Are you prepared to journey to Icewind Dale, the frozen north of Faerûn? Times are strange, and countless rumors swirl around this cold and isolated land, like so many snowflakes in an endless blizzard. The next D&D adventure, announced at D&D Live 2020, is dark fantasy horror story titled Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. This encounter is the eighth part of an ongoing encounter series called “Icewind Mail: Special Delivery,” a non-canon dark comedy that leads into the official adventure. Well, sort of. It’s more like it tosses players in the general direction of the official adventure with some silly props and tells them to go have fun.

The previous encounters in this series are:

1. Loadin’ Up the Icebreaker
2. Frost and Fear in Fireshear
3. Ambush at Aurilssbarg
4. Evil on the Icy Sea
5. Shelter from the Storm
6. Trek to Ten-Towns
7. Chaos in Kelvin’s Cairn

The Fifth Delivery

In this adventure, the characters finish one delivery and descend from Kelvin’s Cairn, a squat mountain near Ten-Towns, only to discover that another one of their recipients is actually atop the mountain! Rumors abound in the town of Caer-Konig that a drow wrapped in furs passed through town. When he shed his furs in the tavern, some folk who have heard stories of the Crystal Shard recognized him as the one and only Jarlaxle Baenre.

Jarlaxle Baenre is an inimitable rapscallion whose name is spoken in whispers across Faerûn. He is described in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist as:

[A] drow swashbuckler and the secret lord of Luskan, the City of Sails. […] Jarlaxle delights in thwarting his enemies, enjoys the complications that arise when adventurers try to meddle in his affairs, and loves to see the looks on their faces when he finally gets the better of them. He doesn’t suffer fools who threaten him, however. If forced into a violent confrontation, he swiftly and brutally kills someone to make an example of them and then walks off.

However, the Jarlaxle the characters meet in this adventure is a somber and methodical drow. His usual flippant attitude is dulled by the frigid cold of Icewind Dale, and by the worry in his heart. His Bregan D’aerthe agents in the north have informed him of a supernatural danger brewing in this icy land, and he fears that it may be the power of Crenshinibon, the legendary Crystal Shard that he and his rival Drizzt Do’Urden battled over a century ago. He has traveled to Kelvin’s Cairn to calm his fears—and has learned that while the Crystal Shard is not the source of the darkness that is spreading from the north, its fell magic is still felt in dark and mysterious ways. Jarlaxle doesn’t know it yet, but the lingering power of the Crystal Shard is manifesting as chardalyn, a mysterious and powerful substance described further in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Return to Kelvin’s Cairn

The characters have just returned from Kelvin’s Cairn at the end of the previous encounter. Depending on what time of day you determine it to be, the characters may decide to spend the night in a local inn (a small establishment called the Northern Light), or they may want to return to Bryn Shander while it’s still light out.

If they spend the night, this scene occurs in the taproom of the Northern Light the next morning. If they leave town immediately, this scene occurs at the gates of Caer-Konig. Read or paraphrase the following:

A group of musclebound Northlander warriors talk in hushed tones. As you walk past, you hear one of them growl, “That drow with the funny hat… you didn’t see him take anything, did you?”

The Northlanders are discussing Jarlaxle Baenre, who stayed in the Northern Light in just last night, and departed for the summit of Kelvin’s Cairn the next morning.

A character that wants to eavesdrop must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity (Stealth) check and a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. A character that fails this Dexterity (Stealth) check can still listen in, but they make the Wisdom (Perception) check with disadvantage, since they had to find a more distant vantage point to eavesdrop from. Characters that speak directly with the Northlanders can make a DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check, learning the same information as eavesdropping on a success.

Characters that eavesdrop on their conversation or speak with the Northlanders can learn the following information:

• A drow with an outrageous, ostentatious wardrobe complete with an eyepatch and a large, feathered hat spent the night drinking grimly in the taproom.
• He left the next morning. Locals saw him on the path to the summit of Kelvin’s Cairn.
• Judging by his dress, a number of locals believe him to be the legendary Jarlaxle Baenre.

If the characters don’t immediately turn around and follow this plot hook, don’t worry. Let them pursue the one delivery they know about for sure: Vanifer’s delivery at the Reghed Glacier. This delivery will be described in next week’s encounter. In the meantime, figure out a way to tell the characters about Jarlaxle’s whereabouts more directly; perhaps Fel’rekt contacts the characters with the sending stone he gave them back in Luskan, and reveals that he’s heard Jarlaxle has traveled to the top of Kelvin’s Cairn for some unknown reason.

Climbing Kelvin’s Cairn (Again)

Kelvin’s Cairn is rocky and treacherous, but at only 1,000 feet from base to summit, it’s little more than a large hill. The path to the summit is remarkably easy, especially compared to the dangerous back route that the characters had to navigate to get to the secret crypt in the previous encounter. There are no challenging exploration encounters to overcome on the way to the summit.  

If you want to add encounters to drain the characters’ strength before the upcoming combat encounter atop Kelvin’s Cairn, consider rolling on the low-level Arctic Encounters table from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.

Meeting Jarlaxle Baenre

The characters climb the snow-blanketed crags of Kelvin’s Cairn, switching back and winding around—hiking about five miles to climb a mere 1,000 feet. When they reach the summit, they find Jarlaxle. Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:

The view from atop the mountain is incredible, with the snowy plains of Icewind Dale spread out around you. An aurora shimmers on the distant horizon. Kneeling at the very peak of Kelvin’s Cairn is a mound of thick furs, which occasionally moves to draw a symbol in the snow around it—presumably, a person is beneath them. A circle is drawn in the snow around the peak of the mountain, and the pile of furs is in its center.

If the characters approach, a stern yet lilting voice emerges from the pile of furs in the center of the circle. “Don’t scuff the lines of the circle. I’m not a mage, so I don’t want anything to go wrong.” He pauses for a moment, then asks the characters what the hell they’re doing here—especially if they ask if he’s Jarlaxle. If they explain that they’re with the Luskar Deliverers, he stands and looks them over, revealing that he is indeed a splendidly dressed male drow (wearing a dozen furs to keep warm).

Jarlaxle reacts well to the characters being Luskar, and readily accepts the sending stone Fel’rekt sent him. He thinks it’s sweet that Fel’rekt sent Deliverers after him when he vanished to Icewind Dale—and he thinks that the characters are quite tenacious to find him out here at the end of the world. He takes a sudden liking to these characters, and explains why he’s here:

• Jarlaxle came to this place because his Bregan D’aerthe scouts told him of strange magic happening in Icewind Dale. He’s seen his fair share of evil magic, and now he has the safety of Luskan to worry about.
• He came to Kelvin’s Cairn because the last great evil that stretched across Icewind Dale was related to Crenshinibon, the infamous Crystal Shard that he fought his rival Drizzt Do’Urden over decades ago.
• He found no trace of the Crystal Shard’s power in Kelvin’s Cairn, but he’s also seen strange auroras moving across the sky and looming darkness creeping in from the north. He spoke with a soothsayer in Caer-Dineval named Hethyl Arkorran, and was given a magic sigil to help him see a vision of a future that could come to pass. He came to the top of Kelvin’s Cairn to use the sigil—and he would like the characters to join him in witnessing a possible future for Icewind Dale.

Combat Encounter: Vision of the Frostmaiden

This encounter is suitable for a party of 3rd-level characters.

If the characters turn down Jarlaxle’s offer to witness this vision with him, he inclines his head graciously and pays them 20 gp for delivering this parcel to him—his +14 bonus to Charisma (Deception) checks makes it unlikely anyone will notice he’s disappointed. If they do accept his offer, however, he invites them into the circle to stand beside him. He draws a few final sigils, and the entire circle explodes in a shower of snow.

This shower of snow transforms into a raging blizzard that surrounds the characters. Everything within a 60-foot radius is lightly obscured by snow, and everything beyond this radius is completely concealed by an impenetrable wall of sleet.

Read or paraphrase the following:

Snow billows around you, obscuring the entire world. A strange music fills the air. It’s haunting and distant and otherworldly, and it seems to come from all around you. You begin to see patterns forming in the raging blizzard. The flakes seem to form a curtain of geometric diamonds, rising and falling and distorting as they dance all about you.

Then, the curtain lifts. The world is still, silent, and dark. No sun shines in the sky to light the world below, and the snow around your ankles does not sparkle. After a moment of claustrophobic darkness, a faint glimmer of light forms in the sky. An aurora, a ribbon of dancing colors, emerges from the eternal night, and it winds through the sky until its tip touches down at your feet. A figure descends from this iridescent road. She seems a woman at first, but her form grows and distends as she grows closer until she appears before you as a hulking snowy owl with curling ram’s horns and a hunched, bipedal body.

This beastly apparition cries out at you, and the world is suddenly plunged back into the geometric curtain of snow.

This is a vision of a lesser deity called Auril the Frostmaiden. In this vision, the characters can see her goal of plunging the world into eternal night—though her motives are unclear to them. This beast-like avatar appears in the vision to rend their minds asunder. This avatar uses owlbear statistics, with the following changes:

• It has a flying speed of 60 feet, but must end its turn on the ground or fall.
• Its attacks deal psychic damage instead of their usual damage type.

This vision-avatar of Auril can’t speak, and simply bellows and roars at the characters. Auril’s actual game statistics are provided in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.

In this encounter, Jarlaxle holds back to see if the characters are competent fighters. He chooses not to use his Multiattack or Sneak Attack features, or his Legendary Actions. He disguises his deceptions well; a character that makes a successful DC 24 Wisdom (Insight) check can tell he’s holding back; they can make this check with advantage if they’re familiar with Jarlaxle’s legendary swashbuckling skill with a blade.

Conclusion

Once the vision-avatar of Auril is defeated, it freezes into ice and then cracks and shatters with a haunting screech. The curtain of geometric patterns fades, and everyone finds themselves once more on the summit of Kelvin’s Cairn. If he hasn’t already, Jarlaxle pays the characters 20 gp for delivering the sending stone. Read or paraphrase the following:

Jarlaxle bursts into bitter laughter. “Incredible! Plunging the world into eternal darkness, eh? How trite. My friends, I’ve seen a lot of strange things from one end of the world to another, and this doesn’t frighten me one bit.”

The drow turns with a dramatic flourish before pulling his warm furs tightly around him. He pauses and turns over his shoulder to say, “But if I’m wrong and you’re still around when things go bad… I’ll share with you everything I’ve learned.”

Jarlaxle bids the characters farewell and continues his journey across Icewind Dale. He suspects that there is divine evil at play, and was more frightened by the vision than he lets on. He keeps in close contact with Fel’rekt and the Bregan D’aerthe while he travels across Icewind Dale, scouting out the dangers that will appear in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. If you play Rime of the Frostmaiden after it releases on September 15th, 2020, you can use Jarlaxle Baenre or other members of the Bregan D’aerthe (like Fel’rekt Lafeen) as allies and informants that the characters can rely upon in Ten-Towns and around Icewind Dale.

Are you excited for Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden? Looking forward to more chilly adventures over the sweltering summer? Let us know what you're looking forward to in the comments! 

Get ready for more icy adventures in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden by preordering the digital version on D&D Beyond, and get free preorder bonuses like the Glacial Digital Dice Set. 

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Did you like this encounter? Check out the encounters in the Encounter of the Week series. You can also pick up the adventures I've written on the DMs Guild, such as The Temple of Shattered Minds, a suspenseful eldritch mystery with a mind flayer villain. My most recent adventures are included in the bestselling Encounters in Theros, a collection of over 70 unique encounters created by the Guild Adepts, which can be used to enhance your campaign in Theros or in your Greek mythology-inspired campaign setting. Also check out the Platinum Bestseller Tactical Maps: Adventure Atlas, a collection of 88 unique encounters created by the Guild Adepts, which can be paired with the beautiful poster battlemaps in Tactical Maps Reincarnated.

James Haeck is the lead writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, and the Critical Role Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, a member of the Guild Adepts, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and other RPG companies. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his fiancée Hannah and their animal companions Mei and Marzipan. You can find him wasting time on Twitter at @jamesjhaeck.