The Veil of Frost: Trials of the Sleeping Glacier
The Setting: The Sleeping Glacier
Your party stands at the precipice of the Sleeping Glacier, a colossal frozen expanse with towering ice spires jutting towards the pale sky. Rumored to be a dormant giant, the glacier encapsulates ancient secrets said to be protected by fierce elemental spirits. With the arrival of a relentless blizzard, visibility is low, and an eerie wind howls from the depths. Ice crystals shimmer in the light, revealing glimmers of artifacts encased in the ice—priceless treasures and artifacts that many would risk their lives to acquire. However, at the center of the glacier lies the Veil of Frost—an ancient relic of immense power, said to control the very essence of winter. Your party seeks to retrieve this artifact to prevent a cult from unleashing its blizzard upon the nearby villages, which would spell doom for countless innocent lives.
The Goal: Retrieve the Veil of Frost
The players must traverse the challenges of the glacier to reach the Veil of Frost. Along the way, they will face elemental creatures, overcome treacherous terrain, and solve ancient puzzles related to the essence of ice and snow. Successfully retrieving the Veil of Frost will grant the party not only valuable rewards but also the ability to thwart the cult's plans.
The Journey Begins: Navigating the Glacial Obstacles
As the party makes their way through the glacier, they encounter the first of many challenges—a vast chamber hidden beneath the surface of the ice. This chamber is expansive and circular, with walls lined with ancient runes glowing faintly. Stalactites hang from the ceiling, threatening to fall at any moment. The icy ground is riddled with cracks; a single misstep could send adventurers plummeting into a hidden abyss below.
Defeating the Ice Spires:
The chamber is guarded by a trio of Ice Elementals. These ethereal beings emerge from the walls and floor of the chamber, their forms swirling with snow and frost. As they materialize, they take on a more tangible form, each resembling ice sculptures of twisted beasts.
Ice Elemental Stat Block
- AC: 15
- HP: 68
- Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
- Abilities:
- Frost Touch: Melee Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d10 cold damage and the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be frozen in place until the end of their next turn.
- Ice Shard Blast: Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 3d6 cold damage.
- Glacial Aura: All creatures within 10 feet of the elemental must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 cold damage at the start of their turn.
Defeating or driving away the Ice Elementals will allow the adventurers to continue and access an ice-carved pedestal in the center of the chamber, where the runes glow brighter. Here lies the first puzzle: A riddle inscribed on the pedestal, "The heart of winter, cold and bright, strike thrice and set it right."
Solving the Riddle:
The players must discover that the "heart of winter" is a large ice crystal embedded in the pedestal. They need to strike it three times with either a spell or a melee weapon, but they must be cautious; striking it too hard may lead to it shattering and causing an avalanche of ice to fall from the ceiling.
Face the Frost Spirits
Once the players successfully solve the riddle, a hidden door creaks open, leading them deeper into the glacier. The players find themselves in a narrow passageway with walls of solid ice that seem to whisper tales of long-lost civilizations. However, the breach awakens ancient spirits—the Frost Wraiths.
Frost Wraith Stat Block
- AC: 13
- HP: 44
- Speed: 0 ft., hover 40 ft.
- Abilities:
- Icy Grasp: Melee Spell Attack +5 to hit, one target. Hit: 1d10 cold damage and reduce the target's movement speed by half until the end of their next turn.
- Glacial Wail: All creatures within 30 ft. must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
- Ethereal Shift: The wraith can phase into the ice walls and emerge from a different location within 20 feet, using this enigmatical ability to flank players and strike unsuspecting adventurers.
Defeating these Frost Wraiths will be critical; their ethereal cries echo and can summon additional elemental foes if the players take too long. Within their secluded alcove holds another clue—a snow globe-like object faintly glowing with the essence of winter. Inside is a swirling snowstorm.
The second Puzzle:
As the players examine the globe, they feel the essence of winter’s power pulling on their minds and hearts. They must make a series of Intelligence checks (DC 15) to decipher the swirling patterns and correctly focus their energies. Successfully deciphering the patterns will activate an ancient enchantment buried within the globe, revealing the way forward and granting the party a temporary resistance to cold damage for one hour.
Confronting the Guardian of the Veil
With the clues gathered, the players finally find themselves at the entrance to the heart of the glacier. Here, thick ice coats the ground, and the air is almost palpable with magic. Glacial winds whip through the chamber, and at the center, ensconced in layers of ice, glows the Veil of Frost.
However, the guardian emerges—a massive creature made entirely of ice and snow, a Frost Titan. It stands over 20 feet tall, a behemoth towering before them. Its eyes glow with an icy blue light, the very essence of winter churning within its being.
Frost Titan Stat Block
- AC: 17
- HP: 100
- Speed: 40 ft
- Abilities:
- Ice Slam: Melee Attack +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 3d12 + 5 bludgeoning damage.
- Frost Breath (Recharge 5-6): The titan exhales a chill mist in a 30-ft cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 6d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
- Blinding Snowstorm: Once per encounter, the titan can create a 20-ft radius area of whiteout conditions, heavily obscuring the area for 1 minute.
The players must devise a strategy to defeat the Frost Titan. Not only does the titan seek to protect the Veil of Frost, but it can also create extreme blizzard conditions that can fatigue or disorient the party. Utilize cover, work as a team, and dynamically support one another to outmaneuver the titan.
The Climax: Securing the Veil
Once the Frost Titan is defeated, the ice encasing the Veil of Frost begins to melt away, revealing the artifact in its full glory. Virtue and valor have allowed the party to approach it. As they reach for the Veil, they must decide collectively how to wield it. Reasonably, they must consider the weight of the power they now hold while reflecting back on the loss and devastation that could have befallen the neighboring villages.
Should players wait to fully understand the artifact before using it or forge ahead, they will have to face a final challenge—serpentine tendrils of ice rise from the shards of the defeated titan, embodying its essence. They will have to engage in one last battle of wills to harness the true power of the Veil, determining whether they will become protectors of winter or succumb to the relentless wrath of the forces they initially sought to battle.
Conclusion: Escape and Reflection
If they successfully claim the Veil and decide to use its power for good, the raging blizzard outside begins to still, the threat diminished—but not entirely gone. The nearby village remains safe—for now. The players share their triumphs and tribulations, united in purpose and danger. As they leave the glacier behind, the horizon reveals a stormy sky beginning to clear, hinting that their journey may have unexpected consequences yet to unfold. Each player gains experience, treasure, and the knowledge that they wield more power now than ever before—the choice of how it will shape their future remains theirs to decide.