Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Angus packs his gear and prepares to depart with Sam. Before leaving, he takes Chadderlay aside and warns him to be careful of his aunt's motives, as they might not completely align with his own.
<redacted>
If there's a wagon or some such headed our way, I'll hitch.
Portal Room, Harper Safe House
Angus and Sam step through a portal on the basement wall in a dilapidated house in Mulmaster Ussa has pointed them to. On the otner side of the portal the pIr find themselves in a chamber 40 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall, with stairs down one side. At the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel has been sealed with rubble and planks. Two doors stand in the wall opposite the stairs. To the north, a 10-foot-long hallway leads to a small set of stairs leading 5 feet up to another room. The portal platform is the room’s only furnishing.
A few oil lanterns have been attached to the walls to provide bright light. The runes on the portal also provide a flickering green glow every few seconds.
The metal contraption is an ancient wonder bearing several rough, twisted metal plates that encircle an empty space. On the top, a hexagonal plate of silver bears runes unlike any used today. The runes glow, but flicker like a candle in a breeze. Attached to the plates is a clockwork wonder containing exquisite gears, rare metals, and enchanted minerals that are exposed while it undergoes modifications. A new Far Realm battery was recently installed to boost the portal’s power.
Remallia and Zehira have summoned the characters to the portal room. Jaan’vald and several Harper agents are also present.
Remallia and Zehira lead you into the portal chamber beneath the Harper safe house. You see the githzerai Jaan’vald Llanou sitting on a wooden chair fitted with large wheels tinkering with the ancient metal contraption installed in the middle of the room. He stops what he’s doing to take a good look at you and says, “Are you sure you want to go to the Supreme Forge? Once I send you out, there’s a strong likelihood less than half of you will come back alive.”
He’s been modifying the ancient portal so you can teleport to an access tower near the Supreme Forge.
While finishes up, he explains:
Jaan’vald arrived in Xorvintroth as a prisoner of the neogi. Neogi are evil, off-worlder creatures that resemble human-sized spiders with eel necks and heads. The neogi’s ship, the deathspider class Er’lir Fezrrega’l, crash-landed in Icewind Dale while chasing another ship, an illithid nautiloid called the Id Ascendant.
Near the crash site, the neogi discovered a cave that led to the ruins of Xorvintroth. Jaan’vald, previously forced into servitude, assisted the neogi in finding tools to help repair their ship. Jaan’vald, other captives, and the neogi found the Supreme Forge, an underground facility that houses many artifacts not from this world. The neogi were only able to seize a few of these artifacts due to the disharmony the Far Realm causes in the area.
Afraid of the Far Realm’s influence, they hurriedly left with whatever they could carry, leaving Jaan’vald and the other captives behind.
Surviving on their own as they tried to find a way out, the captives were found and enslaved by the Thayans shortly after the mountains above Xorvintroth collapsed and destroyed part of the city. They recently liberated themselves.
<@Angus and @Samogri: I am looking ro roleplay this interaction and swt you off on the adventure>
“Greate go to the north go to the cold with little warning, you did tell T to think about her aunts motives” looking at the kight
He then turns too the other that he has in the group “right what we’re about to do is very demanding and dangerous may the world serpent bless you all with luck, strength, wisdom and sanctuary if you perish from this plane”
performance 3
turns back to Angus “blades up and don’t let up”
Angus nods in answer to Sam's question.
To Remallia and Zehira he asks, "So what is our mission? Are we to retrieve artifacts? Seal the cave? Somehow destroy the Forge?"
Remallia responds, "The Harpers want to know more about Xorvintroth. They believe the recent to assist in liberating the Thayans’ captives has stymied Thayan efforts to make Far Realm batteries. During this breathing room, we hope to learn more about the Far Realm’s influence on Xorvintroth and how it came about. By figuring out what happened here, we hope to stop the Far Realm’s influence spreading further. With some caution and stealth, we believe you will find the answers in an unexplored area like the Supreme Forge. Find out what you can about the history of Xorvintroth."
Zehira, cjimes in: "A noble cause, but while you're there, be sure to collect and return with as many artifacts as possible before the Red Wizards find them. As yet, neither the Harpers nor Maelstrom know how Xorvintrothian technology works, so devices that can help destroy the warehouse where Far Realm batteries are being produced or anything that can safely sever the batteries’ connection to the Far Realm takes priority. This is of particular importance, since the previous attempt to break a battery created a sizable explosion that was dangerous to the disposal team."
"Got it. Find out the history of Xorvintroth and how the Far Realm came to have influence there. Collect artifacts, especially those that can interfere with battery production or operation, including destruction of the warehouse. You know, if you wanted a 'stealth' operation, perhaps a paladin and a giant lizardman weren't your best options. But beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.
"Master Jaan'vald, I am Angus Killburney, erstwhile Knight of Myth Drannor, at your service. Please, could you tell us about these 'batteries'," (here he points at the battery in the room with them), "and how they function, and how we might disable or disrupt them? In addition, tell us about Xorvintroth and the Forge. Where are the rest of the escaped captives? Will they be hostile to use? All the Neogi left Toril? What about the illithids? Did any of the mind flayers land on our world, and do they remain?"
"Our concerns lay more with durability than covert action." Jaan’vald notes. "For much of these matters, I am afraid I know less than you. I have been myself enslaved until just a few days ago. I do not know where our Neogi captors have fled, but my compatriots have been escorted by the heroes who answered Remalia and Zehira's call, leaving something of a vacuum in the way of assets to seize on this position of strength. My understanding of mind flayers on Toril is that they are present in some number, a distressing fact, but one which we csn hopefully begin to correct."
... batteries
<irl, this module specifically states the neogi appear in an adventure thatwas delayed. I think it wither just came out or cones out this month. I havent seen it yet. Also, WotC started outaourc8ng this stuff, so Baldman ganes wrote it.>
"Destroying the batteries has proven difficult. They are not fragile, but they do have the potential to fail in a decidedly non-passive manner." Jaan’vald hands you a purple crystal stored in a glass
cylinder with metal fittings designed to look like a mouth
with sharp teeth. The cylinder animates as a purple tongue
grows out from it, whipping around aimlessly. Jaan’vald
covers the cylinder with a special black cloth, which
calms it down.
“This is the best I can do. I’ve adapted a Far Realm battery into a charging device made of mimic protoplasm. Its raw material is similar to a living mimic’s, but isn’t a sentient being. You can use it to activate many of the artifacts in the Supreme Forge. Just look for a connector and attach the device. It’ll form a matching piece and connect on its own. I’ve partitioned the energy into five charges. Use it wisely.”
Jaan’vald hands the mimic battery (AC 12, 58 hit points, and immunity to acid and psychic damage) to Samogri and explains how to use it.
...
Far Realm Battery Mimic
The battery portion is a purple crystal charged with raw magic from the Far Realm. The crystal is stored inside a container made of mimic-like morphic protoplasm shaped like a 1-footdiameter, 2-foot-long glass cylinder with metal fittings.
By using a morphic container, it can easily attach itself to any device and provide Far Realm energy to it. The mimic battery has 5 charges. To use a charge, the battery must be attached to a device that’s meant to be powered. After use, the battery detaches automatically.
The device isn’t entirely stable. If the mimic battery takes 10 damage or more, every creature within 30 feet of the mimic must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the mimic battery drops 0 hit points, the container breaks and the purple crystal inside is exposed. All creatures within 100 feet of the crystal must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or roll on the Wild Magic Surge Table (a d100. If it comes up, I'll tell you the result.)
(Once everyone is ready to leave):
Jaan’vald closes all the hatches on the portal’s metal platform. He tells them that the portal in this room will send them to an access tower near the Supreme Forge that the neogi also used. The party has time to make preparations and cast spells before leaving.
It’ll take Jaan’vald two days to remodify the Harpers’ portal to establish a two-way link to the Access Tower so the team can return to the safe house.
"Entry to the Supreme Forge is prevented by a shadowy, purple dome that also blocks teleportation, but the neogi were able to enter by taking a portal into a specific access tower in the center of a small lake. They destroyed the portal they used when they left, but I’ve redirected our portal to take you to the access tower. From what the neogi said, the access tower had several dangerous traps, so take care as you look for a way out. Once you’re outside, you should be able to see the forge across the bridge and find a way inside. I’ll activate the portal again in two days. If you aren’t back in the tower by then, you’ll have to find your own way home.”
"So, we are to use this battery to power up any useful artifacts. But if we discover the warehouse/factory that Thayans are using to store their Far Realm batteries, we are to destroy or disable them, yes? Is there a way to safely destroy them without endangering ourselves or other innocents?"
Sam looks at Angus “we’re in a freezing cold tundra and your just worried about some dam polar bears, don’t worry about us I have a new trick for that”
"While the batteries are pretty easy to adapt to other technologies, we have not ad yet found a means of safely disposing of them. The most pragmatic course seems to be depletion, but most things thst csn tske such energy are either potentially dangerous in their own right or would require transporting the batteries to them for use on site." Notes the Gith.
<blatant spoiler: this problem resolves itself in the adventure. You should think of the battery more as a resource. If you found another one, I'd say just take it with you for further use.>
Zehira adds, handing the adventurers a pair of backpacks: "Here's a thank you in advance. Never let it be said Maelstrom fails to compensate a contractor."
Each bag contains art objects in the ruins of Xorvintroth worth 10,000 gp per character, five sacks, and two 50-foot coils of hempen rope.
<also, per conversation with Tetrevess in PM, he'll be joining this group and also gets an identical bag. >
Sam looking at his pack knowing somewhat if he can make out of this alive he be pretty well off, he puts his backpack on “right then are we ready to go then short lad” looking at Angus
The metal plate begins to spin, quickly reaching great speed. With a hum and a faint green light emanating from it, the effect signals an acceleration culminating in a loud click followed by a buzz as the portal activates, sending zsam Angus (and Tetrevess) from the room.
From the portal room in the Harper safe house, you’re teleported inside a square stone room with no windows or doors. A hole in the floor reveals you’re several floors up. Some of the rooms below are filled with a miasma of shifting colors.
The center of ceiling has a matching hole that reveals a smaller room above filled with clockwork gears and a downward-facing metal tube fitted with a large, green crystal lens.
The holes in the ceiling and floor are the only obvious exits.
This 10-foot-square stone room without windows or doors has a 3-foot-diameter hole in the center of the floor and another in the 20-foot-high ceiling. A series of teleportation circles are engraved on the floor, difficult to note, perhaps, as you are in complete darkness except the shifting colors coming from the floor below.
Attached to the south wall, 5 feet above the ground, is a metal needle 1½ inches long, 1 inch wide, and surrounded by symbols and runes.
<footnote / spoiler? Update on that illithid ship the Neogi were chasing. I don't count this as a spoiler. There is basically no information here. https://www.reddit.com/r/rimeofthefrostmaiden/comments/y3zcpq/id_ascendant_reveal/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Incidentally, you can go looking for it if you want. It's very much there to be found, once youre out if the purple bubble. >