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Adventure Introduction
We hold high respect for all those of our kin that were left behind. Those that
sleep under the snow shall be our guides in the storms to come..
Frostpeak Old Saying
t times, nature is merciless. People who have

A never seen snow cannot understand the des-

peration that extremely cold weather can in-
voke. To confront a snow storm is to play a
losing game, regardless of how well-prepared people
are. Alas, the worst occurs when freezing storms are fu-
Revenge from the Beyond
The White Horizon realm has a long history. Ancient
dwarven, gnome, and even goblinoid and orc kingdoms
have ruled these territories ages ago. Rivnar’s professors
in Frostpeak taught him about these places as a child. In
eled by the forces of evil, darkness, or a powerful necro- life, Rivnar would have known better and remembered
mancer. No one is ready to withstand this kind of cold. his lessons. But the cold, undead mockery of him did not
heed the warnings about places of evil and curses.

A Royal Misfortune Rivnar had come across an ancient, desecrated duer-

gar tomb. Rivnar’s energy and presence were enough to
About three months ago, a tragedy occurred in the
northern human realm, the White Horizon. The people trigger a spark of evil in every one of the duergar resting
of Frostpeak, the capital, suffered the loss of their prince. here. The statues reacted to the frozen prince’s will and
changed their shapes. The weapon-wielding, armor-clad,
A tribe of indigenous snow orcs attacked a caravan of stone duergar disappeared and gave place to horrible
unarmed merchants which resulted in many deaths and two-legged, pseudo-humanoid abominations.
monetary losses. King Jundar advised his oldest son,
Rivnar, not to proceed with his foolhardy revenge. Wish- Skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and wraiths summoned
ing to find the orcs to make some of them prisoners, the from the duergar tombs rose to form the new prince’s
naive, reckless, young man ignored his father’s words battalion. In his current state Prince Rivnar is unable
and rushed into the depths of the tundra with a small to feel anything other than sorrow or hate, which blinds
battalion of men. He would set things right and earn his him. He blames his dad, the king, for what happened too.
father’s respect and recognition. Or so he thought...
After two days of arduous travel through the frozen Adventure Hooks
moors, the prince’s lieutenants advised him to turn back; Frostbitten to Death may begin with one or any combina-
a mighty storm loomed ever closer. He ignored them, be- tion of the following adventure hooks:
lieving the soldiers were just cowardly men. The snow
orcs knew the land well and played a trick on the prince. Helping Frostpeak
They covered their tracks but replaced them with fake Travelers and itinerant merchants are being attacked on
ones. The exploration party lost its way. A storm hit the the outskirts of the city. The culprit leaves no tracks but
lands and the battalion did not find refuge on time. The leaves a bloodbath for every victim. The characters are
king’s troops found them frozen to death days later... in Frostpeak. The authorities want the arrest or immedi-
ate stop of the culprit. They offer a 3,500 gp reward.

The Frozen Prince We Were Just Passing By

The characters travel to Frostpeak as they reach the cab-
The king is woebegone. Sorrow and pain bring him to
the darkest side of his mind. He wondered how to go in (see map). The clues they find shall lead them to the
back in time, save his son, or bring him back to life. Per- Dangerous Roads and then, to the Duergar Crypt. What
haps the gods would hear his majesty’s pleas, or maybe they do with the information they gather may change the
Rivnar had pending business in the world of the living. outcome of this adventure (see Conclusion).
But the prince did come back. Or at least a part of him,
Seeking Duergar Relics
in the form of a frozen, undead prince... Realizing how
A duergar relic known as the Jet Medallion is said to be
meaningless his death had been, Rivnar’s soul was filled
lost in the White Horizon. The characters arrive at the
with hatred. He roamed the freezing tundra and eventu-
cabin while they search these lands for the item.
ally stumbled upon an underground crypt.

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 Level 6 Adventure

The Hunter’s Cabin 3. Living Room

The two frozen corpses on the ground and the snow ac-
This was one of the first places attacked by the undead
cumulated by the windows break the harmony of the oth-
prince. Regardless of the reason that brings the charac-
erwise impeccable room. A physician notices that while
ters to the frozen territories of the White Horizon, they
these people also display claw marks on their flesh, they
reach this place first (see Adventure Hooks). It snows
froze to death before dying from them (DC 18 Medicine).
lightly when the characters start to investigate the area.

1. Frozen River 4. Main Room

Painted portraits on the wall reveal that the cabin’s own-
The improvised planks help cross the slippery frozen
ers are the people dead outside. If the characters spend
bridge. A perceptive character notices there is no one in-
10 minutes searching this chamber, they find 245 gp and
side the cabin; the windows are open and cold wind has
Bylan’s diary wide open under the bed (DC 16 Investiga-
invaded the entire homestead (DC 16 Perception).
tion). The last words in the book are: “We’re doomed...
2. Backyard This is a living nightmare. My family and friends die as I
Two dead people lie on the snow in this area. A frozen write this... gods have mercy on our souls. I feel cold... so
corpse is inside the privy, their guts scattered on the floor. co...”. The last sentence stops abruptly.
Their frozen state covers the smell. They bled to death
from bite and scratch wounds (DC 13 Nature). The char-
5. Workshop
The characters may enter the cabin from here if they
acters may take wood from here to light the hearth in
wish. The area contains tools for carpentry, woodcarv-
the living room. An experienced tracker knows that any
ing, and a press to make wooden barrels and crates.
tracks in the area have already been erased by the snow.

Adventure Introduction 3
 A Royal Apparition
“I’l be damned.. This is the first time in my life that we have gotten lost. I know
these lands like the palm of my hand. Something unnatural is going on.”
Delanir, leader of the merchant group
However, if the characters are hostile, the three veter-
Traveling the Tundra ans defend their masters with their lives. Delanir and the
The characters continue their journey in the White rest of the merchants beg for their lives if it comes to it.
Horizon’s northern territories. They ignore that the un-
dead prince is aware of their presence; each snow-
flake that falls on them or touches them lets him know. Features of the Camp
Rivnar’s new abilities make him capable of pinpointing Weather. For four hours, the prince’s magic makes the
the characters’ location with the snow storms he creates. area unnaturally colder (DC 14 Constitution). Failure in-
curs one level of Exhaustion. Repeat this save hourly if
The undead prince manipulates the weather of the tun- the characters dare cross the storm. Resistance to cold
dra. With clever positioning of walls of mist, cold cur- damage gives immunity to this effect.
rents of air, and a snowstorm, he influences the charac-
ters’ movements and brings them closer to his reach. At Mules. The easternmost tent houses three mules from
last, just when the characters consider the possibility of the cold. They belong to Delanir and the merchants.
seeking refuge, they reach a side-road encampment cov-
ered from three sides. A fire and pot in the middle.

The Lost Merchants’ Camp

A group of merchants made camp beside the shallow
cliff to get some cover from the cold winds. The cara-
van leader is a half-elf named Delanir. He travels with his
three associates Hayland, Otto, and Pat. Three armored,
strong-looking men are present too (veterans).
The merchants and their three bodyguards were head-
ed to Frostpeak. Like the characters, they ignore that
they lost their way due to the heavy mists and unnatural
winds caused by the frozen prince. They opted to spend
a few hours here and wait for a better time to continue.
Delanir and the bodyguards are on watch when the
characters arrive. If the characters do not show any sign
of aggression, the merchants lower their guard and wel-
come them, provided the characters identify themselves.
If the characters stay, they spend about four hours with
the merchants and learn the following information:
• The merchants travel these roads many times a
year and they never before got lost. They say these
storms are unlike any other they have seen.
• They worry about the recent attacks on itinerant
merchants and travelers. They plan to reach For-
estpeak as soon as possible and suffer no losses.
• Otto is half-duergar. He claims these lands be-
longed to his ancestors, ages ago. There are relics
buried in underground crypts and tombs, he says.

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1. Reaching the Camp 3. West Roads
Mist and cold winds permeate the White Horizon’s As if someone controlled them, the mist and the fall-
tundra. Two inches of snow cover everything. ing snow divide and make way, forming a path.
Delanir and his group’s disposition depend on the char- Regardless of how the characters handle Delanir’s meet-
acters’ approach (see The Lost Merchants’ Camp). The ing, they are susceptible to the prince’s magic if they do
three veterans are jumpy but not unwilling to talk. not stop to brave the storm (see Features of the Camp).

2. Tents
The fire won’t survive another hour. By the looks of it,
The Prince Apparition
the people of this camp decided to endure the storm An avatar specter sent by the prince emerges to at-
here. The armored men are aware of newcomers. tack the characters during the storm’s last hour. This
same encounter occurs if the characters decide not to
The banners and crest visible on the sides of the tents make camp and continue traveling east. A hulking, fro-
pertain to the Merchants’ Guild (DC 13 History). They zen skeleton with bloody limbs (see image above) floats
transport several spices and fabric crates. 60 feet above the characters. A moment later, a pack of
ravenous undead emerges from the thick mist behind.
The undead abominations fight to the death.
Encounter. The characters must defeat the float-
This adventure belongs to a series of collaborative ing skeleton (wraith), four zombies, three ghouls, two
projects that involve other Patreon creators. This ghasts, and four shadows. If present, the veterans from
one-shot adventure features work by Elven Tower Delanir’s camp fight alongside the characters to defend
and cartographer Tom Cartos. Check out his website their masters. The wraith vanishes after being hit three
for great cartography pieces and inspiration! times. A booming, evil laugh echoes through the tundra.
 Tough Choices
“I could not become the hero I wanted to be.. Well, now I have enough power
to become the villain of the story. All shall remember my deeds forever”.
The Frozen Prince

The Prince’s Intentions 1. Entrance

The refuge from the tundra winds is a good respite.
The frozen prince did not expect anyone to survive
one of his attacks. He grows curious at the thought of But with every step that descends deeper into the
meeting the characters in person. Perhaps, he could darkness, an unavoidable uneasiness comes. Some-
make use of their unique abilities for his purposes (see how, the cold returns. Stronger, keen, and glacial.
area 4). Rivnar lifts the mist and calms the storm to open An intricate image of a duergar army is carved on the
a direct path that leads to the cursed, duergar crypt. doors. The armor-clad, duergar leader in the image holds
a carved medallion in one hand. The doors are ajar, but
Finding the Duergar Crypt the characters must push them open to enter.
The vast territories of the White Horizon are home 2. Main Sarcophagus
to several repositories of knowledge, crypts, mausole-
Five steps before the double doors open up to the
ums, and ruins of ancient kingdoms. Frostpeak’s out-
wide, echoing, tall, crypt. A beautifully-engraved
skirts and its surroundings are known to be former duer-
stone sarcophagus rests on a raised dais. The name
gar territory. The duergar died or left after the dwarven
inscribed centuries ago is not legible anymore.
wars many centuries ago (DC 15 History). Only their un-
derground crypts remain. King Jundar’s historians and The characters can see the entire crypt from here (see
sages claim there are duergar crypts, treasure vaults, descriptions below). No enemy makes an appearance
and secret places yet to be discovered (DC 18 History). unless the characters open a sarcophagus or descend to
area 4. A wight with max hit points rests in the coffin.
The characters continue their journey east, following the
only path left by the prince’s magic through the snow and
cold winds. It is a one-hour, arduous journey to the di-
lapidated stairs that descend 40 feet to the crypt’s en-
trance. A detect magic spell reveals the location of the
crypt from as far as 1,000 feet away as well.
If Delanir’s bodyguards survived the fight with the char-
acters, they thank them deeply. The half-elf merchant ex-
presses his gratitude as well and bids them farewell.

Features of the Crypt

Eternal Undead. All the undead in the crypt magically
reform at dawn as long as the frozen prince lives.
Unhallowed Aura. The crypt’s interior is an unhal-
lowed area. The foul energies in the crypt cause divine
spells to fizzle and fail (DC 10 + spell level Concentra-
tion). In addition, undead creatures are immune to Turn
Undead effects within the crypt. As long as the frozen
prince lives, undead creatures have regeneration of 2 HP.
Too Cold to Fight. The prince’s magic makes the crypt
unnaturally cold. Creatures without magical resistance
to cold have disadvantage on reactions and opportunity
attacks; their walking speed is reduced by 10 feet.

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Level 6 Adventure

3. Duergar Guardians
The ancient dwarven inscriptions on the walls reveal
The Prince’s Wrath
Consider the following options for the characters’ con-
that duergar war leaders rest in the sarcophagi by the frontation with Rivnar, the Frozen Prince.
walls. Each of them features a different war crest.
There is a wight in each of the sarcophagi. They do not
The Prince’s Side of the Story
Rivnar claims that his father, blinded by rage, forced him
wake unless disturbed. If the characters start a fight be-
to go into the tundra with just a dozen men. He says the
fore reaching area 4, they face all five wights under the
king wanted nothing but revenge from the orcs and sent
conditions described in Features of the Crypt. Destroy-
him on a suicide mission. The prince asks them to mur-
ing the prince is the only way to bypass these conditions.
der the king so his spirit can rest in peace. If the charac-
4. Confronting the Prince ters refuse, the prince threatens to kill them on the spot
unless they obey. The characters must decide whether
The westernmost end of the crypt is a scene from
a nightmare. The eyes of every stone skeleton and to fight or to follow the deranged plan (see Conclusion).
ghoul glow with crimson red. Each evil face, a vessel, Dealing with the Prince
and their bodies fused in twisted, deformed ways. The characters do not negotiate with a murderer and at-
Thick mist pours from the statues’ mouths and coalesces tack the prince at once. The five wights (if present), eight
into a humanoid shape floating 20 feet in the air. Rivnar, zombies, six ghouls, five ghasts, and six shadows pro-
the Frozen Prince (wraith with max hit points). He wish- tect the prince and attack the characters. If the charac-
es to parley and negotiate. Otherwise, the frozen prince ters succeed, all the undead vanish as well as the oppres-
is ready to fight as well (see The Prince’s Wrath). sive conditions in the Features of the Crypt.

Tough Choices 7
Conclusion
The characters reach the end of this adventure. They
must face the consequences of their deeds.

The Hardest Path

The characters do the unthinkable and defeat all the un-
dead. Alone, the prince surrenders. The characters may
destroy or help him. A greater restoration spell, the use
of a cleric’s Channel Divinity, or a 10-minute divine ritu-
al ceremony allows him to find eternal peace. The frozen
prince melts and reveals Rivnar’s frozen human body. A
royal burial is possible now. This is the only way to elicit
a positive reaction from King Jundar (see below).

A Job for Frostpeak

If the characters were hired by Frostpeak’s authorities,
they get paid the agreed-upon amount for a job well
done. For all they know, the characters got rid of the peo-
ple or culprits that were attacking travelers lately. Hence,
they cannot have an audience with the king even if they
request one. King Jundar sees them only if the charac-
ters bring his son’s body. In this case, the well-deserved,
long-due, royal burial occurs. The characters’ reward is
tripled, and they become guests of honor at Frostpeak.

The Merchants’ Fate

The Merchants’ Guild in Frostpeak is responsible for in-
vestigating the characters’ identities and deeds after this
adventure. Delanir speaks highly of the adventurers if he
survives the adventure and his interaction with the par-
ty was beneficial to him. The guild considers the charac-
ters for important escorting or retrieval operations. In
case Delanir and the other merchants perished, the guild
summons the characters for interrogation. The know the
characters were the last to travel into the tundra.

The Jet Medallion

The characters must search the crypt thoroughly to find
this item. The jet medallion is in a secret compartment
below the largest sarcophagus (DC 18 Investigation).
This duergar relic holds the power to bring the dead
back to life. After considerable research, it is revealed
that it can make eternal guardians of the dead. These
medallions are coveted jewels. What the characters de-
cide to do with the Jet Medallion is up to them but they
do not have much time. Evil factions of great influence,
demons, and invokers of great power shall hunt them.
Whoever retrieves the medallion shall rise in power.

A Royal Coup
The characters accept the prince’s terms and embark on
the regicide mission. One of them must stay at the crypt
until the job is done, as a warranty. The characters must
fight if they refuse. In the rare case that they agree to
murder King Jundar, that is an adventure for another day.

Tough Choices 8