The Frozen Lands

Dozens of adventures later (slightly exaggerated) my players are finally biting on the clues leading to the epic battle against the major evil force in my game world. I adapted Advanced Adventures 11 by Alphonso Warden for this plot. I kept the rough plot outline and the antagonist (the White Worm) and changed everything else. I rewrote the adventure three times while I waited for my players to tackle it. Hopefully, I can do the ending justice. It is a question of striking the right balance. I want it to be dangerous, and deadly but not impossible. The first session of this chapter is a search for knowledge.

Session 117: The Frozen Lands

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Joe Boxer (human monk), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Domago (human cleric NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon is in Wolford having recently stormed the Cloud castle of the giants which looks down on the town. In an effort to learn more about the White Worm, Lakima has signed a contract with a demon to remove the flying castle in exchange for the soul of the evil mage Sazor Stratus.

The adventurers follow the path of the demon outside and do not see it anywhere. The cloud supporting or blocking the cloud castle from view still rests above the town. They notice a cloud front approaching from the northwest. About an hour after the incident with the demon, the cloud above the town begins moving with the wind to the west. Once this is noticed in the town the locals begin to rejoice. Lakima requests another meeting with Master Glint (the town master) to discuss what has happened. He claims that Sazor Stratus was in league with a demon. They tried to capture it but it fled. A concerned Glint asks where the demon might have fled. Not having an answer Lakima changes the subject and warns Glint that Wolford, the Earldom, and the entire duchy is in danger. He claims that the cloud giant attack was the first softening-up attack of a creature known as the White Worm. He expects that an army of creatures of unspecified type and origin will descend on Wolford. Glint is skeptical but agrees to send a report to Earl Uther. Lakima insists that Glint also send a report to the duke – but Glint is not convinced of the urgency.

Lakima asks that Sazor Stratus be carefully imprisoned but when the cell is investigated, they find that he has vanished. The adventurers note the smell of brimstone in the cell and Lakima notices scorches on the stone floor. Master Glint agrees to provide rooms for the company in the Palace for a few days. The skyship is anchored in the courtyard and a few guards are placed around it. After a restful night, Domago goes to where Haddon has placed Boffin’s corpse. He tried to raise Boffin from the dead but he is unsuccessful. Boffin’s spirit has moved on. The rest of the company spends the day gathering supplies for a few weeks in cold weather. The next day they board the skyship early in the day and set out for Gundamark, the city of the dwarves. Haddon has requested that they help him return Boffin’s body to the dwarf realm for proper burial. Haddon also suggests that the dwarves might have information on the location of the White Worm.

After two days they arrive in Gundamark. On the journey, the only incident was a curious hippogriff which Lakima charms and sends on its way. Most of the dwarven city is buried under the mountains. They moor the skyship in an open field beside a mountain lake near the entrance to the city. Haddon introduces the adventurers to Elder Thagnam of the dwarven council. Thagnam listens to their story about the White Worm and agrees to try to get them an audience with the full council. After a few hours wait they are taken before the council and get a chance to tell their story about the White Worm and Wormbane. A dwarven weapon crafter on the council asks to see the sword and states that it is of giant make but that the enchantments on it were cast by humans. The council has only heard vague rumors about the White Worm and they ask for a few days to deliberate. In the meantime, they are invited into the city and given a suite of rooms.

The adventurers wait for 2 days to get another invite to the council chambers. On the second day, they attend Boffin’s funeral deep in the mountain. They also visit some of the weapon, armor, and jewel crafting shops of the dwarves. Lakima buys a case of enchanted throwing darts. Fenris buys a magic sword and a magic crossbow. Aldus sees a magic great sword he wants but he cannot afford the price. Alrix purchases a magic shield. Lakima gives the additional funds needed to Aldus to allow him to purchase the sword. Lakima also buys a gem-encrusted gold ring of historical significance for 8,000 gold.

Finally, they meet the council of elders again. The dwarves tell them what information they know and suggest the adventurers head north to the gnomes of Winterhaven. They reason that since the gnomes trade with the northern human barbarians they should have more information. They give the adventurers tokens of friendship and offer the group the services of their greatest fighter. The adventurers are introduced to the dwarven warrior Dusig Greatstone.

That evening Domago agrees to commune with his god and asks three questions. He asks what kind of creature the White Worm is? He gets a vision of a vast worm with pale skin living deep under the group in the land of ice. As he gazes upon the creature it turns toward him and he realizes it has a vast, otherworldly intelligence. Domago is visibly shaken by the vision and needs time to rest before asking the second question. Can Wormbane truly destroy the White Worm? He gets a vision that the sword can pierce the worm and destroy it but he sees that the worm’s destruction will unleash a new danger. In his vision, he finds he is drowning in a dark, thick liquid. For the third question, he asks about this danger and learns that the White Worm’s interior is filled with an enormous supply of black ichor. Domago asks that they give him an evening of rest to recover.

The next day the group sets out on the skyship for Winterhaven. The temperatures drop even colder as they cross the Rainbow Hills and arrive at Winterhaven. The city of the gnomes is built on the slope of a mountain. The skyship parks just inside the town walls near a clearing. A contingent of gnomes asks to board the ship and question the adventurers on their business in Winterhaven. The gnomes charge the adventurers for silver tokens to allow them entry to the city and even find a proper charge for the skyship. The gnome customs agent agrees to speak with the gnome leadership about allowing the adventurers an audience once learning about their quest. The gnome does suggest they go to the shop of a local sage and map maker named Hestra Darkstamp if they want more information on the Frozen Lands to the north.

The group takes the gnome’s advice and walks the winding road up the mountainside to the sage’s shop. On the way there they pass a strange three-story cottage that is badly leaning to one side. The sage is a wizened gnome female who unfortunately does not know the location of the White Worm. She does show them a map of the Frozen Lands. They agree to purchase it. She also suggests they meet with Erwin Truecase, a human historian who lives in the strange cottage they passed earlier.

The adventurers walk back down the mountain slope to the leaning cottage. Knocking on the door they are greeted by a gnome. This gnome repeatedly gets their message wrong but he does let them in to meet his master, Erwin. Erwin Truecase is suspicious of the adventurers at first after hearing their story about the White Worm. He asks to see Wormbane. Once seeing the blade, he excitedly checks the pommel and finds the maker’s mark which matches the mark he has on a sketch in an old tome. He then begins to tell the company what he knows. He does not know the location of the White Worm but he is aware of it and its agents. He tells of Frost Giants under the White Worm’s influence gathering an army in the Frozen Lands. He shows them charts showing that the temperature in the area has been getting colder year after year. He tells of an attempt to make him a slave of the White Worm by a human wizard who tried to cast charm person on him. In fact, this incident led to his having a ring of charm resistance enchanted. He does offer to give the ring to Lakima in concern for his safety but Lakima confidently tells Erwin that he is protected by Medamellara (the goddess of magic). Erwin suggests they travel north to the land of the barbarian tribes and seek out a wise woman named Elsi Whitedrift in the trading post of Phom Thult.