someone atta cks him, g ives him
th
e ice scepter, or addresses him . Turn to En counter 9:
Although differ ent in shape and scope, both these loca
Uncrown th e Winter King , page 28 , wh en on e of th ese

ti on s se rved as ,v. aiUng room s and guardroom s. Area 15A
happ en s.
ha s a gong that would h ave been rung to announ ce guests
P erception DC 21: A char acter searchin g behind the

or as an a la rm . It is now m ad e of britt le ice.
tapestry c an find a secr et d oor. Open ing it reveals area 19.
----------------------- Page 18-----------------------
Young White Dragon (D) Level 3 Solo Brute

ENCOUNTER 3:
large natural magical beast (dragon) XP 750

LET SLEEPING
Speed 6 (ice walk), fly 6 Darkvision

DRAGONS LIE
Resist 10 cold
Saving Throws + 5; Action Points 2
Encounter Level 3 (750 XP)

TRAITS
Action Recovery
Setup
Whenever the dragon ends its turn, any dazing, stunning, or
dominating effect on it ends.

1 young white dragon CD)
Instinctive Rampage
On an initiative of 1 0 + the dragon's initiative check, the dragon

If the characters take the ice key from around the white
can move up to its speed as a free action. The dragon can move
dragon's neck or attack it, the ice around it explodes away,
through enemies' spaces and gains resist 5 to all damage during
the move. Each time the dragon enters an enemy's space for the
and the dragon attacks.
first time during the move, it can use daw against that enemy. If
The dragon is named Thrymzen. It allied with the
the attack hits, the target also falls prone. If the dragon cannot
vVinter King to experience the slaughter of conquest and
use a free action to take this move due to a dominating or stun
gain treasure. Thrymzen served as the Winter King's
ning effect, then that effect ends instead of the dragon making
mount on several occasions. Thrymzen would rather not
this move.
to speak to anyone but the Winter King, preferring to
Savage Blood
use brute force to make its intent known, but a character
While bloodied, the dragon can score a critical hit on a roll of
17-20.
who uses Draconic to speak to the dragon might shock
Thrymzen into a brief cOIlversation.
Fif.iJif.';i6,,'i,p;
Thrymzen has no idea how long he has been frozen,
(j)S;te(cold).A~

and if told, he demands information about the world
Hit: 3d1 0 + 4 cold damage.

beyond. Thrymzen might leave the Cairn of the Winter
Miss: 1d10 cold damage.

King if the characters can convince him that the Winter
+ Claw. At-Will
King's kingdom is long dead and that a new world lies
ready for exploration and plunder. On the other hand, it
has been a long time since Thrymzen has eaten.
+ Dragon's Fury:+: At-Will
Effect: The dragon uses daw twice .

Tactics
~ Breath Wea~on (cold) Recharge!3J [!J
Attack: Close blast 5 (creatures in the blast); +6 vs. Reflex

The dragon attacks the bearer of the key as best as it can.
Hit: 3d8 + 6 cold damage, and the target is slowed (save ends).
However. it's not terribly bright, and it might be fooled by
Miss: Half damage.
misinformation or bluffing.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
+ Tail 51a~ At-Will

Treasure
Triaaer: An enemy hits the dragon while flanking it.
Attack (Free Action): Melee 2 (triggering enemy); +6 vs. Fortitude

The enchanted ice key is freezing to the touch and deals 5
Hit: 2d8 + 4 damage, and the dragon pushes the target up to 5
cold damage to any creature that ends its turn carrying it.
squares.
-E- Bloodied Breath:+: Encounter

It has no intrinsic value beyond opening the outer doors
Tria8er: The dragon is first bloodied.

to area 4. Once it has been used to open the doors, it melts
Effect (Free Action): Breath weapon recharges, and the dragon
away.
uses it.
Skills Athletics +10

Development
5t, 18 (+5) De. 11 (+1) Wis 15 (+3)
Con 18 (+ 5) Int 8 (+0) Cha8 (+0)

This battle might occur in area 11. If so, use the map on
Alignment evil languages Common, Draconic
r page 32 and remember that the ranks of frozen creatures
stand in the room. On the other hand, the characters
ofinvadcTs, but none of its allies are above suspicion as

might take some precautions against the dragon waking,
thieves aside from the V\Tinter King. The dragon intimi

such as using a rope or magic to remove the key from
dates any allies it finds into forming search parties to

afar and quickly closing the door behind them. If so, the
locate the characters, assuming they understand its intent

dragon looks about itself in confusion for a few moments
(Thrymzen speaks only Draconic).

and then goes on the hunt for the key throughout the
dungeon.
This event can make for a lot offun tension as the
characters try to stay away from the dragon or pick their
battlefield to fight it. For its part, the dragon looks for signs
----------------------- Page 19-----------------------
3 Mad Wraiths (W) Level 6 Controller

~
ENCOUNTER 4 :
Medium shadow humanoid (undead) XP 150 each ~

SPIRIT GUARDIANS
AC 20. Fortitude 16, Reflex 19, Will 18 Perception -1 Cl
Speed 0, fly 6 (hover); phasing Darkvision '"

Immune disease, poison; Res ist 10 necrotic ::l
TRAITS \.:
J
Setup
o Mad Whispers (psychic) .. Aura 3 I-
Any enemy that ends its turn in the aura takes 5 psychic
3 mad wraiths (W)
damage, and the wraith slides it up to 2 squares. '"
"-
Insubstantial Vl
vVhen a creature enter s t he guard chamber, the mad
Th e w raith ta kes half damage from all attacks, except those that
<t
wraith s attack.
deal force damage. Whenever the wraith takes radia nt da mage, it
loses this trait until th e start of its next turn.
UJ
'"
When the charac ters enter the area, read:
Spawn Wraith I-
When the wraith kills a humanoid, that humanoid becom es a Z

Frost spreads like spilled water over the wall and door in the
::l
wra ith figment at the start of th is wraith's next turn. The new wra ith
far wall of this small chamber, and then thinas made of shift-
0
appears in the space where the humanoid died or in the nearest
ina shadows appears to ooze from the waH. A moment later you
U
unoccupied square, and it rolls a new initiative check. The new Z

hear a aroup of haunt ina and deep voices babbHna in broken
wrait h acts under the Dungeon Master's control. UJ
Common, making no sense at all.
STANDARD ACTIONS
CD Touch of Madness (gsychi s). At-Will

If a character tries to make sense of the mad wraiths' whis -
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. Wi ll
pered babble, the character is affected by the creatures'
Hit: 2d6 + 7 psychic damage, and th e target tak es a -2 penalty to
mad wh ispers allfa regardless of distance. The wraith s
all defen ses (save en ds).
move to surround and attack the characters.
, + Touch of Chaos (charm, psychic) Recharge j;:;J iUI
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature able to take free actions); + 9 vs.
W ill
Tactics
Hit: 2d6 + 7 psychic damage, and the wraith slide s t he target up
to 5 square s. The target must then make a basic attack against

Th e wraiths phase through the 'walls and out into th e
its nearest ally.

halls to surround the characters jfthey can . They attack
Miss: Hal f damage, and the wraith slides the target up to 2

until they are d estroyed or until no creature is within 10
squares.
squares of area 4.
Skills Stealth +13
5t,6(+1) Dex 20 (+ 8) Wis3(-1)
Con 17 (+6) Int 11 (+3) Ch. 19 (+7)
Alignment chaotic evil languages Common
(~
----------------------- Page 20-----------------------
Ettin Thug (E) Level 8 Brute

ENCOUNTER 5:
large natural humanoid (giant) XP 350
HP 11 0 ; Bloodied 55 Initiative +5
TRAPPED AMBUSH
AC 20, Fortitude 21 , Reflex 17, Will 19 Perception +11
Speed 6

TRAITS
or
Double Actions
The ettin makes two initiative c hecks and t akes a full turn on each
j" Encounter Level 8 (1,925 XP
init iati ve result. The ettin can take two immediate actions per
with traps)
round but only one betwe e n one turn and the next.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Setup
CD Smash +- At-Will
Attack: Melee 2 (o ne creature); +13 vs. AC

1 ettin thug (E)
Hit: l d1 2 + 3 damage .
4 human barbarians (H)
MOVE ACTIONS
3 falHn g iron portcullises
+ Kick +- At-Will
2 fal se-floor pits
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); + 11 vs. Fortitude
1 poisoned dart w all
Hit: The ettin pushes the target up to 2 squares. The ettin then
2 wbirling blade s
moves up to ha lf its speed.
St, 20 (+ 9) Dex 12 (+ 5) Wis 15 (+6)

'fhe \Vinter King's lieutenant, a tiefling named Anger,
Con 10 (+9) Int 8 (+3) Cha 9 (+3)
grew tired of waiting for the characters and sent some of
Alignment chaotic evil languages Giant
those under hi s command to look for them. They have
4 Human Barbarians (H) Level 4 Brute

orders to find the characters and bring them to the '~linter
Medium natural humanoid XP 175
King or to kill them. They catch up with the ch aracters as
HP 66; Bloodied 33 In itiative +3
th ey are around area 12 (page 16).
AC 15, Fo rtitude 15, Reflex 14, Will 14 Perception +2
Speed 7
When appropriate, read:

STANDARD ACTtONS
You hear multiple booted feet and the heavy tread of somet hinB
CD Greataxe (weapon) +- At-WiII __ ._-
hUBe from the hall and see torchliBht shininBfrom around the
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); + 9 vs . AC
corn er. Then you hear a deep human voice say, "Thad, no kill!
Handaxe (weapon) +- At-Will

That goes for you too, Thunk. No kill, understand? Not until one
A ttack: Ranged 5 (one creature); + 9 vs. AC

of us says so. Got it?"
Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage .

Almost simultaneously, two much deeper voices beain
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
into nina, "Kill . . . "
.~ Battle Fury +- Encounter

"No , you idiots! No kill! Don' t kill! We're supposed to
talk to Triaaer: The human barbarian is first bloodied.
them!"
Attack (Free Action): Close burst 1 (e nemies in the burst); +9 vs. AC
"Kill . .. " say the deeper voices aaain.
"Fine. We'll do it your way."
Miss; Half damage.
Skills Athl etics + 10
St, 17 (+5) Dex 12 (+ 3) Wis 11 (+2)

The characters have 1 round to ready th em selves b efore
Con 16 (+5) Int 10 (+2) ___ Cha 12 (+3)

the ettill and its human allies round the corner. When
Alignment unaligned l anguages Common

they do, the characters see an enormous two -headed ettin
Equipment greataxe, 4 handaxes
lumbering forward in front of iour tough-looking humans
in hide armor. The humans bear torch es, but the ettin car-
D C 14 Thievery check, the applica ti on of fire (such as a

ries only a club.
barbarian's torch), or an attack against the ice can allow a

The humans have orders to kill the characters if they
trap to be active. If the characters don't try to use the traps

refu se to come before the V\Tinter King with th e ettin and
to their advantage, the human barbarian s do, and the

human s as guards. The dim-witted ettin understands only
ettin likely accidentally frees trap s from the ice with wild
Giant, and the humans can't make it understand any word
SWings. Active traps that b ecome ha za rds to the character s
of Common other than "kill." When the ettin sees the
should grant XP.

characters, it attacks, and the human s follow suit.
Lever : As a standard action, a charact er can pull thi s
lever in one of two direction s. Pulled one way, it activates

Traps
all portcullises that have not fallen and then resets them
lfthe traps are inact ive , they are not part of th e encounter
in the ceiling. Pulled the other way, it caus es both of th e
and do not grant XP. However, the characters might have
whiTling blades to travel along their track s and vanish into
fre ed them from ice and r eset th em. A lso, the lever can
the ceiling, resetting them.
be used to manually trigger the traps if they are active. A
----------------------- Page 21-----------------------
2 False-Floor Pits Level 1 Minion Trap 2
Object XP 25 each
V1
;:)
Dete ct Perception DC 19 Init iative -

III
Immune attacks
TRIGGERED ACTIO NS
<C
+ Attack + En counter 0
Triaaer: A creature enters one of the trap's four square s. UJ
Q.
Attack (Immediate Reaction); Melee 1 (triggering creature); +4 vs. Q.
Refl ex <C
Hit: Th e target falls 10 feet to the bottom of the pit, taking 1 d1 0 :x:
i-
damage and falling prone.
Miss: The t arget return s to the la st square it occup ied and its V1
movement end s imm ediat e l
y. :x:
Effect: The false floor opens and the pit is no longer hidd en. UJ
i-
COUNTERMEASURES
Z
Disable: Thievery DC 19. Success: The false floor is jammed ;:)
closed and the trap cannot attack . 0
Poisoned Dart Wall Level 6 Trap

LU
Object XP 250
Detect Perc eption DC 23 Initiative +7
Immune attacks
STANDARD ACTIONS
~Attack (poiso n). At-Will
Attack: Close blast 5 (creatures in the blast); + 11 vs . AC
Hit: 1d6 damage, and ongoing 5 poison damage (s ave ends).
COUNTERMEASURES
+ Di sable: Thievery DC 23. S uccess: The creature disables th e
tripwire before the trap is triggered.

3 Falling Iron Portcullises Level 7 Minion Trap
Object XP 75 each
Detect Perception DC 11 Initiative -
2 Whirling Blades Level 4 Trap
HP45
Object XP 175 each
AC 8 , Fortitud e 8, Reflex 8, WiII -
Detect Perception DC 22 Initiative +7
Imm un e necrotic, poison, psychi c, forced movement, all condi-
HP 55
t ions, ongo ing da mage
AC 16, Fortitude 13, Reflex 13, WiJI-
STAN DARD ACTIONS
Resist 5 all; Immu ne necrotic , pOison, psychic , forced move ment,
Attack + Encounter
all conditions, ongoi ng damage
4
Triaser: A creature steps on the pressu re plate.
A ttack (Immed iate Reaction): Melee 1 (ta rgets und er th e portcul-
li s); +10 vs. Reflex
Hit: 3 d8 + 5 damage, and the target is re strained (esca pe DC 16)
Attack: Close burst 1 (creatures in the burst); + 10 vs . AC
and fa ll s prone.
Hit: 1 d8 + S damage .
Miss: Ha lf damage, and the t arget slides 1 square (roll a d20:
1-10 slide s forward, 11-20 slid es back).
COU NT ERMEASURES
+ Disable: Thievery DC 16. Failure (11 or less): The portcullis

Falling Iron Portcullis : These three trap s are indi-
fall s and attacks .
cated by dotted lines running through the squ ares they
lift: A character not restrained by the portcullis ca n force it
occupy.
open w ith a successfu l DC 19 Strength check.
Poisoned Dart Wall : T hi s trap extend s along the
south ern wall of area 12.

Tactic s
Whirling Blades: The tracks that hold th ese two traps
are indicated by dashed lines running throu gh the squares

r he ettin and the human s atta ck fiercely despite the trap s.
th ey occupy.
[he human s attempt to make lise of the traps, workin g
False-Floor Pits: These two traps are located where

h eir way to the lever if they can. [f th e ettin dies before
the pits appear on the map. Those pits, h owever, are not
III the human s are dispatched, any bloodied human s who
vis ibl e until the traps are triggered.

'emain try to fight a retreat and return to An ger in area
L 4. They do not surrend er.
----------------------- Page 22-----------------------

-
. -
Tiefling Fury (Tl Level S Soldier

ENCOUNTER 6:
Medium natural hu manoid XP 200
HP 63; Bloodi ed 31 Initi ative +4

COLD ANGER
AC 2 1. Fortitud e 18. Reflex 17. Perceptio n +2
Speed 6 low--light vis ion

Resist 10 fi re
,
Setup
Longsword (weapon~ At
Atta ck: Melee 1 (one creature): -10n. AC

A n ger, tiefliug fury (T)
Hit : 1d 8 + 8 damage .
2 blazi n g skeleton s (B)
Effect: The t iefling marks the target e:;rl eX the ta rget 's
1 ogre hu n t er (0)
next turn.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
When the characters enter the area , r ead:

+ Tail Trip. At-Will
This larB e room is Ii ' with }lick erinB blu e liBhtfrom two forB
es Tri88er: An e n emy marked by the tiefImg
that B'ow with azure flam es. The fires must be cold, because the
A ttock (Immediate In terruptF Melee 1 uiggu-'S 151e111)'); -1 0 vs .
Refl e x
room is po si tivey l freez in8. A tie fling male in chainrnail
armor is
Hit: The target falls pron e, and me tilES m,I!!'5. 3 .. d aga inst
gingerly holdin8 something in one of the forB es with tong5, while
it.
a bored ogre sits in one corn er pickin8 its teeth and two skeletons
Defiant Curse. At-Will
stand idle nearby.
Tri88er: An en emy hit s the tiefling_
Effec t (Fr ee Action): Close burst 10 Uigguilllselil5iJ) in the burs t).

The Winte r K ing's lie ute nant . a tiefling named An ger, ha s
Th e t iefling marks th e target until tt.e enl of me caget"s nex t
been ordered to thi s room to try to alter th e fo rges to m ake
t urn.
Skills Bluff +10, Stealth +7

them hot so weapon s and armor can aga in b e made fo r the
5.,1 6 (+5) Dex 11 -2 W'" 10 -1)

\r\linter King's army. Hi s fir st attempt to u se the blaZing
Con 15 (+4) Int 14 --4 Cha 16 -5)
skeleton s fa iled , and n ow he's using hi s fire key to see what
Alignment unaligned l anguages Comrmxt
it can d o. H e's not having mu ch success and is gru mbling
Equipment leath e r armor. longsy.un:I
about how th e Winter King should "va it until Ravidc th e
Black, on e of th e wizard s, th aws out.
2 Blazing Skeletons (B) level S Artillery
Me dium natural animate (un d ead) XP 200 each
W hen the character s show themselve s , r ead:

The ti<if/inn stra inhtens up fr om bendinB over the forne , pull -
AC 19, Fo rtitude 15, Refl ex 18. Will 16 Percept ion + 4
Spee d 6 Darkvisio n
ina out a }laminB key on a aolden chain, which he quickly puts
Immune di sease, poi son ; Resist 10 fire. 10 IleCJ"OlK;
around his Heck. "How did yo u 8et here?" he says in shock. "J se
nt Vuln e rable 5 radi ant
my ettin after yo u! " He draws aja88ed blade, and the skeletons
sudden y l burst into oranae fl ames as the oare scra mbles to its
feet.
Any crea ture that ends its turn in the aur.iI takes .5 fi re damage.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Anger wa nt s to take th e ice scepter to th e Winter King. and

CD Blazing Claw (fire) + At-W ill
if th e cha r acter s go quietly \\' ith him and hi s minions to
Atta ck: Melee 1 (on e creat ure); +10 vs.. AC
m eet the king, he is deligh ted to bring th em. He knows
Hit; ld 6 + 3 damage . and ongoing.5 fire damage (save e nd s).
Fl a me Orb (fire] + At -Will

they ar e no match for b oth hi s group a nd th e W inter
Atta ck: Ranged 10 (o ne creature); - 10 vs.. Reflex

King . If th e ch aracters don 't go quietly, he orders h is alli es
Hi t: 2d4 + 4 damage , and ongoing.5 fire damage (save e nds) .

to attack, te lling the og r e to dip its weapo n s in the cold
Str 13 (+3 ) Dex 18 1- 6, Wis 15 (+ 4)
flames as he does so.
Con 17 (+5) In. 4 (-1 Cha 6 (+0)
Ali gnm e nt unali gned l a nguages ~
Tactics
The ogr e hunter m oves to a forge to dip a ja velin in it a nd

then hurl s it at a character. One blaZing skeleton take s
cover away from the characters and u ses fl ame orb wh ile
the other moves in to m elee a longside Anger, hoping to
flank w ith him and burn foes WitJl its fi ery aur a. Anger
takes no d a ma ge from th e aura, and thu s can move about
fr eely. If n ecessary and u se fu l, one or m ore of them u ses
the other exit to the cha mb er and r un s arou nd to attack
th e characters from anoth er side.
----------------------- Page 23-----------------------
Features of the Area ~
l:I
Cold Forges: The two forges in the f oom Z
burn with blu e fl am es of cold. When th e
Winter King was first cursed by the I\aven o
Queen, he came to th e forges to try to burn ...J
the curse away. In ste ad th e flames tran s- U
form ed and be came eternal chillfires.
A chillflre deals IdS cold damage to
a creature that enters it or ends its turn L.lJ
w ithin it. I-
A character who put s a weapon or imple - ~
ment into the chillHre of a forge causes it to 0
flicker with wisp s of blu e fire. As long as the U
weapon or implement is not extinguished
or lIsed to attack, it shines like a torch with
flickering blu e light. The n ext attack the
character makes with the en flam e d weap on
or impl em ent deals Id8 extra cold damage
on a hit.
Crate s: Th e crates and barre ls contain
supplie s for the forge , such as iron and coal.

They are difIicult terrain and provide cover.
Water Barrels: Th ese ornate barrels
contain water for cooling items taken from
the forge. At thi s point , the water in each of
them is frozen solid. The barrel s are diffi-
cult terrain and provide cover.
Treasure
Anger wears thr ee gold earrings set with
tiny rubies worth 20 gp each. In addition,
he wears the fire key around hi s n eck on a

Ogre Hunter (0) Level 7 Skirmisher
large natural humanoid (giant) XP 300
thick gold chain worth 20 gpo
The enchanted fir e key is burning hot to the touch
AC 2 1, Fortitude 20, Reflex 18, Will 17 Perception + 5
and d eals 5 fire damage to any creature that ends its turn
Speed 8
carrying it. It has no intrinsic value beyond m elting th e
STANDARD ACTIONS
ice that fills area 13 (page 17). Once it has b een used to
<D Club (weaRon) AtW;)J
cause the ice to evaporate, it vanishes in a flash.
Attock: Melee 2 (one creature); + 12 vs. AC
Hit: 2d 8 + 6 damage.
Development
:r Javelin (weapo n) At-Will
Attock: Ranged 20 (one creature); + 12 vs. AC
If it looks to Anger as though he ,vill ; outlast the ogre and
Hit: ld8 + 9 damage.
his blazing skeletons, he attempts to escape, shouting for
f + Hu,Ung Cha'ge Rechacge [;J01B._~ __ ~_ h
e lp as h e does so. His first choice is to go toward the bar-
Effe ct: The ogre uses jave lin. If its attack hits, the ogre charges as
racks in hopes offinding allies. (The Winter King might

a fre e acti on.
punish him for his failur e, so he avoids the throne room.)

MOVE ACTIONS
<- Clear the Ground. At-Will
I f th e characters have not yet explored area 7, perhaps
Attock: Close burst 2 (creatu re s in the burst); +10 vs. Fortitude A
nger flees there. Othen-vis e, hi s escape sh ould provoke
Hit The ogre pu shes the target up to 2 squares.
an encounter with him and a guard patrol (encounter 10,
Effect: If the attack hits any of the targets, the ogre moves up to
page 30).
its speed.
S" 21 (+8) Dex 16 (+ 6) W;s 15 (+5)
Con 20 (+ 8) Int 4 (+0) Cha7 (T1)
Alignment chaotic evil languages Giant
Eq uipment club, 6 javelins
----------------------- Page 24-----------------------
Gnome Illusionist (G) Level 6 Artillery

ENCOUNTER 7:
Small fey humanoid XP 250

AUDI ENCE WITH
Speed 5 low- light vision
THE QUEEN
STANDARD ACTIONS
CD Gnarled Staff (wea pon) AtWili

Encounter Level 5 (1 ,000 XP)
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature): + 11 vs. AC

Setup
i~ B~t;lazzle (illusion ! implement, radiant) At-Will
Attack: Area burst 1 within 10 (enemies in the burst); +11 vs. Will
Azrinda , gnome illusioni st (G)
Hit: 2d6 + 5 radiant damage, and the target grants combat
4 grasping zombies (Z)
advantage (save ends).
Hootie, young owlbear (0)
~ See Me Not (illUSion, im~lement, psychic) Recharge ~lTIl
Attack: Close blast 3 (e nemies in the blast); +9 vs. Will
Hit: 2d6 + 10 psychic damage, and the target cannot see the
Read or paraphrase th e following when the charac-
gnome (save ends).

ters enter this room :
MOVE ACTIONS
A dank prison cmifronts your senses when you open the door.
There, Not There (illusion, teleportation) Encounter

CaBes line the walls. Most are occupied by unmoving corpses,
Effect: The gnome teleports up to 5 squares and creates t wo

and the smell of rotfiIls you r nostrils. Somethin8 hU8e covered
duplicates of it se lf w ithin 5 squares of its destination space.
with fur slumbers fitfully in the farthest caae, but a whisper
The duplicates last until the gnome attacks or until they are
draws your attention to the nearest. In the shadows of that caBe
destroyed. Each duplicate has 1 hit point and the same abil-
you hear the weak voice of the woman you spoke to through the
ity scores and defenses as the gnome. The gnome can use its
door, "Thank Se hanine you came!"
actions to have a duplicate act in any way it could, except that
She 'siying on her side, her arm outstretched and her hand
the duplicates cannot use powers and cannot flank.
between the bars of her cell. She seems near death.
MINOR ACTIONS
Veil (illusion) At-Will
Effect: The gnome can disguise itself and up to t hree alli es within
Azrinda has cloaked herselfin the illusion of what she
5 squares of it to appear as any Small or Medium creature s. A

thinks the characters expect of the Winter Queen: a middle-
creatu re can see through the disguise with a successful Insight
aged but still beautiful human woman, gaunt and pale with
check opposed by the gnome's Bluff check.
blonde hair and wearing a tattered blue dress with its jewels
Skills Bluff+13, Stealth +12
and finery torn from it. She is barefoot and wears no jewelry.
5t, 10(+3) Dex 14 (+ 5) Wis 13 (+4)
A DC 21 History check allows a character to r ealize that no
Con 15 (+5) Int 18 (+,"7",) __ Cha 10 (+8)
Winter Queen was ever affiliated with the Winter King.
Alignment unalign ed Languages Common, Elven
Equipment robes, gnarled staff (q uarterstaff)

Ifher sister Zanna has made it here from encounter 1
(page 6), she plays the roll of a ,.veeping lady in \vaiting,
sharing the cell with her "queen." She is dressed in rags
Young Owlbear (0) Level 8 Brute
and is blubbering hopelessly, fretful for her queen but also
large fey beast XP 350
frightened of the characters.
Azrinda wants th e characters to believe that she can
Speed 7 Darkvision
help them defeat "my husband , the cruel Winter King" if
STANDARD ACTIONS
they give her the ice scepter and place her upon the throne.
CD Claw. At-W,-";I",,I ___ ':"""~

Then she can end the eternal winter. Azrinda is a glib con-
Attack: Melee 2 (one creature); +13 vs . AC

versarionalist (Bluff +13), but the characters might catch
Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage .
her in a lie by asking her how she knows of an eternal
+ Double Attack. At-Will
winter. Azrinda has a quick wit, and she does her best to
Effect: The owlbear uses claw twice. If both attacks hit the same
bl end truth into all she says. Roleplaying Azrinda (in the
creature, the owl bear grabs it (escape DC 16) if the owl bear has
role of Alanna, the \Vinter Queen) is a good way to relate
fewer than two creatures grabbed.
1
+ )leak 5nap t,bt-wm
the legend of the Winter King to the players. She might
Effect: Melee 1 (o ne creature grabbed by the owl bear). The target

say, "I can help you because I know why the Winter King's
takes 2d8 + 11 damage.

touch turns everything to ice . I know why the Prince of
, ... Dazing Hoot + Recharge when first bloodied
Frost froze u s all in punishment."
Attack: Close blast 3 (creature s in the bla st); + 11 vs. Fortitude
A battle breaks out when th e characters distrust
Hit: The target is dazed (save ends).
Azrinda or when they investigate the cages (all but Azrin -
5t, 19 (+8) - Dex 14 (+6) w;s 16 (+7)
da's cage are unlocked). The corpses are zombies waiting
Con 16 (+7) Int 1 (+0) Cha 10 (+4)
for Azrinda's command, and the furred thing in the largest
Alignment unaligned languages-
cage is her p et m'vl bcar, Hootie, which Azrinda says will be

meat for the king 's kitchen. Azrinda says that the corpses
----------------------- Page 25-----------------------
z -4
haven't done so already) and tries to moye UJ
behind any of her allies for protection.:1f UJ
:J
both Azrinda and Zanna are in the combat,
r:J
they both use dis8uise self to appear as the UJ
\t\linter Queen, and then both use there, :c
not there at the same time in hopes of I-
:c
thoroughly confusing the characters. The I-
zombies and the owlbear move toward the
3:
nearest prey and attack mindlessly.
UJ
u
Features of the Area Z
UJ
Cages: The side of a cage blocks move - Cl
ment and provides cover against melee :J
attacks. A locked cage door can be opened <::
with a DC 21 Thievery check or a DC 21 r--.
Strength check. If a character wants to WJ
"
attack the bars to escape, at least one bar f-
must be broken to squeeze through (AC 8 , :J
Fortitude 8 , 30 hp; immune pOison, psychic, 0

4 Grasping Zombies (Z) Levell Brute
necrotic, and attacks that target Will). U
Z
Well: This well contains icy but drinkable water.

HP 33; Bloodied 16 Initiative - 1
AC 13, Fortitude 14, Reflex 11, Will 11 Perception -1
Speed 4 Darkvision
Development
Immune disease, poison
If the characters ignore Azrinda's pleas through the door

TRAITS
and continue on their chosen path, she waits a few rounds

Zombie Weakness
before she gathers her forces and follows the characters.

A critical hit automatically reduces the zombie to 0 hit points.
like other people in the Winter King's Realm, Azrinda

STANDARD ACTIONS
CD Slam+- At-Will
wants to take the characters and the ice scepter to the
Winter King so that she can attack them with the king's
Hit: ld12 + 3 damage, or 1 d12 + 8 against a grabbed target.
help. Azrinda's ploy is a dangerous one, hovvever, because
+ Zombie Grasp. At-Will
no \i\Tinter Queen ever existed in conjunction with the
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); + 4 vs.
Reflex \i\Tinter King. She's hoping the characters'
ignorance of the
Hit: The zombie grabs the target (escape DC 12) if it does not
ancient past is as great as her ignorance of the present , but
have a creature grabbed.
in case it's not, she has ordered Hootie to follow after her
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
if she leaves the prison , and the zombies are ordered to
Deathless Hunger+- Encounter
follow Hootie. In this way she hopes to have her allies with
Tri88er: The zombie is reduced to 0 hit points, but not by a criti-
her when she takes the characters to the Winter King or in

cal hit.
advance of their next fight.

Effect (No Action): Roll a d20. On a 15 or higher, the zombie is
instead reduced to 1 hit point.
If the characters fight her in the prison, Azrinda is
S'r 16 (+3) De. 8 (-1) WIs8(-1)
as concerned for her skin as Zanna was. She tries to
Con 13 (+1) Int 1 (-5) Ch. 3 (-4)
flee when bloodied, but only ifher sister Zanna is dead
or comes with her. If she gets away, she goes to join the
Winter King in his throne room.

were travelers through the mountains who were killed by
the Winter King's servants, yet a close examination (DC
Treasure
14 Perception check) reveals that they resemble some of
the vvarriors from the sky ship. See "Development" for
Azrinda has a purse hidden under her clothes (DC 10 Per-
more advice about how to handle the encounter.
ception \ivhen searching her) with 45 gp and a golden ring
set \'\lith a blue topaz \vorth a total of 100 gpo
Tactics
combat breaks out, Azrinda caIls for the zombies

to ari se and for Hootie to awaken. She brings her powers
to bear against the characters from inside the cage,
using it as cover unless that becomes impractical. Then
she unlocks it by using a minor action (if the characters
----------------------- Page 26-----------------------
ENCOUNTER 8:
3 Dwarf Brawlers (D) Level 2 Brute
Medium natural hum anoid XP 125

Initiative +2
WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
Perception +4
low-li ght vis ion

Setup
The dwa rf can move 1 square fewer than the effect specifies
3 dwarf brawlers (D)
wh en subjected to a pull. a push , or a slide.
1 otyugh (0 )
Steady -Footed
Ravide the B lack, hum an transmute r (H )
The dwarf can make a saving throw to avoid falling prone w hen
an a ttack would kn ock it pron e.
Recently thawed, Ravid e th e Black and his compan ions

STANDARD ACTION S
are here try ing to warm up and fi nd fo od . They aren't
CD Greataxe (weapon) + At-Will
exp ecting troubl e, and th ey don't know why they were
Auock : Melee 1 (one creature); +7 YS.. AC
frozen or w h o th e characters are, a nd th ey ar e n ot aware
Hit: 1 d12 + 5 damage.
@ Handaxe (weapon) + At-Will

th at the Winter Ki ng "vants the ice scepte r. When th e char-
Atto ck: Ranged 5 (one creature); +7 vs. AC

acters arrive , th ey are su spicious but n ot h ost ile.
Hit: 2d6 + 3 dam age.
+ Mad Ax e. At-Will
When the ch a r acters entcr or look into thi s area, re ad:
Requirement: The dwarf must be bloodied.
This room appears to be a kitchen . You sme ll so me wood smoke,
Effect: The dwarf u sesareataxe twi ce. each time against a differ
but fhe dominatin8 odor comes from a slowly thawina refuse pit
ent target. It can shift 1 square betv.-'eefl the <lttacks.
on one si de of the room .
St, 18 (+5) Dex 11 -1 Wi< 16 (+4)
A thin male human stands next to a firep lace, squeezil18
Con 17 (+ 4) Int lO -1 Cha10(+1)
Alignment unali gned languages Common, Dwarven

water from his black robes and shak ing it from his black hair
Equipment greataxe , 4 hand <lxes

while three drippina dwarves with ice still in their beards open
drawers and cupboards look inafor somerhina.
The dwarve s do remember who was "ith them when

"Have yo u fo und any food ye t?" the man aroans while po urina
water out of one of his boots. The dwarves onlya rumble in reply.
they we re frozen , but it takes them a while to come to a
whi sp ered consensu s. They alen Ra,ide the Black when
th ey agree, and th is event m ight stan a fight depending on

I f the character s are openly carrying the ice scepter, Ravid e
Ravid e's di sposition toward the characters at that point.

and the dwarves are on th eir guard , ask ing why the charac -
tCj'S have it as they reach for weapon s. Otherwise, Ravide is
m ore interested in ga ining information th an in fi ghting.
Tactics
Ravide the Bl ack is va in , egotistic a l, and cranky fro m
W hen a fi ght breaks out in thi s cham.ber, Ravid e stays
h is long fre eze. The first thin g he says wh en h e sees th e
away fr om the refu se pit and uses capridous earth to sl id e
character s is. "Who are you? Were you frozen too?" Ravide
characters into it or next to it. He delights in using beast
,""ants to kn ow why he was frozen, for how long, and if the
curse to turn the characters into piglets. fish. or ducks, and
Winter King still lives. H e assum es so, since he him self
then thr eatenin g to make a meal of them. However , Ravid e
h as survived.
is nothin g ifnot an opporturust.lfhe can switch sid es and
save hi s skin. he does so in a heartbeat.
The dwan'es anack in melee or hurl
ha ndaxe s.
Ther also do thei r best to stay
away from the refuse pit.
The otyugh. hidden in the refu se pit

(
when combat begins . surges to grab at any
creatu re th at ends up adjacent to th e pit. It
pull s victims down to it. and a fa U into the
pit d eals only Id6 damage due to th e cush -
ioning of the refuse. If a coupl e of round s
pa ss during which the otyug h cannot attack
a creatur e, it attempts to climb ou t, an x ious
for th e ta ste of warm flesh a fter its long,
cold sleep.
----------------------- Page 27-----------------------

Otyugh (0) Level 7 Soldier
Human Transmuter (H) Level 7 Controller
~
large natural beast XP 300
Medium natural humanoid XP 300
UJ
HP 77 ; Bloodied 38 Initiative +3 Z
z
AC 23, Fortitude 22. Reflex 16, Will 19 Perception + 11
AC 2 1, Fortitude 18, Reflex 19, Will 20 Perception + 11
Speed 5, swim 5 Darkvision
Speed 6 a
TRAITS
STANDARD ACTIONS
"
o Otyugh Stench + Aura 1
CD Staff (weapon) AtWiII o
LO.
living enemies ta ke a -2 pen a lty to attack rolls wh il e in th e
aura. Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); + 12 vs. AC
Vl
STANDARD ACTIONS
Hit : 2d6 + 6 damage.
CD Tentacle + At-Will
.,~ Capricious Earth (charm , impl ement) AtWill
Attack: Area burst 2 within 5 (enemies in th e burst); +10 vs. Will ~

Attock: Melee 3 (one cre ature); + 12 vs. AC
J:
Hit : 2d8 + 6 damage, and the otyugh pulls the t arget up to 2
Hit : 2d10 + 6 damage, and the tran smuter slid es t he target up to 3:
squares and grabs it (escape DC 16).

3 squares.
+ Diseased Bite (disea se) + At-Will
Miss: The transmu ter can slid e th e target 1 square. co
Auock: Me lee 1 (one creature); +12 vs. AC

::r Beast Curse (implement. polymorph) Recharge ~[2] lUI
Attack: Ranged 5 (one hexed enemy); + 10 vs. Fortitude UJ
Hit: ldl 0 + 8 damage, or 1 dl 0 + 12 against a creatu re grabbed

"
r-
mut er alters the target's physi ca l form to appe ar as
Hit: The trans

by the otyugh. In addit ion, at the end of t he e ncounter, th e
z
a Tiny an imal un t il t he end of the t ran smute r's n ext tu rn. Whil e
ta rget m ake s a saving thro w. On a failure, the target contracts
:l
lesser otyugh filth fever (stage 1).
in thi s form, th e target ca nnot u se power s or make attacks. o
Skills Stealth + 13
MOVE ACTIONS
U
Z
5t,22 (+9) De. 11 (+3) w;s 16 (+6)
Hex Jump (Jeleportation) Encounter
UJ
Con 18 (+7) Int 1 (-2) Cha 5 (+0)
Effect: Close bur st 5 (one hexed creature in th e bur st). The tran s
muter and th e
Lesser Otyugh Filth Fever Level 7 Disease

Hex (charm, implement) AtWIII (1/ro ulld)
D IOse infected by this disease waste away as they a lternate9-' 51ifJcr chills
Atta ck: Close burst 5 (one e ne my in the burst); + 10 vs. Will
and llOtjlas}lcs.
Hit: The target is hexed until the end of the transmuter's next
Stage 0: The target recovers from the di sease.
turn. While hexed, the target is slowed and takes a -2 penalty
Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, the target loses a healing surge.
to attack roll s and damage ro ll s again st th e t ran smuter.
Stage 2: Whil e affected by stage 2, the target lose s a healing surge
Skills Arca na +10, Nature + 11
and ta kes a -2 penalty to AC, Fortitud e, and Refl ex.
5t, 10 (+3) De. 11 (+3) w;s 17 (+6)
Stage 3: Whil e affected by stage 3, the ta rget loses all healing surges
Con 13 (+ 4) Int 15 (+5) Cha 14(+ 5)
Alignment unalign ed Languages Common

and ca nnot rega in hit points. The target also takes a - 2 pen a lty to
AC, Fortitude, and Refl ex.
EqUipment staff, robes
Check: At th e end of eac h extended rest , th e targe t makes an

Endurance check if it is at stage 1 or 2.
firmly with the Winter King out of despair. seeing him as
10 or Lower: The stage of t he disease in creases by 1.
th e on ly part of th eir lives that is a con stant.
11-15 : No change.
If the ch aracter s haven 't dealt with Anger and his

16 or Hiah er: The stage of th e di sease decreases by 1.
allies in encount er 7 (page 24), a comb at here a lert s th e
tiening to danger, and he send s a blaZing skel eton to look

for a guard patrol. When you run encount er 7, subtract
one blazing skel eton but h ave it arrive with a gu ard patrol
Fire: A character who starts hi s or her turn in a square
(encount er 10, pa ge 30) a few round s into the battle.

of th e fireplac e or move s into one takes 5 fir e damage. The
firepl ace sheds bright light out to ]0 squares, effective ly
illuminating this entire area except for the refuse pit.
Treasure
Refuse Pit : This pit is 10 feet deep and ha s un even
Ravide th e Black has 50 gp and two 50 gp rub; e, hl a ba g
sides that reqUire a DC 14 Athletics ch eck to climb.
on hi s b elt .
Development
If the ch ara cters don't kill Rav ide th e Black, he could

make an interesting person for them to interac t \v; ith over
time, wheth er he 's an aUy or enemy. Ravide might share
some of his knowledge about treasur e troves of th e ancient
world - if the characters agree to hi s term s.
The dwarves were not part of th e clan that held th ese
hall s. r n fac t, they were from a clan that had long been at
war with them , and they allied with the Winter King to
crush their enemies. lfthey learn how long it has been
since the clan th ey know of was alive, they sid e more
----------------------- Page 28-----------------------
The Winter King (W) Level 5 Solo Controller
ENCOUNTER 9:
large natural humanOId (human , undead ) XP 1,000

UNCROWNTHE
AC 19, Fortitude 20. Reflex 17, WiI120 Perception + 10
Speed 6 Darkvi son

WINTER KING
Immune cold until first bloodi ed; Resist 5 damage (a ll typ es
except fire) until first bl oodi ed

Encounter LevelS (1 ,1 76 XP)
Saving Throws + 5, Action Point s 1
TRAITS
Setup
Action Recovery
Wh enever th e Wi nter Kin g end s his tu rn , any dazing, stunning,

1 Winter King (W )
or domi nating effect on him end s,
4 ice chandeliers (han ging over the squ ares marked
Persistent Assault
with C)
On an initiative of 10 + th e Winter King's initia ti ve chec k, the
Winter King ca n shi ft up t o hi s speed as a free action. The king

T hi s encounter b egins wh en someon e attacks the Winter
ca n move throu gh enemies' spaces and gains resist 5 to a ll
da mage during the move, Each t ime the king enters an enemy 's
King, gives him th e ice scept er, or addresses him . The
spa ce for the first tim e during t he move , he can use slam again st
V\Tinter King attacks th e characters or dem and s they kneel
that enemy. If the attack hit s, th e target also falls prone. If the
before him , dependin g on the ir actions. Use the Words
king ca nn ot us e a free action to take this move due to a dominat-
Aga inst the Winter Kin g skill challenge if th e characters
ing or stunning effect, then that effect ends instead of the king
attempt to engage in diplomacy before or during th e battle .
making this shift.
Crown of Winter
See t he item description for th e item's powers. Do not add it s

4 Ice Chandeliers (C) Level 4 Minion
Hazard
enh ancement bonu ses t o th e Winter King's rolls . The crown

Object XP
44 each
ca nnot be seen on th e Wint er King's head when combat beg in s

Detect Perception DC 10
Initiative -
du e t o the ice surrounding hi s ske letal body.

HP 10
STANDARD ACTIONS
AC 5, Fortitude 10, Refl ex 5, Will ~
CD Slam (cold) At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one crea ture) ; + 10 vs, AC
Hit: 2d 6 + 7 co ld damage .
~ Icy Burst (cold) .. At-Will
Attack: Close burst 2 (creatures in the burst); +8 vs. Fortitude

TriBBer: The ice chande li er drops to 0 hit po ints.
Hit: 1 dl 0 + 8 cold damage, and t he target is slowed unti l th e end

Effect: The ice chand e li er fa ll s to the ground .
of its next turn.

Attack (Immediate Rea ction): Close bu rs t 1 centered on th e
area
Special: If t he ice scepter is wit hin 10 squares of th e Wi nter King,

th e ice cha nd eli er land s (cre atures in th e bur st); +7
vs. Refl ex
th e king can use thi s pow er as an area burst 2 centered on th e

Hit: 1d8 + 4 damage. The target falls prone, is restra ined
(escape
scepter, This attack doe s not provoke opportu nit y attacks .

DC 14), and take s ongoing 5 co ld damage until it is no
longer
:y Grip of Winter (cold). Recharge ~ :.: ::

restrained.
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex

Miss; The target is pu she d to t he neare st un occ upi ed
square out-
,./i t: 2d8 + 8 cold damage , and t he ta rget is im mobi li zed (save

side the burst.
end s) . The Winter King sli des the ta rget up to 5 squares.

Effect: The area affected by th e burst becom es difficul t
terrain.
Fir s t Fa iled Savina Throw: The target is restra ined instead of

SPECIAL
immobilized (save end s).
Grip of Winter: The Wi nter King can use arip of winter to attack
Second Failed Savina Throw: The target is stunned in st ead of
an ice chandelier, automatica lly re ducing it to 0 hit po ints and
rest rained (save end s).
sliding it up to 5 squares before it falls.
Third Failed Savina Throw: The target is petrified (no save),
turned into ice except for its skull.

Tactics
Skills Bluff + 12, Insight +10
Str 22 (+8) De. 13 (+ 3) W;, 16 (+5)

Th e Winter King u ses hi s powers m ercilessly, often
Con 16 (+ 5) Int 15 (+4 ) Cha 21 (+7)
dema nding his ice scepter and promising to turn th e
Alignment evil l angua ges Common, Draconic,
ch aracter s to ice unl ess th ey surrend er . H e uses th e ice
Dwarven , Elven
ch andeliers against th e characters when ever possible .
Equipment crown of wint er (see item d escription)
Skill Challenge: Words

Allow each character to make one skilJ ch eck p er
Against the Winter King
round as a free action , but if the ch aracter also attacks in
that round , the attempt automatically re sult s in a fa ilure .
Treat any attempt to influen ce the W inter Ki ng as a skill
I f the chara cters lack the ice scept er, th e W inter King
ch a llen ge. Successes in thi s skill cha llenge resuJt in th e
ruth lessly attacks them , sh outing for any allies to come to
wea ring down of th e W inter King's re solve.
hi s aid. Attempt s to in flu en ce him w ith word s aut om ati -
ca lly fail unl ess th e characters are begging for m ercy and a
cha nce to r eturn w ith th e Winter King's coveted scepter.
----------------------- Page 29-----------------------
a pool square requires a D C 14 Atl 1- I.)
letics check a nd an extra square oj ..
movem ent.
Spirit Ice: The bridge across the
pool is m ade of ice w ithin which swirl
the groaning faces of ghosts. T hese $:
spirit s und ermin e the characters' l.U
confid ence by whispering pl eas that J:
the characters not anger or fight the r-
Winter King. They tell th e chara cters to ;
be humbl e and to kn eel befor e him . ~
The brid ge is difficult terrain and "
exiting a square r eqUires a DC 10 U
Ac robatics check. Fa ilure results in t he ~
character s faWng prone in a random 0'1
adjacent square (roll a d8). During ct:
combat w ith th e Winter Kin g, a charac- ~
ler who ends hi s or her turn on one of Z
the brid ge squares or enters on e tak es :l
10 ne crotic and cold damage. U

Tapestries: These brittl e but beauti - Z
u.J
ful tape stries are made of solid ice. A
secr et door hidd en behind the north -
erllInost tapestry (D C 21 P erception
ch eck to di scover it) lead s to area 19.
Fallen Pillars: The are a cover ed by
the falle n pillar s is difficult terrain.
Level: 4 (XP 175).

Treasure
C omplexity: 1 (r equires 4 successes befor e 3 failures).
Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Hislory, Intimidate ,
The W inter King wears the crown of winter.
Nature , Religion .
Crown of Winter Level 8 Rare

The primary sk ill that a charact er uses on a check
depend s on what th e character says to the V\Tinter King
This imposins crown appea rs to be made of ice and is ch illy fo the touch.
or how the character says it. The six skil1 s listed above
Item Slot: Head 3,400 gp
are the ones mo st likely to come into play ; imag inative
Property: You gain resist 5 cold .
players might de vise uses for other skills that wou ld a lso
Power (Encounter + Cold, Psychic): Immediate Rea ction. Tri8J]er:
An enemy damages you. Effe ct: The triggering enemy takes 5

be appropriate. Every skill ch eck in thi s cha llenge h as a
cold and psychic damage. and it is immobilized until the end of

DC ofl4 .
its next turn.

Success: The Winter King's confidence crumbles as
Power (Daily): Free Action. Tri8ser: You make an attack roll for a
the characters get the better of him with their words , and
cold power and d islike the result . Effect You reroll the attack roll
h e takes 5 0 damage as a resu lt. If you like, th e ch aracters
and use the new result.
can attempt this skU! challenge multiple time s. Hthe fin al
d amage th e "Vinter King tak es is dealt th rough su cceeding
Development
on this skiU challenge, th e king turn s to solid ice that the n
If the characters are brou ght to the throne room byene -

cracks apart into tiny piece s until only the crown of winter
mies, th e enemie s join the battle wh en it starts or start the

remahl S.
battle the rust tim e the ch aracters succeed on the skill
Failure: The Winter King is done w ith liste nin g!
challen ge. Once th e characters have d efeated the Wint er

No w nothing will appease him but freezing th e charac-
King, th ey can exp lore parts of the dungeon they might

ters so lid.
h ave mi ssed or r eturn outside. Turn to "Concluding the

Adven ture ," page 3 1, when th e characters have faiJed or
a re ready to leave .
Icy Pool: The pool of water by th e main entrance is
covered in a thin layer of ice that br eaks as soon as a char -
acter enters one of the squares. A character who enter s or
ends its turn in the icy pool takes 5 cold damage. Leavi ng
----------------------- Page 30-----------------------
ENCOUNTER 10:
3 Town Guards Level 3 Soldier
Medium natural humanoid . hum an XP 150 each
HP 47; Bloodied 23 Initiative + 5

GUARD PATROL
AC 19, Fortitude 16, Refle x 15, Will 14 Perception + 6
Speed 5
STANDARD ACTIONS
<D Halberd (weapon) At-Will

Setup
Attack: Melee 2 (one creature); +8 vs_ AC
Hit: 1d1
0 + 5 damage . and the town guard marks the t arget until

1 gnome spy
the end of th e town guard's next tum_

3 town guards
Crossbow (weapon) At-W ill
4 ticfling hoodlums
Attack: Ranged 20 (one creatu re); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 +5 damage.

The statistics blocks on this page describe unfro zen troops
4- Powerful Strike (wea pon) + Recharge :.: !!
from area lIon patroL They might be searching for the
Attack: Melee 2 (o ne creature); +8 vs_ AC
Hit: 2d1 0 + 5 damage , and the t arget falls prone.
characters , walking about on guard, searching for other ser-
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
vants of the Winter King who might have be en unfrozen , or
4- Interced ing Strike (weapon) At-W ill

on an errand for another p er son. Perhaps they have a survi-
Tri8Ber: An enemy marked by the tovm guard mak es an attack

vor of the traveier s whom th ey took custody of after he "vas
that doesn't include it as a target.

questioned about th e present day by someone such as Anger
Attack (Immediate Inte rrupt) : Melee 2 (triggering enemy); +8 vs_ AC
(area 14, page 17, and encounter 6, page 22).
Hit: ld10 + 5 damage .
Before they were frozen, these warriors were considered
Skills Streetwise +7
the elite among the Winter King's soldiers. They had the
5.,16 (+4) Dex 14 (+3) Wis11 (+1)
pick of the loot from raids and had the best accommoda-
Con 15 (+3) In . 10 (+1) Cha 12 (+2)
tions. They are loyal to the \Vinter King because they believe
Alignment unaligned Languages Common
Equipment chainmail, halberd . crossbow. 20 bolts

his power will rise again; the winter that grips the land for
hundred s of miles is proof of that.
4 Tiefling Hoodlums Level 5 Minion Brute
Medium natural humanoid XP 5 0 each

Gnome Spy Level 5
Lurker H P 1; a mi ssed attack neve r damages a minion . In
itiative +2
Small fey humanoid XP
200 AC 17, Fortitude 17, Reflex 17, Will 18 Pe rce
ption +2
HP 51; Bloodied 15 Initiative
+ 10 Speed 6 l ow-light
vis ion
AC 19, Fortitude 16, Reflex 18, Will 17 Perception
+8 Resist 5 fire
Speed 5 l ow-light
vision
STANDARD ACTIONS
TRAITS
CD Da_gger (weapon) + At-Will
Reactive Stealth
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +1 0 vs. AC
If the gnome ha s cover or concealment when it roll s initiative,
it Hit: 6 damage.
can make a Stealth check to become hidden.
~ Thrown Dagger (weapon) + At-Will
STANDARD ACTIONS
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); + 10 vs. AC
CD Short Sword {weapon) At-Will
Hit: 6 damage .
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage, or 4d6 + 4 if the g no me was invisible
to From Hell's Heart. At-Will
the target when it attacked.
TriBBer: An enemy hits the Hefling hood lum .
Dagger (wea pon) + At-Will
Effect (Immediate Jnterrupt) : The tiefling ho odlum uses daB8er or
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); + 10 vs. AC
thrown da88er against the t r iggering enemy.
Hit: 2d4 + 5 damage, or 4d4 + 5 if the gnome was invisible to
5.,16(+5) Oex10 (+2) Wis 11 (+2)
the target when it attacked.
Con 16 (+4) In. 15 (+4) Cha 1Z (+5 )
Vanish from Sight Qllusion) At-Will
Alignment unalig ned lang u ages Common
Effect: The gnome becomes invisible until it hit s or misses
with Equipment 6 daggers
( an attack or until th e end of its n ext turn.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
Tactics
Fade Away (illusion) Encounter

Tri88er: The gnome takes damage.
The guards are ho stile to th e ch aracter s (they know they
Effe ct (I mmediate Reaction): The gnome become s invisible until
it were not among th e fro zen warrior s), but if the guards
hits or misses with an attack or until the end of its next
turn. have a speciflc mission , they mi ght make a fighting retr eat
Skills Bluff +10, Stealth + 11
and attempt to go around th e ch ar acters.
5., 10 (+2) Oex 18 (+6) W;s 13 (+3)
Con 15 (+4) In. 11 (+2) Cha 17 (+5)
Alignment unaligned languages Commo n, Elven

Equipment leather armor, short sword, dagge r
----------------------- Page 31-----------------------
CONCLUDING
The Cairn of the Winter King ~
:J
The Wi nter King 's r ea lm gradually thaws. becom ing yet f-

THE ADVENTURE
a noth er dungeon inh abited by whatever creatures find it Z
UJ
If the chara cter s fail, the Winter Kin g does not stop the
u seful (perhaps by enemi es or a llies of the cha r acter s). Th e >
Ca irn , v\lith its skull s frozen in place, remain s as a con stant Cl

w inter until h e r ecla ims hi s ice scepter. Hi s army thaws,
<:
r emind er of the past.
a nd h e set s about ca rvin g a new kin gdom from th e lands
UJ
south of th e Ne ntir Va le.
J:
Other Characters f-
lrthe character s preva il , they can claim t h e treasure s of
\.J
th e W inter King. His unnatural winter ceases, be coming
If Ma rko Lancet is still a live, he is gr ateful to th e char -
Z
an unnatu ral spring, which in turn becomes a war m and
ac ters but not inclined to stay with them and face more
Cl
welcome slimme r. A second season of growth and r enewal
dange r s. Nor is he looking forward to returnin g to Fa ll :J
beg in s, and the dead crop s of the land s affected by winter
c rest ; h e's not certain he would receive the h appy welcom e ...J
regrow w ith stunn ing abundance . People all over th e

likely to be given to th e ch a racters. Marko hiked out of ~
a r ea praise Pe lor, but the people ofFalIcrest save speciaJ
th ese mountains on ce befo re, a nd he 's w illing to do it 0
thoughts of thank s for the characters.
again. He says his good byes, gathers what suppli es he can , U
and sets out.

Iced Adventurers
If th e characters brou ght a llies w ith them from Fa ll
cr est, tho se indi vid uals a re eager to return home . If th e

A ny creature turn ed to ice by the Winter King 's touch can
cha rac ters decide to head a different direction, th ey might

be turned back to norma l by placing th e crow n of winter
pr efe r to go w ith the ch a racter s r ather than ri sk the long

upon th e character (A DC 2 1 Arcana check deduces thi s) .
j ourn ey home alone, but even tually they grow t ired of

The Sky Ship
da nger.
f the characters be fri end ed anyone from th e dungeon,

When the characters exit the dungeon. read:
th e r esult of that alliance is up to YOll and the ac ti on s of
The freez ina valley in which yo u landed has been transformed.
th e characters. Anyone from the \ Vinter Kin g's forces has
The snow is aone, and the sky above the mountains is a beauti-
a lot to Jearn about the pr esent and the interven ing ye ars.
fu l
blu e. A few spr inaflowers poke up amonB the rocks, waving
ill8usts of warm wind. Atop an escarpment of stone, the sky skip
Fallcrest
shines in the ligh t like di amo nd. It has been transformed into
The next time the ch aracters enter Fallcrest, a great cry

solid ice!
goes up abou t their return, and they receive a h eroes'
we lcome. T he n ew spring a nd summer brought unprec -

If the characters investigate the sky ship further. its
edented h ar vests, and the town is beautiful w ith n owers

dragon figureh ead appears to awaken , and it speaks
and greenery. An impromptu celebration br eaks out in the

to them:
streets with the character s carried upon th e shou ld ers of

"My maBie is meltin8 , like a snowflake in sum mer's sun. He who
the tov\l ll sfolk and h anded food and drink all th e way up to
wears the winter crown can take me upon a finaljourney. But
Moo n ston e Keep , th e Lord Warden's resid en ce, ,"here the

hurry. Time is short."
festivities continu e well into th e night.
The tow n sfolk are tru e to th eir word about fr ee lodging,

The figurehead then subsid es and says no mor e. The ch ar-
goods from shops, mount s, and so on . Con stru cti on h as

acters can freely bo a rd and row the ship away into the sky,
already begun on th e Towe r o f Waiting in th e river, and

wh ereupon it t akes th e m on a much less peril ou s journey
in about a month th e char ac te r s will have a fin e hom e in

back to Fallcrest or to wh erever th ey decide to go. Alterna-
Fa Ucr est. In addition, th e results of the characters' actions

tively, the ship mi ght me lt after the flig ht , stra nding them
ha ve so exceeded th e Lord Warden's expectations that

in the location of a new adventure.
he g ives them a common leve l 4 magic item (pick one or

The Army on Ice
a llow the players to pi ck one) and 500 gp as an addi t ional
reward .
Unl ess th ey are som ehow dealt with by th e cha racters , the
frozen force s of th e Winter King gradua lly th aw. Some
Further Adventures
see the character s as saviors. Others believe th ey owe the
The characters might have more adventures in Fa ll crest ,

characters nothing , but th ey see the death oCthe Winter
th e Frost jaw Peaks, or w ith the Turnfin h alfli ngs as th ey
King and their awaken ing to a new world as a ch ance to
travel downriver. You mi ght d ecide to give th e ch ara cters

sta rt over. The re st ar e craven . selfish , amb iti ou s, or evi l
th e ability to u se th e te leport ation circle to r eturn to the

individua ls who hope to start where they left off, gain-
ca irn , whereupon th ey might find it repopu lated w ith a

ing power and we alth for them selves. One or two might
new mix of creatures.

become determined foes of the charac te rs. rt's up to you.
----------------------- Page 32-----------------------

Cairn of The Winter King

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----------------------- Page 1-----------------------

CAIRN OF THE WINTER KING

A ROLEPLAYING GAME ADVENTURE FOR 4TH-LEVEL CHARACTERS

----------------------- Page 2-----------------------

adventure for four to six characters of 4th leveL To run

DUll8eon Master's Book and the tokens from the Dun8eon

sive treatment of the rule s and ca n be used in pJac e of the

Lands "" or another book for players that enables them to

D&D Design Manager

A half-elf fugitive from justice ha s come to Fallcrest bea r-

in the grip of a figure frozen to a throne and encased in

cleared. No\\' a seemingly endless ,,,inter has befallen the

Cover Illustration and Cartography

Pub lishing Prod ucti on Specialists

storm begins to fall [rom the black clouds. Unprepared for

together to discuss what to do, and the characters capture

not consumed by ,",'inter. While the characters are talking

to come from the sky. vVhen the characters investigate ,

way to hi s throne room to confront or appease him. If they

succeed, they win much treasure and save thousands from

a cold and hungry death. If they fail, winter might claim

the Nentir Vale forever.

----------------------- Page 3-----------------------

50 gp each. All they have to do is show lip in Fa llerest :J

fr iend 's speci al hand shake. From th er e on , it should be a OJ

To start thi s adventur e, YOli can do th e foll owing:

Th e ch arac ters bear happy news for Amara Azaer, a tief-

li ng merchant in Fa llcrcst. Belli s lronoak , a m erchant of

Hammerfast whom sh e h as long pursued, has accepted

panie s. Amara runs Hou se Azaer, a trading comp any in

"Opcning Scene" on page 4 , the wa r ehou se th e ch aracters

are cutting up her cli ents' goods.

have bee n commandeered.

Hook: Boat Guards

4th -Level Minor Quest (175 XP)

----------------------- Page 4-----------------------

When the characters continue on, read:

Lord 'Varden Faren Markelhay has brought the people

to the light ofFallcrest's civilization. Barro Turnfin, leader

Roleplay the characters' interactions with the citizens

Although normally the people follow their Lord War-

den's orders without much complaint, the dire nature of

the town's predicament is causing unrest. Things could

get ugly. Use the following statements from some of the

citizens of Fallcrest as inspiration for roleplaying '''ith the

----------------------- Page 5-----------------------

in winter too! Ration ina is th e on y l way. We will outlast this.

da nger in the crowd and are retreatin g to their tents. Some

ing fo r a way to do th at.

about opposing the Lord ' Varden.

farm er wh o sh ou ted at th e ti e n ing. It looks li ke th ey're

th e in for m ation th eir In sigh t check gains. They m ight try

whatever dra m a unfold s, introduce th is elem ent at a dra -

When th ings start to becom e te n se or a fi ght brea ks out .

have the characters least involved in th e hull abaloo m ake

Perception Check (D C 14): A ch aracter who fa ils th is

check can bare ly d iscern frightene d shouting from a few

memb ers on the edge of the crowd.

I f a character su cceeds on th is check , h e or sh e h ears

th e shouting but also someth ing more ominous. Between

pe a ls of thu nder, a d eep a nd rhyth mic ch anting r ever

be rates through t he area. The soun d is sim.i1 ar to tJ1at a

crew m igh t m ake wh en row ing a sh ip - an d it seems to be