Setup • rural village, night of the solstice • illness: comatose, blackened patches of skin, blue black lips, victims under ten, heading south • glittering shape in the sky prior to the outbreaks
Event One - Attack • solstice celebrations • livestock slaughtered for the hard months ahead • great bonfire presided over by Priest of Loptir, Lord of Flames • despite the cold, no snow on the ground
• shadows block out the moonlight • glittering, hill-sized mass of ice drifting in the sky • angled shapes of structures protruding from the top
• scream, villager bursts from home carrying a child, chased by short, gnarled creature • several more quickly emerge from the shadows, carrying glitering knives • they fall upon the square and villagers flee, handful attack the PCs
• Tontuu chasing the woman slays her in two rounds • Tontuu (5): Init +1; Atk knife +2 melee (1d3+2) or frigid touch +2 melee (heat drain); AC 14; HD 1d8; hp 6 each; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP frigid touch siphons heat and vitality from victim (DC8 Fort save or 1 point of temp. Stamina damage), immune to cold/double damage from fire; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will -1; AL C ○ Tontuu are gnarled, gnome-like, 4' tall ○ icy blue skin, dirty-white lichen beards, pallid green moss eyebrows ○ small forms conceal immense strength
• six villagers have died, child is comatose, blue lips, blackened patches of skin size of tontuu fingers
Event Two - Enlisting • Priest approaches the party wielding a flaming brand • Believes the PCs to be worthy of Loptir's blessing • If PCs agree: streamers of fire touch PCs foreheads; they feel warm • If PCs demand payment: 20gp per PC but then only 8 sovereign fire points • provided with horses which they are expected to return
Floating Iceberg • 400' high, 300' diameter, inverted teardrop shape, jagged expanses of ice with rocky debris • floats 100' high, drifting 40' south • twisted, slippery stairs w/ chain ascend to the top, rop ladders affixed to bottom landing • Tontuu: Atk javelins (3) +2 ranged (1d6+2)
Ziggurat • massive blocks, master craftsmanship. interior ceilings 20' tall, separated by 10' solid stone • no artificial light inside
1-1 - Courtyard • haphazard debris makes a rough, sparse walled courtyard • squat, rectangular structure emerging from the ice • windowless, one doorway with no door, darkness, snow inside, tall unmoving figures in the darkness (trees) • footprints criss-cross the courtyard, most leading to the structure • Three Tontuu, easily surprised (expecting comrades, not intruders) • Character moving more than half normal speed must DC7 Ref or fall prone
1-2 - Entrance • Small chamber covered in rime, exposed stone, snow dusting the floor • small (3') evergreens growing out of the stone, radiate faint magical aura • cracked spiral staircase descends
2-1 - Whispering Grove • floor uneven and askew • walls bear strange hieroglyphics of unknown origin (detailing a history of the farmer-mages and their successes) • numerous, larger, humanoid-like pine trees grow out of the stone; rustle but there is no wind ○ 20 trees contain children's souls; they have vague human like shapes; rustle and whisper: § "he is old, so old. older than even grammy and grampa" § "scary head and mean eyes, dark forest monster" § "hatred and hurt, he drinks from us" § "tjaptar! won't let us go, chains of horn" § "angry. angry he's been forgotten. pain until everyone remembers and fears the forest again" ○ destroying a tree causes child scream and whimper ; body dies (lawful PCs lose 1 luck, gain 2 disapproval) ○ souls' agitation alerts tjaptar and his followers to the intrusion ○ Romu is a stronger tree of a 10 yr old girl who was taken several days ago. She knows: § Tjaptar's antlers imprison the souls he's harvested and must be shattered to free the souls § About Tjaptar:
□ A powerful forest god from the north, who feeds off children □ Angry at being forgotten, wants people to fear the forests □ Came across this building, expecting to wither and die, but as the ice melted it started drifting south
2-2 - Ambush / All Fall Down • broken columns, upheaved stones; walls cracked, ice spilling into the room; frost and icy snow on the floor • large humanoid rises up, body covered in wooly, black hair, with head of a ram, wielding a chain; bleats and snorts • Five tontuu hide, waiting for Joulbok's trap to attack • frozen snow covers pit to 3-3 (DC13 Int to spot), Joulbok smashes ground with chain when PCs are near ○ fall 30' below (DC10 Ref save to avoid, Luck check to grab edge of hole) • Joulbok: Init +2; Atk chain +2 melee (1d6+1) or head-butt +3 melee (1d4+1) or bite +1 melee (disease); AC 16; HD 3d8; hp 20; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP filthy bite (DC 6 Fort save or +1d6 dam); SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1; AL C ○ 6' tall manlike goats, covered with woolly hair, cloven feet, human hands, twisted horns, sharp, filthy teeth • cleared area contains small camp; bloodstained snow, bones, scrapes of meat ○ six odd bundles: small boxes of bones wrapped in hides: spare clothing; ivory comb (15gp), silver necklace (25gp), wineskin w/ brandy (20gp), fox stole (50gp), silverware (45gp), 26cp, 8sp, 4gp, stolen from homes visited by Tontuu (currency comes from the north)
3-1 - Meditation Sanctum • better condition, walls straight and even, except west wall which is a pure sheet of ice; contains dark figure with glint of gold (dwarves can smell) • circular basin, frozen water, dark shapes within (dead fish) • corpse w/ amulet in ice is human (DC8 Int), behind 12" of ice (edged weapon, 2d5 rounds of work, or fire) ○ freeing summons ice demon, attacks anyone interacting with the body ○ amulet: heiroglyphs, comprehened languages yields "Ogalltus", triggers Spell check 14 feather fall (ghostly black wings) for four rounds, once a day • Demonic Ice Guardian: Init +2, Atk icy claw +3 melee (1d4+1) or mandibles +1 melee (1d6+1); AC 15; HD 4d8; hp 20; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP cold-based creature, immunte to cold, half damage from non-magical weapons (sovereign fire weapons are magical), double damage from fire; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +3; AL C ○ Resembles a cross between a tick and a praying mantis, made of ice with fish protuding; mandibles clack together, scuttles on eight legs ○ when slain, dissipates into acrid steam, leaving rotting fish in wake
3-2 - Sapping Sap • Wide corridor crowded with stout pine trees, pallid teal, not green • thick scent of pine tar, globs of sap layer the floor • DC 12 Int: Spot the door at the north • Difficult to traverse without brushing against the trees (DC 10 Ref) • Sap: drains heat from living creatures on contact: 1d4 damage then DC 12 Fort save or suffer uncontrollable shivers (-2 on all rolls until warmed up: modest fire for 30 minutes, heavy blankets for 1 hour, or 1 point of sovereign fire) • Burning trees fills 3-1 and 3-2 with thick acrid smoke (DC 6 Fort save or suffer 1d3 damage) • Southeastern door: frozen shut. DC 20 Str to open
3-3 - Jail and Cold Fire • broken shelves, shattered pottery; portion of wall has collapsed; jagged ice and stone everywhere • gap in ceiling • several cages fashioned of pine and ice, all are empty (unless party needs reinforcements) ○ one shows signs of having been emptied recently (in case party needs more reinforcements in next room) • a fire pit with one giant log in it, blazing bright blue, draining the room of heat ○ fire acts like normal fire, but causes cold damage - things that ignite burn blue and drain heat; causes frostbite initially
3-4 - Hall of the Old God • Wave of power, like static electricity erupts when door is opened • Filled with large pine trees and broken stone • Air is very cold • Shimmering colours at the far end, flickering like the northern lights • DC 14 Int: Spot hidden Joulbok and Tontuu ○ Tontuu: Teeth stained green, grants a poisonous bite § DC 9 For save or nausea: -1d3 Stam and -1 to all rolls § SV: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +0 • Platform: Tjaptar squats atop ramshackle altar of stone atop a dais ○ once the Joulbok and Tontuu attack, he rises, and the trees part as he descends ○ first look at Tjaptar: DC 10 Will save or stunned for 1 round • Tjaptar: Init +2; Atk fists +3 melee (dmg 1d4+3); AC 16; HD 4d10; hp 40; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP cold-based creature, aura of majesty (DC 10 Will or be stunned for one round), spell-like: wood-wyrding (level 4 cleric, +8 to spell check), freezing blast (as flaming hands but inflicts cold) +5 to spell check, countered by flaming hands in duel, takes double damage from fire, antler vulnerability; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +4; AL C ○ 15' tall humanoid with head of a reindeer with huge antlers ○ decayed body, patches of exposed skull, mangy and dirty fur ○ corona of flickering colours dance around the antlers (visages of children within, freed when he is slain) ○ Antlers: house stolen vitality, 20 hp. at 10 hp he can't freezing blast. at 0 hp he is destroyed
Escape • when Tjaptar is slain, concussive force erupts, children are freed and return to their bodies • surrounding ice fractures, slabs of ice plummet; fissures in the floor open • fleeing back to 1-1: DC 8 Ref or suffer 1d4 dam from falling rubble. A natural "1" is a large for 2d4 dam • 500' from 1-1 to the ground • Stairs: PC with best Luck: Luck check for every 100' descended on the stairs as iceberg destructs ○ one failure means that the iceberg disintegrates beneath the party, but lingering magic causes chunks of ice to drift slowly to the earth. DC 8 Ref to leap onto one of these; failure - a fall to the earth • In place of the iceberg, a cloud of colourful light remains; ice spreading across the sky ○ snow begins, then lights streak off to the north • Back in village, comatose boy has awoken • +1 luck to all survivors
Stats
• Tontuu (16): Init +1; Atk knife +2 melee (1d3+2) or frigid touch +2 melee (heat drain); AC 14; HD 1d8; hp 6 each; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP frigid touch siphons heat and vitality from victim (DC8 Fort save or 1 point of temp. Stamina damage), immune to cold/double damage from fire; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will -1; AL C
• Joulbok (2): Init +2; Atk chain +2 melee (1d6+1) or head-butt +3 melee (1d4+1) or bite +1 melee (disease); AC 16; HD 3d8; hp 20; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP filthy bite (DC 6 Fort save or +1d6 dam); SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1; AL C ○ 6' tall manlike goats, covered with woolly hair, cloven feet, human hands, twisted horns, sharp, filthy teeth