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Rimehaze#

Part of stormguard-citadel. Connects to protectorate.
Inspired by DMAG 199 https://archive.org/details/Dungeon_Magazine_199/page/n37/mode/2up

Voices#

Deep, Slow.

Entrance#

Ignored the prelude maps. Just skipped straight to the southern section:

11 Ice Toads#

Trivial encounter. They can freeze with tongue that deals small cold dmg. Mostly for the speak with animal opportunity.

12A Entrance#

BLURB: Enormous icicles cling to the ceiling of this masssive cavern, and torches cover the rough walls. Jutting from the walls sporadically are 10-foot high ledges that serve as perches for ice toads. The floor in the middle of the great cavern falls away into a gaping crevice.

Set to the western wall are 30foot tall double doors carved from slabs of glacial ice and decorated with frozen runes and a giant riding a great dragon. Two 30 foot high ledges of smooth ice covered stone flank the doors and perched atop each ledge is a frost giant.

12D Dragon Cave#

BLURB: A 30 foot high zigzagging tunnel opens up into a much taller cavern coated in frost and dripping with icicles and glittering ice formations. The walls are lined with the frozen corpses of humanoids and hill giants displayed like trophies.

Young White Dragon hides. Cave Giant outcast here instead. CC182. Feels safe
Potion of Gaseous Form + Heroism + Periapt of Wound Closure
Dragon names as in DM199
Second hint at dragon riding.

13A Follow DMAG#

But Hyrkzag was the former Merkis to Jarl Storvald. But he was betrayed by Ymir, a monstrosity of a frost giant instated by Irae. He almost had him, but a giant covered in green runes backstabbed me. my a white lady covered in robes.
Will reveal combat tactics of Void Giant and a secret way in.

Reward: Frostjade Pommel
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/ew3zin/frostjade_pommel_wondrous_item/
Can be used to power those weird sword hilts they got from the constructs.

Protected entrance at 12B#

4x Frost giants lobbing stones from above behind ¾ cover (+5AC – too big to get total)

Portcullis 12C#

One FG will check on pets after commotion. Then run away if he sees them killing it feigning fear (insight 20).
The frost giants inside: Bystr, Haikatur, Sylgr, Árðgeytt(female)

Unwilling to let strangers inside except for good reason.
"Halt. Have you business with the markis?"
"Ayee. We're not meant to let anyone in unless you do." (fawk scottish -> more norwegian)
(How much can 4 humanoids do anyway?)
Suri can potentially demand an audience if they persuade her (though she will struggle vs Ymir)

14C Single Lore Giant#

A single Frost Giant. Smarter than the rest. Aurvandil. Wandered the planes of Ysgard. Speaks in yoda syntax. Beautiful medium length beard. Two twirls of a muche extends down in a twirl and merges with beard. Mullet, going a bit bald. 50s. Simple hide armor. Giant wolf pet. Eyolf.

  • "Arrived at an inopportune time, you have"
  • "Markis betrayed, he was. And Ice giants not see beyond rank."
  • Immune to the frenzied logic of Ymir (tolerated due to extremely high charisma + charm (wis save)).
  • "Prepare for danger, you must. Perfect white resisted cannot by ice giants.
  • Now giants unseen exist here. White lady's gift."
  • "An abomination the non-whites are..."

=> Irae is MAGA for Frost Giants? MFGGA. Bringing great 3 headed markis? With green leader?

14D + 16 - Sleeping Chambers#

Buncha sleeping frost giants. 4. Might be up and getting dressed if commotion.
Bunch of clubs and meat available. TODO: lore on investigation.

15 Entrance hall#

They see many giants standing there, and it's a political situation waiting to go bad. They'll guide you in towards the Markis.

Hall#

17A Frost Giants#

listening in to Arazia's rally (speaks through the everlasting one)
(Deep rhaspy voice)
- I am proud of you all. You've kept this place safe. And this is still important. Our enemies weakens with each day we protect this place.
- We are the frozen guard, we are the strength of the citadel. (Dumb giants approve and easily roused).

17c Audience with Ymir#

Everlasting One (Merkis to the Jarl) area 17 on iceskull throne
He will not let anyone pass. Frost Giant Everlast One (Volos 147 – CR12) Modified: +50hp regen.
Arazia Accompanied by Void Giant CC187 (CR11) (but with boreal blades: https://i.redd.it/ohshvwm5tcb41.jpg )
She speaks for through Ymir (who's corrupted king at this point) like Irae.
- "So I see we have visitors? Why have these humanoids been given passage?"
- "Giants, take note. These are the people we protect ourselves from. Powerful, but tiny magic users, who trick their way into our domain to steal from the great Fracto-Nimbuli."

They will try to capture them into 16 (to be used for food – and they can escape out without weapons).

If battle goes their way, Arazi will soothe everyone and capture them.
"Now take them. I want these alive. Irae asked for the ones that destroyed the gilgrin conduit personally, and I doubt anyone here wants to stand in her way."
They can alternatively try to escape and kite, but will eventually lock themselves out of Rimehaze.
Not your job to solve their problem...

She will start the fight with a Chrono: Pull. DC17
Then let Ymir fight with the giants. She'll misty step up to Irae who watches on from 20A.
Ymir will use boreal blades to whirlwind (str 16 save vs restrain
If anyone gets too cocky, they cast Dominate Person (lay down weapon (great if lolth dagger) + hug ymir) or Indefinite Preservation on them (CHA SAVE vs petrify 1D10 days)

Alternative sneak past 18B door into 19
Door guarded, and giants are like: area's is off limits (and Alarmed)
Chest: Book of fairy tales (evil dwarf with hammer of thunder – Grymin – punished for his misdeads against giants, imprisoned within a hammer and locked away in a mountain – guarded by a sphinx (hints of whiteplume))

19 Frost Lake#

Thorough investigation in 19C finds a magic source inside the ice sculpture (Frost Jade pommel?)
Irae will ensure this area is safe though. She will scour this area and call for Arazia for help.
Irae pretends to be nice if they go near the gem

  • "Stop what you are doing now. You've caused enough trouble already." (twin charm)
  • "I'm simply working under the protectorate and Halos, this area is on lockdown, and you are not meant to be here. Conceivably you took a wrong right turn, is that correct?"
  • "Ymir can we have some help in here? We have intruders in the Spinal Conduit.

Try unstable singularity
Greater invis + passive fly (scope out?) - then the bead if goes bad.

RECAP: She did a dominate/charm as she dimensioned doored out, mention solid silence took out 3 frost giants 1 by 1 + necro shroud into wild magic fail (dragonflies) + remorhaz egg.

NB: crystal powers elevator to protectorate (clarify it does not have the lightning effect seen below – GREEN). In the chest: key to elevator - blue glowing jewel + key to puzzle room.

On Arazia: green bracers of defence

When combat
Arazia attacks with Chronomancy: unstable singularity
Dominate Person twinned if unwilling to cooperate. Legendary resist to maintain it.
If it's broken, she leaves (contingency dimension door)
5th level Armor of Agathys (25 temp HP boost vs melee) + Sanctuary bonus action.
Maybe they can see her moving spectrally between pillars then show herself a little further down?
Contingency dimension door. (DC16 to dispel contingency)
Meteor Shower (50-80dmg in 40ft radius with dex save or half dmg)
Time Stop contingency? Then Time Stop + Delayed Blast Fireball + Meteor Shower.

Certain areas act as amplification points.

EBA: Alternate exits in 19/20 -> ramparts#

A – Mountain Pass to Storm giants entrance
Guarded entrance after traversing mountain. Multiple patrols.

B – Cave entrance up through cloud giant spire
Need to fight cave creatures on the way up.
Basilisk cave with ore.
Behir + 4 Basilisk

20D Ymir's chambers#

Reaver - Superior Fissure Axe THX (but only fire dmg + prone on it, and once per day) +2 axe
If uncombat until this point, guard drakes + basilisk are the pets of Ymir.
Reaver – Superious Fissure Axe +2
Nitrix Frost Bomb THX

20C way up#

Path to protectorate. Large circular elevator with 4 statues around. Fire, Ice, Cloud, Storm. In the centre Annam the allfather. Whirrrs upwards in a holding chamber (sanitation before protectorate).
If they destroyed the crystal they have to climb

20E Puzzle room access#

DH Key Exchange. Accessible via back of Ymir's chamber.
Two rooms. Corridor in between with a greedy looking statue. Looking real seedy. Eyes and arms out.

D&D Puzzles #57 - Secured Lock Box
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgna0_aWmy0

Silver locks with silver keys in first room. Gold locks with golden keysin second room. The keys are inside the locks floating in the air.

  • First room has passage to WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. But it needs the JADE KEY.
  • JADE KEY is in the Second Room past the SEEDY STATUE.
  • Chest in second room that can pass through to second room. Anything of value not in a locked chest is taken by the statue.
  • They have to diffie hellman the Chest with the Key through to open the door.
  • Statue won't let him get anything past him.

EBA: Pre-patrol#

Using earlier map from DMAG.

5 Kvaltigar patrol#

Skeletal frost giant (blood giant - by Irae) With a padded wolf. P11 of DMag #199.
Remorhaz is a great solo (forewarn) encounter that will try to grapple then eat then disappear. Go for smallest party member + ½ babies.
Frozen adventurer near it
They can unfreeze 2 adventurers and their gear. But it will attract the remorhaz from 12D.
Dead female dwarf (Krystal Mudstone), female elf (Korial Summerwind), male Dwarf (Gorik Blunthammer). 2 male humans (Flerd Trantle and Dergle Obsen).
Maybe send the remorhaz at them if they are too loud here.

ultimately, just gave them a remorhaz egg in 18.