I wrote this campaign in fall and played it over winter.  I liked it enough that I thought it was worth sharing. 

Some of the premises for the campaign were an archaic, austere setting, limited access to magic, fighting a non-traditional enemy and a non-traditional goal, and an economy based on something other than gold.  All things I had never done before. 

I decided to set the game in an artic type region, surrounded by sea ice.  I wanted it to be bitterly cold in winter with only a brief respite during summer.  I have been past the artic circle in summer, but never farther and never in a really cold place in winter.  Therefore, I read a little bit about the Inuit and Viking people.  I borrowed some of their building techniques for the villages.  I made the world treeless, making it even more austere.  There is no wood for fires or tool/weapon handles for example.  The people would burn dung for fuel and wood for weapons would be very expensive, and mostly gathered from driftwood.  This would make it feel more desperate as well. 

I had read in books over the years about worlds where you had only intermediate or even basic weapons.  I thought some about this and decided that only allowing spears would be too limiting so wrote up an equipment list with limited weapons, but allowing bows, axes and a few other options.  Still limited, but there were enough options to have a little flexibility.  The Inuits made bows so I designed my bow after theirs.  I also dangled the idea of an exotic wood/Yeit horn composite bow in front of my players from the first scene. 

I thought about no magic at all, but then decided that a local cleric or shaman might be fun.  After all, every culture has a religion.  I wrote up a god that was whimsical and nature based, giving a cleric with moderate spell casting powers and moderate restrictions to armor and weapons.  I did not allow mages.  I also offered a barbarian type fighter kit, because I thought that would fit in well with the overall vibe.  I only allowed humans, because this is a remote part of the world, too cold for most life forms, again trying to replicate Inuit culture. 

Gold would not be present at a place like this and I had always wanted an alternative economy.  I thought about things that people have used in various countries for currency.  I settled on bones. Long bones from caribou would be cut up along the short axis, roughly equal to 1 GP for conversion purposes.  Whale bones would be equal to 1000 gp and were also used to make the framework for houses (recall, no trees).  Vikings actually made whale bone houses so I used pictures off the internet for inspiration and description.  While caribou bones are portable, whale bones are certainly not.  Another interesting twist. 

 For a long time, I wanted the goal of the campaign simply to be to survive 40 days during the coldest winter anyone could remember.  This is a very non-traditional goal with no true antagonist.  The PCs would gather food and fuel to save their home village.  Starvation and frost bite would be the penalty for failure and ultimately the entire area of four villages would be wiped out if they failed.  At the end of the 40 days, the winter was going to break and they would have won.  We had been playing for about 20 game days when I decided (based on someone’s advice in this forum) that it was actually a magically induced winter by a coven of hags and it would never warm up.  The hags slowly began to creep into the adventure with missing villagers, then grotesque body part remnants, later charmed villagers and finally the PCs saw them in person.  The final battle was tough for my guys as they were best at melee with limited missile options and flying spellcasters can wreak havoc on any party. 

 Lastly, I wanted the locals to be clashing with the outside world.  But why on earth would anyone go to a place like this?  The same reason we go to God-forsaken places…money.  I decided that there was a mysterious metal that the people found occasionally in the streams.  It was light, silver and pliable.  They called it Kopai.  Over the years, the occasional traders had discovered that they had the natives had this metal and the outside world wanted it.  It is actually called Kingsilver in the rest of the world, worth far more than gold.  The merchants would trade food and wood for it.  If they got it back to the mainland (always a difficult task with ancient oceanic travel) it would be refined into coins, worth 1000 gp each.  I made sure the PCs had no real idea about it’s worth at the beginning but dropped hints throughout the story that it was actually quite valuable.  Of course, any hunk of metal on a frozen wasteland is not worth much when compared to food, shelter and other things that you need to survive.  Kopai allowed me to put in outsiders (dwarven miners and human merchants who got stuck when the ice froze) into the world.  This allowed the PCs a shot at some magic items and trade and also added a mysterious undercurrent to the world.  Lastly, once completed, the PCs could catch a ride with the merchants when the sea ice melted, allowing them to enter a more traditional DND world. 

 Anyways, we really liked the adventure and I was quite proud of it.  It took us multiple sessions to play 30 game days.  Probably 20-25 hours of game time total.  My players were new and completists, leaving no stone unturned.  A faster group might require less time.  I will post the text of the adventure in the next post.  We were playing mostly 2 edition rules at the time which may also feel archaic!  Change the numbers to something more modern if you like. 

 I hope you like it. 

Intro

You have grown up in the arctic tundra your entire life, in the small village of Vals. You family has been here as long as anyone can remember. The village has about 100 inhabitants. Generations have come and gone and life has remained the same. Few outsiders were ever seen here, until recently. The landscape is so bleak, with hills and endless snow, that only the strongest survive here. Caves are found occasionally. Summer is short and winter is long. Food is only present if you know where to look. In the summer, the snow usually melts. Most summers, it is warm enough to support grass and even wildflowers. The rabbits lose their light fur and become brown, eating the ephemeral grass. Large seabirds fly inland most summers, laying eggs in the hills. Caribou wander up from warmer climates, to spend the summer eating the new grass. The frozen rivers melt, allowing you to fish near your homes. Your people capitalize during these brief, warm moments, gathering up eggs and meat. Hunting parties range far from home during summer, looking for game. Some of the grass is edible as well. Food is stored underground for winter; the permafrost keeps the food fresh. You call your land “Thu Nick Khan,” but the few strangers who have ventured to your village over the years say it is simply called, “The White” in their language. Most families keep a few fluffy white dogs. The dogs act as friends, guards and sometimes blankets. They also pull sleds.
Your people tell legends of your origins around the campfire during the long winter nights. They say that you came from across the sea, looking for a safe place to start a new life. The tundra was so remote that no one would ever disturb you. However, people say there was a time that giants with blue skin came, riding white dragons, destroying everything they saw. Whatever became of them, whether they died off, moved on or if it was all a fairy tale, no one knows.
In the winter, your people bunker down in the village. Rarely, someone travels to other villages by dog sled, usually to deliver critical messages or receive medicine. Sometimes, the villages must share other resources to survive the winter. People burn waste and whale oil to heat their meager homes. When villagers are forced to move across the tundra in winter, you make “Sienich” as temporary homes. These are round to oval structures consisting of snow. They keep the worst of the cold out but take a lot of effort to build. Sometimes, a large group may make several of the buildings, connected by tunnels.
Few of people live near the sea, as they fear the sea monsters and raiders. However, access to the sea is critical for your people. The sea provides trade, although until recently there were few brave enough to cross the treacherous, icy waters. Your people have always traded a shiny silver metal you call, “kopai” for goods. When you were a kid, the ships only arrived every few years. Now, a steady stream of boats is seen in summer. Although pretty, the metal has no other value to you. When the rivers melt in the summer, you sometimes find chunks of it, rolling along the stream bed. It seems lighter than most other rocks. When you asked some of the traders why they think it is valuable, you could not understand their answer. You only speak a little of the language the outsiders speak. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The metal is useless to you while the goods you receive in trade are invaluable. The merchants bring wood in the form of harpoons and arrows, crafted metal goods and most importantly food. The quest for food is endless. Even though you know how to store up food in summer, the whole village is usually near starvation as the snows begin to melt. Without the extra food from the traders, you may not have enough to get through winter. The number of ships arriving has continued to increase throughout your life. You no longer can find enough kopai to trade with all of the vessels. Thankfully, this has allowed you to trade more goods for each rock that you do find.
The sea also provides access to whales, seals and fish. Many of the villagers travel the treacherous waters in search of game. The most valuable are the whales that come to the area in the warmer months. The whales provide food and oil for cooking fires. In addition, the bones are kept to use as supports for your permanent homes, known as “Rienich.” After digging a pit into the tundra, whale bones are interlaced, forming a roof. Animal skins, preferably caribou, are stretched over the bones, keeping the frigid wind out. Whale bones are so valuable, the bones are used as money. Intact bones cost a fortune, but people cut some of the bones into circular pieces, to be used for cheaper goods. People also use caribou bones for trade, but they are worth far less, given their smaller size.
Although the Thu Nick Khan is a hostile place, you are not alone there. You share the land with Yeti. The yeti are as tall as men, and covered in a thick white fur. The Yeti live in small bands and occasionally villages. They often roam alone as well. They normally steer clear of your settlements and you steer clear of theirs. Occasionally, battles and skirmishes break out. The most prized battle trophy is a yeti horn. Only the males have horns and the horn can be crafted into a very stout bow, that only the strongest hunters can use. As getting the material requires serious risk to life and limb, few Yeti bows are ever made. Conflicts with the yeti are generally avoided.
Other predators also share the land. Wolves are common, especially in summer when they follow the herds and flocks from warmer climates. There are also bears. Bears are avoided if at all possible. They are very large, 20 feet tall when they stand on their hind legs, and ill tempered. They usually don’t come near the village but they often threaten small hunting parties. The hunters would rather throw down some of their hard-won food and run, then fight it out with them.
Most of the tundra is featureless. A few rivers crisscross the terrain. However, the farthest reaches hold mysteries. All of you have been one time, far from the sea, to the great rock, “Jaipoi.” Only accessible during the warmest summer when the snow melts, the land far from the sea becomes a flat wasteland for leagues. After several days journey, a large black shape is apparent. The boulder is the only hill for miles. The snow around the rock always melts. Your people come with smaller rocks, and break pieces off of the boulder. At about the same time, another group would set off in the opposite direction. They would work just as hard to travel many days, across the sea to harvest timber. Both groups meet up again in the village. Sometimes several villages would share in this difficult labor. Then, on midsummer’s eve, a great fire would be made. The rocks would be melted and the new tools forged for next year; after melting down the rocks, only a small amount of workable metal would remain. The pieces are used for arrow heads, harpoon heads, and knives. A feast would mark the memorable occasion. These metal tools are scarce and expensive but last a long time. Some of the metal objects seems to always be warm, even hot, for months after being forged. The people also feast in honor of their god Thu Nick. Thu Nick Khan literally means, “land of Thu Nick.” Thu Nick is a whimsical god; although often supportive and caring, at times he brings snows in late spring, hampering your efforts to hunt. Most of the villages have a priest or priestess to serve him. They say he sometimes even grants power over the elements and provides for the needs of the truly penitent.
A few years ago, as the stream of ships increased, the traders started bringing a few dwarves with them when they arrived. Not only that, but the dwarves had large packs, laden with gear, picks and shovels. It seemed the dwarves were intent on staying. The land is sparsely populated so it didn’t seem concerning. Surprisingly, after the dwarves strove off the boats and onto the tundra many were never seen again. You sometimes saw a few, huddled around a fire in the brief summer. None were seen as fall began to blast the land with snow and wind. Then last year, several hundred arrived on various merchant ships. At first it was disconcerting, but they seem to die off quickly, as you almost never saw more than a few dwarves after the first few days. You figured they could not survive the cold, even during the summer. It was sad, but the environment was harsh and unforgiving. The unprepared do not live long in this place.

In any case, last summer is now long gone. The winter came early this year, blanketing the hills in snow a month before they should have. It cut your food gathering efforts short, and everyone hopes for an early spring. It got worse when the wolves stayed as well. Usually, the wolves would follow the larger animals to warmer climates as the snow came. But this year, the caribou left but the wolves stayed behind. They preyed on the smaller remaining game in fall, birds and rabbits, but when that ran out, they started after stray villagers. It is no longer safe to roam outside the village without a small armed group. You hear them howling, closer every night. They also put a strain on the already scarce food supply as the smaller animals are scarcer than ever.
Now it is the dead of winter. The red and yellow moons light up the snow in an unworldly orange glow while the sun is barely a faint glow for a few hours a day. The food has run short. It went from bad to worse when the wolves broke into a few of the underground food caches. With the storage Rienich pilfered the people are hungry, cold and dispirited. The spring thaw is months away. Something must be done!
Your village of about a hundred people has called a council. They need food. More fuel would be a boon as well. You haven’t heard from the neighboring villages in some time. After talking it over for a few hours, there is no consensus. What are you to do? Chief Konchan looks to you for guidance. It seems he also expects you to fix the situation as your group of friends are young and spry. Whatever is to be done, it must be done fast. Time is running out for Vals. A pack of wolves howls loudly, sending shivers up your spine.

If they need guidance, can offer the following options:
1. Strike out for the hills near the ocean looking for hibernating bears that live there. People generally leave the bears alone, especially the ones with a black streak along their head, but you need food. It is only a day or two journey during good weather. Probably several days in the snow. Although dangerous, a bear(s) would provide a lot of food. The fat could be burned as fuel as well. Maybe the bear could be taken by surprise?
2. Take a dog sled over the tundra to the nearby village of Maz. However, they may not have food either as they are facing some of the same challenges. If they do have food, would they share some with you? It would take at least four days to get there. Bax is closer and upriver, but you are on less friendly terms with those people. Would the villagers in Bax receive you at all? You are on good terms with the Tat village as well, but that is even farther.
3. Follow the now frozen river down to the ocean. There may still be some seals there although the whales will be gone. The boats are hidden by the coast for next spring. If you a really lucky, maybe a merchant will have overwintered. The harbor where they stay is dozens of miles from the river mouth, in a deep fjord. Maybe you could follow the coastline to it? You have a few small kopai that were found when digging out a food cache in fall. Maybe you could trade it for some food and coal, if anyone has survived the horrendous weather?
4. There is a spring fed lake far to the east, near the village of Tat. It is on the way to the archipelago that you take to harvest lumber in summer. The warm spring-fed water attracts game, but also predators. Could you bring enough food back from this remote area?
5. You could strike out for the Yeti territory. Only the fiercest villagers venture this way. The Yeti are ferocious and a large group of them would be perilous. Their fur and horns have great value though. Maybe they have stashed away food or you could attack a solitary Yeti?
6. Traders have overwintered before at the mouth of the river to the east. Maybe they are still there and would have food? If that is the case, what would you have to offer them in trade?

Pics - Maps – Intro – DM notes – Encounters - Appendix

 

 
Dungeon Master Notes

The PCs need to gather food for nine more weeks (63 days) of winter. If they do, the weather will break and the snow will start to melt. The village has seven days of food left. The campaign can continue after spring through trading Kopai, exploring the dwarven mine or venturing to the other areas, but survival for nine weeks is the main goal. For every day the village has no food, 1-2 people die. At 75 villagers, food requirements go to 75% and at 50 people, 50%. Each villager requires 1.5 pounds of food per day, roughly 1200-1500 calories. Therefore, the village needs 150 pounds of food per day.

Kopai, is actually, used for currency by the rest of the world and is worth far more than gold. Many call it King’s-silver. It is remarkably light and malleable. The melting point is very high, and only the hottest forges can smelt it. The dwarves have heard rumors of it being found in the rivers here from the merchants and an ever-enlarging group has ventured to the White to set up mines. They started by scouting out the area and finding caves. After looking several over, they picked the most promising one and have spent several years widening the passages, establishing underground farms and recruiting more of their kinsman. They have only found small deposits so far, but that has inflamed their greed and they delve ever deeper. This would be a good conflict for later. Either to help the dwarves because they disturbed a monster, or more bellicose, to fight the dwarves for the Kopai or make the dwarves leave.

Caribou bones are used as currency for small transactions. Vertebrae are cut in half and long bones are cut into squatty cylinders. Use roughly 1:1 with respect to gold pieces for currency conversion. People also use them to make bone broth soup, so the supply is always decreasing! This currency obviously has no value outside of Thu Nick Khan nor does gold have any value here. Kopai might be valuable in the future, if the locals catch on about how much the traders are profiting from them. An intact whale bone is worth ~1000 caribou bone pieces.

Jaipai is actually a meteorite. The only source of metal for many hundreds of miles. It creates heat, making a depression of melted snow around it. If smelted and forged well, it can be used to make weapons with fire damage (good for cold loving monsters!) This technology is beyond the villagers at this point although the weapons that remain warm are a clue of its potential.

Navigation: Navigation can be a problem as the artic is generally featureless, especially away from the rivers and seaside hills. White out snow can make (accurate) travel impossible. The sun is only up for a few hours a day but the stars and moons could be used for celestial navigation. If they lose their way entirely, roll 1d8 for the direction they travel (N, NE, E, etc). They must ascertain at some point that they ARE lost and then must navigate back or course. When traveling along a river, path, etc only a 1 results in traveling the wrong direction (maybe the riverbed is completely covered in snow, making it impossible to discern from the ground), and this should be notice relatively quickly and be allowed to be corrected. Modifiers for snow (-2 for light snow, -5 for moderate and -10 for blizzard), open terrain (-4) and hilly terrain (-2). With a dogsled, the party can travel 50-60 miles unloaded or about half that fully loaded. A six-dog sled carries 1500 pounds of gear fully loaded. The party on foot covers 20 miles on a trail. Over snowy tundra, about 10-15 miles.
 
The Hills

To find a cave on any of the given hills, the party must spend a day looking. Many of the caves have small entrances and can be missed, especially given the deep snow. Roll 1d20 with 5 points given for each person searching (eg with a three man party rolls of <15 are successful). If a Thu Nick Khan Champion is present, they get a +3 bonus. If only a half day is spent, their chances of finding a cave are halved. Most of the caves are nothing more than 10-20 foot round to rectangular caverns. No treasure unless otherwise mentioned. The temperature in the larger caves is 40-50F, when away from the entrance. A truly crafty player would win favor/XP by returning the dwarven/native remains!

1: Iceberg bear x1
2: Two caves, each with one iceberg bear.
3: Very large cave. Partially decomposed dwarven bodies next to a large bear skeleton, at least 12 feet in length. Most of the dwarves only have pick axes, shovels, etc. It is obvious they tried to use them as weapons. Some are broken. At least one dwarven remains is contained within the bear skeleton. It looks like the bear won the fight but then succumbed to its injuries. Two of the larger dwarves have battle axes. One ax head is shattered. One ax head has no shaft but is intact. If they look carefully, the shaft is in the rubble. It needs pins to connect the two. +1 battle ax. No armor. 200 gp. Lanterns x10, some broken. Ring of Fire Making. Cloak of Necessity. Long rotted food. It looks like animals may have eaten and scattered the goods and bodies. Scroll case with single scroll: Search the caves and hills near the sea for the ideal location for a King’s silver mine. Try hard not to disturb the humans, nor alert them to your presence. I will send more tunnelers in midsummer so you must find the best location by then. Use the Cloak of Necessity and Ring of Fire Making well. Signed-Kazak. The scroll is not readable without magic as it is in dwarven.
Cloak: multiple patches with pictures of useful items. Some patches have already been removed. When peeled off, the patch melts away and the object appears. Items include: flaming torch x5; pick axe x3; wheelbarrow x1; food x10; battle axe x1; helmet x1; 10 GP x10; rope x2
Ring of Fire Making: Kazak inscribed on band. When spoken, the ring conjures up a small fire that burns for 4 hours. Can be used once per day.
4: No cave at all
5: Two caves, each with an iceberg bear
6: This hill is a truncated cone but there is no cave. If they climb into the cone, they will find a small, shallow hot spring. No monsters. Single kopai rock, egg sized.
7: No cave
8: Large cave. Piles of rubble & pieces of rock near the entrance. Main room is a natural cave, similar to others. Towards the back that someone has been tunneling deep into the earth, going N. There are remains of mining equipment. Even a small railway system and a cooking area with black stains on the west wall was set up. There is a conical shaped hole cut in the ceiling that feeds into a tiny airhole tunnel. A new short tunnel with square room to east. Berths carved into the stone walls. Why? See map.
9: Small cave with two Iceberg bears
10: Thu Nick Khan Bear x1
11: Small empty cave. Evidence of recent excavation in the back (broken pickaxes, rubble by entrance, etc).
12: Small cave with a single Iceberg bear. Remains of a dwarf with a single kopai rock in sac. Scroll case with a single scroll: I authorize you to claim all lands you find in my name and search for King’s silver. Report back to me as soon as you find a promising mine. Signed-Kazak
13: Remains of few dwarves with tattered clothes & torn open packs. Search reveals silver bowl with inscription Bakn galikh (good morning). 3x/day with hot soup. 127 gp.
14: Small cave with a single Thu Nick Khan bear. Remains of two locals, with broken whale bone bows and axes. 75 caribou bone pieces.
15. Cave entrance looks nondescript and opens into a 20x20 foot rough oval room. If they successfully search, they will find a stone door, nearly invisible, cut into the S wall. The door is locked. See the mine page.
16: Single cave with two iceberg bears. Remains of a few dwarves are noted, one has a dark stone crucible of melting. Ingeitum (fire)
17: Two caves. One empty. One has a single iceberg bear.

Iceberg bear: modeled after black bear, the wimpiest from the Monster Manual. This small bear swims from the shore out to sea, attacking seals and fish; light tan to white; usually not aggressive. AC 7; HD 3+3; THACO 17. Food for 1 day.
Thu Nick Khan Bear: solid white except for a black streak running from the snout past the center of the ears. Large (15’ tall on hind legs) and ill tempered. Eats anything it finds. AC 3 HD 10, THACO 12. Food for 5 days (750 pounds).

The Dwarven Mine

Cave #15 is a little larger than the others, about 50 x 40 feet. The air is musty and a small amount of water drips down the eastern wall into a small pool. The walls are mostly dark sedimentary rock but there are streaks of tan stone here and there. Occasional stalagmites and stalactites are seen. There is no hair or dung to suggest an animal has used this area for a den in some time.

Upon any searching, they will find a door, cleverly built into the west wall. It is well camouflaged but the dust on the cave floor has been disturbed and the faint outline of the frame can be seen. It cannot be forced but a commotion will cause it to be opened by a stout dwarf (Dulgurn Stouthorn). He has a few scars on his face. His red hair and beard are braided and he carries a heavy ax with an engraved blade. At least two more dwarves can be seen behind them, with the light glinting off their mail. A large war hammer is resting on the nearby wall. They scowl and look out at you.
 
Villages

Bax
Bax is a small village, similar to Vals at the junction of two small rivers. The larger river drains towards the ocean and Vals. The inhabitants have been feuding for years so this should be a tough negotiation for the PCs. Chief Tonkin meets them. He is a young man, with several scars from skirmishes. Bellicose. He looks skinny (the village is starving as well). He is not openly hostile but has little desire to help. They should try to negotiate something. An all-out attack will be met with a 50-man attack by the villagers and should overwhelm the PCs. If they are reasonably polite, he will tell them that the dwarves are the problem. His people have seen more every year. He wonders if they are still on the tundra, hiding somewhere, stealing the scant food.

 

Maz
Maz is another small village in Thu Nick Khan, similar to the others. The village chief is Fonin, a kindly old man. He is the cousin of chief Konchan. They do have spare food, at least 2 weeks’ worth as they traded much Kopai last summer to the merchants for salted fish. One week’s food can be carried on a dog sled (max load 1000 pounds). They may need to negotiate another dog sled. They also need to have something to trade, possibly their own weapons.

 

Tat
Tat is the most distant village in the tundra. It is small in size, like the others. The village is on the sea, which has allowed them to survive the winter relatively unscathed. They have continued to hunt seal and catch fish. Chief Konit is not unkind, but wants to make a profit. They would sell food for bones or possibly barter. Two whalebones per week’s supply of food. This would require two dog sleds to transport.

Hot Springs
These springs melt the snow around them and are an oasis of sorts. However, that warmer temperature attracts plenty of undesirable attention. Large beasts have been known to live around the springs, especially in winter. There is a central pool, about a mile square. The surrounding rocky area is littered with small waterfalls and hot water coming out of the boulders. A few geysers randomly spurt hot water dozens or even hundreds of feet into the air. Smaller pools abound ranging from a few feet across to a few hundred yards. The surrounding area is another mile or so in each direction making the whole thing ~9 sq miles. The air temperature is a balmy 50 F near the central pool. Some small pine trees do grow here, thanks to the warmer temperatures. There are numerous hills and rock formations, making visibility limited.

There are three Kopai rocks in different pools, 1, 3 and 10

Central pool: bones of animals line the central pool, including some very large bones. Grass covers areas between the pools but there are several large areas where the grass is torn up with muddy patches, huge divots and gouges. There is actually an underwater tunnel extending to the sea, allowing the Kraken to enter the pool. It is a young Kraken, which is how it could swim through the tunnel and why it does not have all of its abilities and HP.
Juvenile Kraken: eight 50-foot-long tentacles; 25-foot-long body; large mouth in the center, ringed with teeth. Three tentacle attacks per round-1d10. HD 10. AC 2 THACO 10. No lightening ability.

Wondering solitary Yeti resting at pool 9 on the outskirts.

There are some clusters of white flowers in the area due to the warmth – snow crocus.

Traders

A single ship overwintered at the harbor. The captain is named Stelven. (tall, weathered, fine clothing with patches and holes, shoulder length dark hair pulled back) He speaks a little of the Thu Nick Khan language and says they overwintered here on accident since the weather became bad in fall and they could not sail home. The dozens of men have made feeble attempts to keep the ship warm. There is little wood to burn and they are out of coal. Warmer water comes out of the river due to a few small springs and geysers. It has kept the harbor open so they have caught fish and food is in no short supply. Frostbite has been a real problem though. Several sailors have died to exposure and many walk around without a finger or two. Stelven would be happy to barter away food in exchange for warmer clothing and/or better shelter. He might tell them some of the contents of the dwarven letters or identify magic items if asked nicely. He will not reveal the dwarves’ real purpose nor will he disclose why they are always seeking Kopai. An intricate silver wand with gold embossing hangs from Stelven’s belt. It is not for sale and is actually a wand of King’s silver detection. If they have any, the wand will hum and vibrate (“Very excited today,” he says dismissively). He also has some equipment for sale or trade

Dried fish x1000 meals or about 1000 #s
Whale meat x1000 meals or about 1000 #s
Rope (twisted fiber rope, 100’) x2
Grappling hook x1
Fish hooks and line x5
Chain mail armor x1
2H sword 1d10 with +1 fire damage and +1 to hit (While many of the weapons the traders brought have the typical dark color of steel, this one has more of a reddish tint, like some of weapons you forged for yourselves. The blade is hot to the touch.)
Helmet x1
Short bow x2
Long sword x1
2H Battle Axe x1
Salt in a glass jar x1
Empty glass jars x5 (if asked why he has these, “collect magical flowers in the White…make good potions.”)
“Very good charm equipment”
Scroll with: random which scroll they get;
Melf’s acid arrow
Instructions to make a potion of dragon control
Ring of Swimming: character can swim fast, dive to 50’ and hold his breath for 5 rounds
Heward’s Handy Haversack: light tan backpack with two sidepockets and one main pocket. Holds 250 #s of gear but weighs only a few pounds.

 
Kayaks

There are several kayaks stashed down near the beach, underneath an overhanging rock. The party can go out in individual kayaks and attempt to hunt seals. The ocean is open, but the river is frozen over. The seals can be seen on the beach, and sometimes swimming in the water. Once the party harvests 15 seals, the rest of the animals flee, making further hunts impossible. Each seal feeds the village for 1.5 days.

Roll:
1-50: unsuccessful hunt
51-85: solitary seal harvested
86-90: two seals harvested
91-98: storm, prohibiting boats from going out
99: Lost at sea
100: Capsized and/or severe boat damage
 
Random Encounters

Rolls:
Nothing: 1-60
Light snow: 61-68 (-2 to successful navigation roll)
Heavy snow: 69-71 (-5 to successful navigation roll)
Heavy snow: 71-73 (-10 to successful navigation roll)
Wolves: 74-90
Geyser/spring: 91-96
Yeti: 97-98
Remorhaz abandoned lair: 99
Flying white dragon: 100

Wolves will be encountered often (20% per day) in groups of 2d4. 5% chance of a winter wolf replacing one of the regular wolves. Food for 0.5 days/wolf.

Wolf: HD 2-3, THACO 18; 1d4+1; pelt worth 100 bones
Winter Wolf: HD 6, THACO 15; 2d4; frost breath 6d4; very fine fur pelt, worth two whalebones or 1000 GP

Yeti: A solitary Yeti is rare (2% per day) but can be seen if away from the villages. Party comes upon carnage of shredded wolf, rabbit or other game. Yeti lies in ambush under snow. 25% chance to be seen, 50% by a champion.

HD 4+4; THACO 15; AC 6; claws 1d6 x2; cold squeeze for 2d8 on roll of a 20
Fur can be taken for a pelt, worth 1000 gp or two whale bones.
Horns can be made into a bow (+2 to damage; 18 51/100+ strength required)
Claws and teeth worth 10 caribou bones each or 5 gp each

Small Geyser: The party may stumble across a geyser or hot spring (5%). These shift every year or two and therefore are not mapped. There is a 50% of a kopai rock being present. Water can be deep (up to 50’).

Remorhaz: one-time random encounter, but must occur near the dwarven lair.

HD 7-14 (depending on age), AC 5 for the underbelly and otherwise 2; bite for 4d6, 5d6 or 6d6 depending on age; THACO 7-13, depending on age; rolling 20 results in the worm swallowing the target, 1d6 per round of acid damage; white scales along the back are very hot, melting the snow in the worm’s tunnels and causing 10d10! damage; animal is slow

The party sees a large blue worm like creature, at least 16 feet tall, with a back shimmering like ice, sparkling in the sun. It is fighting several men, dressed like foreigners. What do you do?
Is actually only 10 feet off the ground. “Men” are dwarves, making it appear larger. This is a juvenile with
35 HP but has been wounded to 25
Touching the back will cause 1d6 fire damage. Hitting it with a weapon will cause it to melt or at least warp
If they help the dwarves, they will gain their friendship and possibly aid.
 
Campaign Ideas

Pole is frozen with black ice. Rumor of a whirlpool in center. Leads to planet’s core?

Hot water spring: rest area. Monster also using the area?

Get smelting advice from dwarves for Jaipai?

Bastriana the Cold: Bheur hag; cold loving hag that likes to incite violence through starvation, stockpiling, etc. Vulnerable to acid and electricity (double damage). Hag’s eye gem brooch given to a chief or warrior?, excellent hearing and smell, shape change to a beautiful woman or humanoid creature,
18/00 strength +3 to hit +6 to damage, 25% MR, AC 0, THACO 13; HP 61; HD 7+7  50 HP

Cast as a 9th level wizard
At will: hold person, ray of frost
3/day each: cone of cold, ice storm, wall of ice
1/day each: control weather

Hold person: holds 1d4 humans or humanoid creatures rigidly immobile for 2 rounds/level. If the spell is cast at three or four people, each gets an unmodified saving throw. If only two people are targeted, each makes his saving throw with a -1 penalty. If the spell is cast at only one person, the saving throw suffers a -3 penalty. Saving throw vs spell are adjusted for wisdom and negate effect. x18 rounds

Ray of frost: single target, 2d8  9, save for ½.
Cone of cold: cone 10 feet wide, extending from the caster’s hand. Causes 1d4+9  10. Save for ½.
Wall of Ice: Casts as either a plane or ice storm
Ice plane. When this spell is cast, a sheet of strong, hard ice is created. The wall is primarily defensive, stopping pursuers. The wall is 1 inch thick per level of experience of the wizard. It covers a 10-foot-square area per level (100 ft sq and 10 inches thick). Any creature breaking through the ice suffers 2 points of damage per inch of thickness of the wall. Fire-using creatures suffer 3 points of damage per inch, while cold using creatures suffer only 1 point of damage per inch when breaking through. The plane can be oriented in any fashion as long as it is anchored along one or more sides.
Ice storm. Causes multiple hail stones to fall on an area 40 feet in diameter for one round- 3d10 points of physical damage inflicted to creatures beneath it.

Maddening Feast. The hag feasts on the corpse of one enemy within 5 feet of her that died within the past minute. Each creature of the hag’s choice that is within 60 feet of her and able to see her must save or be frightened of her for 1 minute. While frightened in this way, a creature is incapacitated, can’t understand what others say, can’t read, and speaks only in gibberish; the DM controls the creature’s movement, which is erratic. A creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the hag’s Maddening Feast for the next 24 hours.

Set up: comes upon corpses, several of which have been stripped to the bone, colder than usual comments from villagers, fighting strategies/monster weaknesses, infighting of villagers, colder near lair, someone had a run in with a beautiful, starving, half-frozen woman which progressed to a one-night stand. Never saw them again.
Fight: minions, fly on bheur staff while casting AOE spells
Rewards: GP in lair, organs from hag, artifact, end winter
 
Spells and Weapons Specific to Thu Nuck Khan

Priest Spells:
Ice missile: level 1; three snowballs created and thrown in the same round. 1d4 physical damage + 1 cold damage each. 1+ to hit.
Iceskin (similar to barkskin): level 2; AC 5, resist cold; lasts 4 rounds + 1/level
Animal friendship:
Log of Everburning (Enchantment): probably to be given as an innate ability 1x/day/level
Sphere: Elemental Fire, Plant
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 hour/level
Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None
This spell increases the amount of time that a wooden object will burn before being consumed. Wood that is enchanted in this manner burns brightly without being consumed for the duration of the spell. When the spell ends, the wooden object crumbles to ash. This spell does not cause the wood to catch fire; it must be ignited normally. While it burns, the wood gives off twice the normal amount of heat; thus, a single log can make a cozy fire. The affected wood radiates magic. The priest may enchant up to 1 cubic foot of wood per level of experience. The spell is effective on torches.

Magic User Spells:
Grease, jump, enlarge/reduce, affect normal fires, burning hands and fire burst

Fire Burst (Alteration, Evocation)
Range: 5 yards/level
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: One 10'-radius circle
Saving Throw: Neg.
When this spell is cast upon a nonmagical fire (such as a campfire, lantern, or candle), it causes the fire to flash and shoot arrows of flame. All creatures within 10 feet of the fire source suffer 1 point of damage per level of the caster (maximum of 10 points). Victims who roll a saving throw successfully suffer no damage.

Yeti horn long bow, +2 to damage; 18 51/100+ strength required

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pics - Maps – Intro – DM notes – Encounters - Appendix
 
Thu Nick Champion

This class are elite trackers, hunters and warriors for the tribe. They are first to venture out in spring and last to come back in fall. They lead battles against the other villages and animals. They do not retreat and have a hard time accepting any strategy but a frontal assault. They wear red armbands to signify their position.

Special abilities: Two of the following bonus NWPs are given at the first level: tracking, fire building, hunting, trapping & artic survival; can specialize in all weapons and obtain grand master status in 2H weapons; can taunt once per turn as per the m.u. spell; Berserk (see below)

Restrictions: requires 15+ strength. Only 2H weapons (ranged weapons acceptable as well). Will almost never retreat (if cowardice becomes a pattern they become a fighter, possibly permanently). No shields or helmets-because those are for cowards and slow down the charge!

Berserk: Going berserk can happen as often or as infrequently as the player desires. It takes one turn (10 rounds) to go berserk. The character spends that time grunting, yelling, pounding his chest with his weapons, etc. It makes a lot of noise. He can remain berserk but inactive for up to 5 turns but then comes out of berserk if he does not enter combat during that time with the normal consequences. The character is immune to pain and some types of magic during his rage as described below. He will remain in berserk until the last enemy is killed or at least knocked down.
1. +1 to attack rolls, +3 damage, +2 temporary HP + 1 HP/level
2. Immune to charm person, friends, hypnotism, sleep, ray of enfeeblement, scare, geas, command, charm person, enthrall, etc.
3. +4 to save vs blindness, Tasha’s uncontrollable hideous laughter, hold person, charm monster & confusion
4. If he fails a save to charm monster etc., he counts the caster as an ally but continues his attack on any other enemies
5. No ranged weapons while berserk
6. He fights each opponent until they are down or dead and then attacks the next closest enemy (DM decision)
7. Temporarily unaffected by healing spells, bless, etc. although they do take effect once he comes out of berserk
8. Taunt and similar spells/effects are automatically successful and he will immediately rush and attack the caster.
9. If an ally brushes up against him, pushes him out of the way, etc., the Champion rolls 1d20 vs intelligence. If he succeeds (i.e. rolls equal or less than his intelligence score) he is dimly aware of his friend and knows he is not being attacked. If he fails the roll, he thinks his ally is actually an enemy and continues to think that until the fight is over and he is no longer berserk. There is no roll if he accidentally takes substantial damage from an ally (e.g. a stray arrow from an ally hits him); he then thinks his friend is actually his enemy.

When the berserk period is over,
a. He collapses in exhaustion for one round for each round spent in berserk
b. He loses the gained HP (which could drop him below 0)
c. Negative spells which were postponed take effect, THEN healing spells take effect.
 
Thu Nick Cleric

Thu Nick is a capricious god of the tundra. Although whimsical, he is the god of the entire region. There are a few people in every village who are priests. The Thu Nick priests are responsible for performing marriages, officiating feasts, praying for weather and giving thanks after successful hunts. With the recent influx of “barbarian” humans and dwarves, the priests are very interested in proselytizing the immigrants and keeping out the foreign gods. The priests reside in individual Thu Nick Khan villages and do not generally serve in the other villages. Despite having allegiance to a single village, they are hesitant, even unwilling, to join in the incessant fighting between villages. During skirmishes, they hang back and may try to stop the fighting. Thu Nick grants powers over the weather and people. Interestingly, he will occasionally allow the priest to flounder, to satisfy his own unusual since of humor. Priests are identified by a red sash they wear around their waists. Their holy symbol is an intricately carved piece of whale bone hung around their necks by a leather thong.

Abilities: walk without difficulty over ice, deep powder, etc (unlimited); ½ damage from all cold spells (normal saving throws still apply so the priest may suffer no damage at all); predict weather 1x/day; fascination 1x/day; speak languages 1x/day; can call upon Thu Nick for aid daily although the aid provided is at his discretion (aid, cure light wounds, bless & ice missile would be common answers to prayer);

Fascination: The priests can cause up to two times his level in HD of monsters to listen in rapture to his speech. The priests can then talk up to 6 turns (one hour) about any topic of his choosing and the audience remains entranced. This can be simply dilatory or suggestions can be made. Save vs spell negates effect but target will not recognize magic was used against him. If the target is a resident of Thu Nick Khan, save is -5. If the target is less familiar with the god, the save may be at up to +5. Further bonuses or penalties may apply, depending on the topic being discussed.

Speak Languages: the god may grant the ability to speak a humanoid language (no dragon, etc.). About one minute of speech can be spoken. HOWEVER, there is a slight chance that Thu Nick will actually confuse the priest’s speech. Although he intended to say, “May I please borrow a torch and some food?” it could come out as “Please torch me and eat me as food.” The priest will have no way of knowing that the speech was garbled except by the reaction of the audience and other normal clues. N.B. The priest will not understand his own speech or others speaking that same tongue while using the ability.

Spells: The priest has access to a wide variety of spells, many dealing with nature, cold, confusion and animals. Some spells have a chance to backfire or at least cause untoward effects. For example, a cure light wounds cast upon an ally may actually become a cause light wounds on an enemy. Only if the god is greatly displeased (or feeling particularly mischievous) would a spell harm an ally or help an enemy.

Equipment: non metal armor, shields and helmets are allowed. Non edged/sharp weapons are allowed (e.g. mace, sling, net, war hammer, etc.).

Spells:
1st level: Animal friendship, bless, cure/create light wounds, detect snares and pits, endure cold, invisibility to animals, locate animals or plants, ice missile (three snowballs created and thrown in the same round. 1d4 physical damage + 1 cold damage each. 1+ to hit), Log of Everburning
2nd level: Aid, charm person/mammal, chill metal, produce flame, resist cold, iceskin (AC 5, resist cold; lasts 4 rounds + 1/level), Dissension’s feast, Music of the Spheres,

 
Thu Knick Khan Summary

Housekeeping:
Proficiencies
Alignment
Bonus XP (role playing, battle tactics, solve puzzle or enigma, generally clever)
XP awarded but no one has leveled yet; different classes have different rates of progression
Each villager and PC needs about 1.5 pounds of food per day, or 150 pounds for the entire village

Post Adventure Recap #1
Your village has faced an early, cold winter on the bleak tundra of Thu Knick Khan. Game has been scarce and the wolves that normally follow the herds back north stayed behind, eating some of the remaining animals. It was only mid-winter and Vals was nearly out of food. Chief Konchan looked to your trio to gather up enough food to survive the winter. You first went to Bax, due to its proximity but chief Tonkin was none too friendly and looked as if he had no food to spare.
You fought three wolves on your way back to Vals and took their meet with you back to the village. You then set off for the hills near the ocean. You made a friend along the way, Wolfy, an artic wolf. You explored several hills (3, 6 & 7) and found small humanoid skeletons and a huge bear (in #3), an old volcano with a hot spring on top containing a kopai stone (in #6). You also picked up a broken ax, a golden ring and an intricate blue cloak.
You are uncertain of your next steps. You have talked about going to the mouth of the river, in hopes that the traders are still there. Kayaks are also stashed in that area and you could try your luck hunting on the sea ice. There are many more caves to explore but some are inhabited by Thu Knick Khan bears, which would be a dangerous fight. The villages of Maz and Tat may be able to help but they are farther away. There is a large hot spring towards Tat which attracts animals, both herbivores and carnivores!
You and the village have only about a week’s worth of food left. Time is running out!

Post Adventure Recap #2
You finished exploring the western sea hills and returned to Vals. You fought a group of five wolves on the way, who unfortunately killed two of your sled dogs. Upon arriving home, you were disheartened to hear that two of the older villagers had died while you were gone, probably a combination of malnutrition, exposure and age. Although the village usually has dozens of dogs, many were malnourished and unfit to pull a sled. Some had run off and joined the wolves. You managed to find a single dog that would be strong enough to pull the sled. (Max capacity now 1300 pounds.) You dropped off your 600 pounds of meat and conferred with chief Tonkin. He reiterated that finding food from one of the neighboring villages, hunting or trading (if possible) were his best ideas. You headed North again.
Fighting through the hills in between the rivers you found several more Iceberg bears, some of which may have been juveniles or yearlings. You also found a ferocious, but hibernating TNK bear (hill #10), which you tried to asphyxiate with a campfire at the entrance of the cave; you do not know if that worked as you left as soon as the fire was set. You got lost in a blizzard while exploring this area but think you found your way again. Given your knowledge of the area in the past and the map, you think you have explored hills 10, 12, 11, 9 and 8. Besides the animals, you also saw caves that had been enlarged or mined. One cave had the remains of a small humanoid creature with a scroll case and a kopai rock in a sac (forgot, sorry). This brings your total to four egg-sized kopai stones. A larger cave had a sleeping area and even a single mining car track
So far you have collected several hundred pounds of food (500 pounds of bear meat currently on the sled), six small humanoid skeletons, four Iceberg bear skulls, one Thu Nick Khan bear skull, several letters and various weapons and miscellaneous gear. You think you are on hill #8. It is the morning of the 13th day of your endless quest for food! You think the kayaks are nearby and have considering looking for seals again.
DM notes: village has 300 pounds of food left. They have yet to skin an animal nor did they pick up the most recent dwarf skeleton. Miscellaneous gear: 6 gold coins, 500 pounds of meat, 15 caribou bones, two scrolls, 5 sled dogs + sled, 6 dwarf skeletons, 4 Iceberg skulls, 1 TNK skull.
Post Adventure Recap #3
You harvested some seals and explored some of the eastern sea hills, including 14, 13, and 15. (Not 16 and 17). Hill 14 had a TNK bear, hibernating in the back. You picked up a silver bowl with an inscription in a dead dwarf’s pack. In cave 15, you found a door that was eventually opened by several dwarf guards. Your interaction was brief and an insolent dwarf slammed the door in your face after a few awkward moments. You also made it down to the sea, discovering that captain Stelven had overwintered at the mouth of the river due to the early winter. They had plenty of food as fish congregated near the mouth of the river. You made 30 Sienich igloos for them and exchanged your kopai stones for food and some of his trade goods [specifically grappling hook x1, fish hooks and line x5, chain mail armor x1, 2H sword that feels hot to the touch, helmet x1, short bow x2, long sword x1, 2H battle axe x1, salt in a glass jar x1, empty glass jars x5, “Very good charm equipment” (two scrolls, one ring and a backpack)]. One scroll made your cleric dizzy and after trying to read it a third time, he passed out. The other was simply unintelligible.
You loaded up the gear and food (1750 pounds of seal and salted fish) and headed north towards Maz, as you were unable to cross the open river. You killed five wolves along the way. It is currently day 23 since the start of your quest. The village has food for four more days.
-Group gear
15 caribou bones 127 GP 6 humanoid skeletons Four small bear skulls
Two normal scrolls in a case 5 sled dogs + sled 5 wolf pelts (untanned) One large bear skull
Broken ax (2 pieces)

Post Adventure Recap #4:
You found a body on the way back to Maz. The muscles had been removed from the extremities but the torso was intact. The face was frozen in fear, but not otherwise damaged. There was one set of footprints showing that the man had been running towards the river. You later found out that this was Rhien of Maz who had been on a short fishing and trapping expedition.
You crossed the tundra to Vals, arriving in the middle of the night. The sled path was visible but partially covered by the snow. The next morning you were awakened by the villagers, many of which are your friends, looting the sled. It seems that the village is in turmoil and people are hoarding foot, including Stit, who recently lost his father. A sienich food cache was plundered. You also heard the wolves have attacked groups of villagers. You talked to Farrom, who had been given up for lost recently but came back, inexplicably jubilant in this tough situation. Talking to him did not reveal much but you did notice he had a beautiful ring with a white stone, a very unusual thing to come upon during a hunting trip. You also talked to Uhmil and Minnerva have been having marital troubles and fight during meals.
Emboldened by your successes, you set off to the area where the Yeti live. You found two and discovered that they can paralyze you with their piercing blue eyes! That almost led to your demise, except that Gerwin stood his ground! You dropped the Yeti horns and fur off at Vals and went north to attack a TNK bear. The battle went well and you returned to Vals victorious. Order had been restored with effort; the food caches are now guarded. You made necklaces out of the 5-inch bear talons as trophies. Some of your friends are making bows from the Yeti horns and tanning the hides of the animals that you have killed. The bow should be done in about 12 days and the skins in two weeks; they have already been scraped and “brained” and are now smoking.
It is the 29th day of the adventure and Vals has food for 22 more days. This is usually the time of year you can expect a break in the weather. Maybe even a day above freezing. However, it remains bitterly cold, even for TNK and the snow continues to fall, despite this typically being an arid region. It has gotten hard to walk on the thick powder.

Start of Adventure #4:
You are familiar with the path back to Maz now. The river remains open and you see the friendly little streams and geysers, dripping into the river. Steam rises up from the water, which is just above freezing in the middle of the river and near the geysers. The slower moving areas towards the edge have pockets of ice. The air is clear and it is easy to navigate; you are making great time and should be arriving in an hour or two.
As you are trotting along next to the sled, something catches your eye up the riverbank. It is a long way off but it stands out from the white snow. It looks brown and is moving. Approaching, you see a 20-foot area of dark red snow and a TNK villager, face down in the river. The tattered remains of the brown parka are scattered over the area. Some of these shreds of cloth are waving in the wind; probably what got your attention from fair off. The snow is stained with dark blood. It looks like most of it may be a few feet up the riverbank from the person. Investigate?
The person is particularly gruesome. The flesh has been removed from both arms. As you look closer, the leg muscles have also been removed. The abdomen and chest are unadulterated. When you roll over the body, you see that the face is frozen in a look of abject horror.
If they ask, there are no footprints in the snow except for a single pair of human footprints with heavy leather boots. ie the victim. The blood spans a large area, relatively symmetric. There is a backpack nearby containing small amounts of dried fish and whale as well as 12 CBs.

Maz is still calm upon arrival. If they discuss this with chief Tonkin he will be concerned and confirm that the villager had been missing for several days. His name was Rhien and he was on a fishing expedition. His wife and three children will be devastated.

If they go back to Vals….

You expect a hero’s welcome, coming back to Vals. After all, you have well over a thousand pounds of food. However, the atmosphere has changed there since you last left a few weeks ago. The village has always pulled together, which has kept you going doing hard times. All you have is each other in this bleak environment. But as you pull into Vals, villagers instantly gather around the sled. In the past, Chief Konchan would divide up the food to those who needed it most and putting some in storage for later. But this time people are yelling and shouting, clambering to get their fair share. They are pawing at the sled, trying to rip off the coverings and get at the food. Conflict? Crowd control?

Chief Konchan: Several of the Rienich have been spoiled. It looks like they were dug up with shovels, not by animals. The food was taken. He suspects some of the villagers have been hoarding food, despite the fact that there was adequate food under the ration system, that the village always uses in winter. In addition, it has been more bitterly cold than anyone can remember, with several back-to-back days of heavy snows. Morale is low and he doesn’t know what to do. What will happen to the new food you just brought back? If they ask the people of interest are,
1. Uhmil and Minnerva are middle aged villagers who have several children. Uhmil was hurt in a sledding accident early in fall. They have had several loud fights during meals in the public dining rooms.
2. Farrom was out foraging for food but stayed out several days longer than expected but recently came back. He saw a yeti and had to come back by a longer route. Has a ring on his finger! I found it while out hunting.
3. Old man Sten recently died. He had been coughing for a while. His son Stit has been distraught ever since.
4. Wolves are coming closer to town. They have even attacked a few villagers in small groups although they fought them off.

 
Start of Adventure #5:
Character sheets updated
Level up for Mardeth (HP+WP; spells, THACO and saves done)
Fighters close
Everyone happy with characters?
Meta gaming – no “research; avoid using knowledge you have that the character would not know both game and RW
Use notes and ask questions (Yeti)

Recap: You found a body on the way back to Maz. The muscles had been removed from the extremities but the torso was intact. The face was frozen in fear, but not otherwise damaged. There was one set of footprints showing that the man had been running towards the river. You later found out that this was Rhien of Maz who had been on a short fishing and trapping expedition.
You crossed the tundra to Vals, arriving in the middle of the night. The sled path was visible but partially covered by the snow. The next morning you were awakened by the villagers, many of which are your friends, looting the sled. It seems that the village is in turmoil and people are hoarding foot, including Stit, who recently lost his father. A sienich food cache was plundered. You also heard the wolves have attacked groups of villagers. You talked to Farrom, who had been given up for lost recently but came back, inexplicably jubilant in this tough situation. Talking to him did not reveal much but you did notice he had a beautiful ring with a white stone, a very unusual thing to come upon during a hunting trip. You also talked to Uhmil and Minnerva have been having marital troubles and fight during meals.
Emboldened by your successes, you set off to the area where the Yeti live. You found two and discovered that they can paralyze you with their piercing blue eyes! That almost led to your demise, except that Gerwin stood his ground! You dropped the Yeti horns and fur off at Vals and went north to attack a TNK bear. The battle went well and you returned to Vals victorious. Order had been restored with effort; the food caches are now guarded. You made necklaces out of the 5-inch bear talons as trophies. Some of your friends are making bows from the Yeti horns and tanning the hides of the animals that you have killed. The bow should be done in about 12 days and the skins in two weeks; they have already been scraped and “brained” and are now smoking.

It is the 29th day of the adventure and Vals has food for 22 more days. This is usually the time of year you can expect a break in the weather. Maybe even a day above freezing. However, it remains bitterly cold, even for TNK and the snow continues to fall, despite this typically being an arid region. It has gotten hard to walk on the thick powder and the sled trails are difficult to find.
You confer with chief Konchan early that morning. Thanks for all you have done. We would not be alive without your efforts. Smiles, revealing his missing front teeth. We have food for three weeks which should be the start of spring, but this year….his voice drifts off and he looks worried. Why does it keep snowing so much?
A loud commotion attracts your attention across the village. About a dozen people are gathered around and several women are wailing. Farrom is in the center of the group. Upon approaching: I went out on a short trapping expedition with two other men. After my successful rabbit hunting trip last week, chief Konchan asked me to go out again. They died when they fell through a thin layer of snow into a slushy hot spring. They couldn’t get dry or warm and froze to death. If pushed, he will remind the PCs that “I could have saved them you know, if I had a sled. YOU have the only dogs we have left. What do you want me to do, carry them back??? He snarls while pointing an accusing finger at your group. He then stomps off to his hut.

Maz or Bax: the village is in uproar, near chaos. Chief Fonin (or Tonkin if in Bax) is dead. People are quarreling over food and all of the Sienichs have been plundered. An anxious man recognizes you from your previous visits. You recognize him as Cael, a middle aged, pale, quiet man. His blue eyes are wild and fearful. There was an attack! We had headed down to the river to get some drinking water. There was a’ howlin’ like the winter wind and screaming. Then awful silence. I didn’t know what was going on. I could hear my heart throbbing in my chest and looked around. The snow was falling hard that day and it was hard to see. I saw the other men, holding their waterskins but frozen with fear. Then through the snow came a horrible dark shape, swooping down from the sky. Large as a bear but skinny! Quick as lightening it knocked over the chief and I heard a terrible ripping. It was tearing his arms right off! I couldn’t stand it. As ashamed as I am, I am telling you, I ran… ran until I couldn’t run no more. I don’t know which way I ran, just away from that monster. I eventually found my wits and snuck back towards the village. When I got home, everyone already knew. They had heard the commotion and come down to the river to see. They told me that three men were dead, frozen in the snow with their arms torn off. One man was missing. My own son, Nasir is gone. He wails and covers his eyes.

The scene is similar to the previous. Three men are in the snow, a stones-throw from the river. The powder is thick, at least three feet if you get off the path. Large amounts of blood stain the snow dark red in a 30-foot circle. The victims’ clothes are torn to shreds and the flesh from the extremities has been removed. There are no wounds the on torso or face; the clothes covering the chest are even intact on one of the victims. You recognize the chief, his face frozen in fear. Waterskins are scattered around them. You can’t believe the carnage.

If they stay in town, hag comes through the next day, kicking butt and feasting. Need to see broomstick and get lit up.

If the travel, Cael wants to come with them to look for his son. He gets eaten on the road and they see Bastriana.

 
Post Adventure Recap #5:
What weapon did I give yall from the dwarves???
Before you left Vals, you saw a commotion. Farrom had just come back from a trapping expedition but the two other trappers had died of “frostbite.” You questioned him, and he responded tersely, “I could have saved them if I had a sled. YOU have the only dogs in the entire village. What did you want me to do, carry them back?” You decided to investigate his claim that the men fell in a geyser and then died of exposure. However, you did not find their bodies near the area where you hunt rabbits but instead on the other side of the river. The flesh from the arms and legs was gone but the packs were unspoiled. Three pairs of foot prints led towards the scene and one away.
You traveled to Maz and were surprised to see people milling around and anxious. It was obvious something catastrophic had happened and you learned from Cael that a group of men getting water from the river had been cut down by a mysterious monster. The bodies were similar to the previous victims and included chief Fonin. Cael’s son Nasir was also getting water but his body was not found. You do not know if he lived or died. You restored order by encouraging a young hunter named Brandt to become chief.
On your ways towards Tat you saw a giant blue centipede like creature (remorhaz) attacking a few dwarves. Charging, you killed the beast but lost an axe and Tiguak’s testicles to the beast’s extremely hot back scales. One dwarf died but the other two lived and asked you to come back to the mine with them. You met Dax, a fat man in service of the dwarves who was able to tell you about some of the items you had acquired. Tiguak arm wrestled the dwarven leader and won, earning some gold. Dax also sold you a suit of chainmail and a magic war hammer for your last kopai rocks. In addition, he had the broken ax that you found in a cave mended.
Upon leaving, you found an ice cave, with slick sides. The underground chamber appeared abandoned, but you did see remains of several large egg shells. You cleared out the last of the sea hills, killing another TNK bear. You found a smelting cauldron in the process, that you returned to the dwarves. You picked up Cael in Maz, who wanted to seek after his lost son. It was hard to get to Vals, with the near continual snowfall over the last few weeks. The sled trail was barely visible. You saw a dragon flying south on the way, but it did not alter its course. There was an attack on a woman when you got to Vals! A skinny giant somehow had infiltrated the village and was tearing the flesh off of her arms and legs in broad daylight. You rushed over to help but the sight of the carnage left two members of your party bewildered and confused. Mardeth and several other villagers were frozen in place by the thing’s awful stare. It was over in minutes, and the thing got on a large staff and flew away.
It is the 34th day of the adventure and the village has food for 30 more days. It seems like there are more pressing problems than nutrition though!

 
Vals: If they talk to chief Konchan
Snow shoes
Missile weapons
Recruit other villages
Cael is terrified but can suggest that chief Brandt of Maz might help
Bows and skins need 7 more days.
Sten will come running up, saying that he remembered his dad telling him that when he was a boy there was a very cold winter. They discovered an ice witch was causing the snow and the whole village hunted her down and burned her at the stake

 

Bastriana’s lair is an old remorhaz cave south of the middle hills. There are 10 wolves and 2 winter wolf minions near the cave. The cave has a forcecage on one side containing Nasir. (Dead or alive depending on the timing). Farrom is also in the cage.
Contains five gems (opals x4 and diamond, 1000 gp x 4 + 5000 gp); 2415 GP; 297 CB, 11 silver, lightweight coins with a humanoid bearing a maul stamped on one side and an anvil on the other;

If they recruit help: Brandt 2nd level fighter, 15 HP, THACO 19 + four lvl 1 archers from Vals, five level 1 archers from Maz

Dwarven mine: if they gain entrance, they can speak to Dax, a rotund, young human with red hair who speaks TNK in a faltering fashion but can communicate key concepts. If they have saved the dwarves or otherwise have earned favor, will send five dwarven fighters, led by Dulgurn Stouthorn 5th lvl fighter with a crossbow; Baldir 5th level dwarven cleric with sling and warhammer, four 2nd level fighters

 
Final Battle Notes
Wolves: 15 HP THACO 18 Bite 5 AC 5

Winter Wolf: 45 HP THACO 15 Bite 6 Breath 10 cold damage, save vs breath weapon for ½ AC 3

Beatrix: 45 HP mod THACO 10 25% MR AC 0,
Bastriana the Cold: 18/00 strength +3 to hit +6 to damage, 25% MR, AC 0, mod THACO 10; HP 61
At will:
Hold person x 18 rounds (saving throw vs spell are adjusted for wisdom and +1 to save for 4 targets)
Ray of frost 9, save for ½.
3x per day each:
Cone of cold: 10 feet wide, extending from the caster’s hand for 10 damage. Save for ½.
Ice storm: 15 physical damage from hailstones in 40 foot circle
Wall of ice: 100 ft sq and 10 inches thick. Any creature breaking the ice suffers 2 damage per inch of wall.

Baldir: 5th level cleric; HP 35 AC 2 (plate mail + shield) mod THACO 17 melee/mis, mod save vs spell 8
+1 maul 1d6+1 + 1 str bonus (5)
Sling 1d4 (2)
Courage
CLW x3
Aid x1
Flame blade 1d4+6 (8-16 for Bastriana) for 6 rounds x1
Protection from evil x2
Prayer x1
1st x4: bless, CLW, light, courage (resists Hag’s feast for 10 rounds)
2nd x4: Aid (1d8 bonus HP for 5 rds), draw upon holy might (+2 str x5 rounds), flame blade (1d4+6 for 6 rounds), protection from evil (+2 saves, -2 attack x 15 rounds, produce flame (1d4+1 missile x5 rounds)
3rd: cure disease, cure blindness, prayer (+1 attack/damage/saves for 5 rounds)

Dulgurn: 5th level fighter 65 HP AC 2 (plate mail + shield) Mod THACO 12 melee/13 missile; mod save vs spell 11
Crossbow 1d4 and five +1 bolts (2/4) +1 battle ax 1d8+1, +5 str bonus (10)

2nd level fighter dwarf guards: 21 HP AC 3 (chain mail + shield) mod THACO 18; mod save vs spell 14
Crossbow 1d4 (2) Battle ax 1d8+1, +2 str bonus (6)

Brandt 3rd level fighter, 18 HP, AC 5 mod THACO 17 melee/mis; save vs spell 16
Long bow + flight arrows 1d6 (3) Mace 1d6+1 (4)

Chief Tonkin of Bax 3rd level fighter, 18 HP AC5 mod THACO 17 melee/mis; save vs spell 16
Long bow + flight arrows 1d6 (3) Ax 1d6 (3)

1st level TNK fighters: 6 HP, mod THACO 19; save vs spell 17
Long bow + flight arrows 1d6 (3) Various melee weapons: avg melee damage 4
 
Music Ideas

https://michaelghelfi.bandcamp.com/

Village background: RPG Ambience Vol I – #18 Medieval Village

Suspense/building:
Exploration Music I – #4 Possess & Escape (starts mild and builds, mysterious)
Artic I – #2 Cliffs

Battle:
Combat Collection Vol I:
Dragon King (starts soft)
Cannibal’s Path
Eternal War

If you want a PDF of the above with pictures I used off the internet and maps (I make no claims at being an artist) message me.