Icewind Dale Session 11
Chapter 2
Ice Iced Polar Berserkers
Days 90-98
Ches 29, 1489 7 A.M. To Tarsakh, 9 P.M.
Day 820+ with no sun.
Time Started 5:52 PM End Time 11:23 PM
PC Killed 6 Monsters Killed 110 Villains Captured 23 Villains Escaped 16
Magic Items Potion of Acid, Cold, Fire, Force Resistance, Shield Guardian Amulet, Scroll of Invisibility. Scroll of knock.
Loot. Thieves Tools. Chest 2 by 2 by 2 keeps things at 68 F.
If you started at 4 promote to 5th level. 10 downtime days. 80 GP. Everyone else was 5 so only 80 GP and it counts against your total gold. Tuk’n Rol your fur line My Little Pony Briefs are not worth anything.
I had a strong group of six so most monsters had near max hit points and I sometimes add 1 monster. Tuk’n Rol Aberrant Mind 1, Artificer 4. Midoria the Frozen one Cleric 4. Sandavol Ranger 5. Jimmy Ranger 2 Rogue 2. Gold Fine Artificer 4. Andy Goliath Fighter 5.
The group leaves out early on the Ches 29 about 4 hours later they see three kobolds in a winter coat. It waves at them but does not answer any questions. It looks like it sick, as it approaches the group, its face shoots out a beam of light. Freezing the polar bear pulling the sled instantly. It is coldlight walker. Three Ice mephits attack Tuk’n Rol. They whisper “Auril sends you regards.” They win the fight but Gold Fine remembers the body will be frozen for nine days before it thaws. Then you could raise dead on it. The party pushes on wearing snowshoes.
(DM. Okay if you die from them, do you want me just advance the calendar 10 days and you deal with the death penalty, or thirteen days.)
(DM. Travel time overland is ½ mile in shoes, ¼ near mountains. Please remember this. After 16 hours of travel, you must take a long rest. I would prefer you only travel 12 hours.)
The group gets to the Lost Spire of Netheril. Thousands of years ago this was the site of a wizard school. Some time after that, the glacier rolled it upside down. The group raids the school. Finding lots of interesting stuff. See books. The group helps Dzann the simulacrum of Dzann who Andy put the torch to in the first session. The group agrees to help Dzann the snowman. After defeating the basilisk, Jimmy is charge of the lab. He pushes the green button first.
Dzann is alive. The group takes a long rest and push on toward the cave of the berserkers. Dzann mentions Vellynne Harpell is a human necromancer, as cold and uncaring as the corpses she animates. She’s a withered old fool whose greatest asset—her family name—does her no good in Icewind Dale.” As they travel on toward to cave around 3 AM.
Dzann, “Jimmy did you push the green button first. OR the red button?”
Jimmy, “Green.”
Dzann, “SH….” He turns to snow and is blown away. His bodyguard flees.
A day later a blizzard blows in and the group constructs an igloo. It breaks after three hours; the only excitement were the three crag cats trying to enter to get warm. After two hours on trial, Sandoval breaks left when he sees a guy trying to use the bathroom on a small hill. Midoria moves forward to speak to him.
Sandoval, “It is another Coldlight Walker! FIRE. Shoot. IT!” He pumps three hand crossbow bolts into the guys back. The guy does not flinch.
Tuk’n Rol, “Guys I have a bad feeling about this.”
Arveiaturace an Ancient White Dragon speaks, “Meltharond are you okay. I could hear crossbolts flying. Now I hear a firebolt going by.” He raises himself from the snow drifts which cover him. Jimmy flees North. Sandoval flees west. Gold Fines flees North by West. Andy flees East. Tuk’n Rol flees North by East. Midoria just not flee as they are grabbed and questioned by Arveiaturace. Midoria tries to trick Arveiaturace but as he sees his party fleeing to all points of the compass, he changes his mind.
Arveiaturace, “Meltharond is wounded. Be a dear and go heal him. Or be snackage!” Midoria climbs the tail and back of the ancient white dragon. He finds Meltharond frozen to a dragon rider saddle. Meltharond has been frozen for a long time. Also, the dragon has cataracts, limiting the range of her vision to 60 feet. But her other abilities are unchanged. Midoria cast healing and bluffs her, telling Meltharond is now okay.
Arveiaturace, “Meltharond wants to know every thing about the person who shot him in the buttocks with a hand cross bow bolt. I want to know where were you going?” She grabs the cleric again and takes flight. Seeing the party still fleeing.
Midoria, “We were going to check out the cave of berserkers to the south. His name is Sandoval. He is originally from Ten Towns. He and his buddies took over the gem mine at Termalaine a few months ago. He likes spicy hot girls. His eggs over easy.” An hour later after spilling all the facts on Sandoval, the dragon drops him off about 500 yards from the cave.
Arveiaturace, “Good cleric. Nice cleric.” She pads the cleric on the head not noticing she is pushing him chest deep into the snow drifts. She flies off toward Ten-towns.
Tuk’n Rol telepathically, “Are you alive? Where are you? Did the dragon eat you?”
Midoria, “Yes. About a couple hundred yards from the cave. No, the dragon did not eat me.”
Tuk’n Rol, “Okay stay where you are. We come to you. It will be about four hours. Stay put.” Midoria sighs. “Sure. Whatever!” and starts digging themselves out. After getting the gang back together, the group advances to the cave. The cave berserkers have built a wooden wall and door but the beam which holds the door is heavy and thieves’ tools are no help. So, they throw Jimmy over the wall. He lands in a snow bank and gets the door open quietly. The group quietly moves into the caves. They find a dragon hatchery. Two or three eggshells. Andy slips on the ice. Waking the wyrmlings off the main hatchery.
Gelym, “Tyzar the hunters are back. Hopefully, they brought food.” Jimmy tosses three iron rations toward the cave opening of their second den. Tuk’n Rol throws an artificer’s device which smells like roast beef. Tyzar runs out and scoops up the beef.
Tyzar, “This is not beef. And they are not hunters. Gelym, Lunch on the hoof.” Gelym charges around the corner and uses it breath weapon hurting the three front rankers. Combat starts and end quickly. The group explores the caves. One of the south caves holds a glowing blue flame which warms the cave to 32 F but can’t be blown out. The group explores the north passage. Andy is in lead when he sees a dead owlbear body. He kicks it. Once.
Andy, “Why is always a dead owlbear. I can talk with them. I wish it was alive. So, I could kill it.”
Dead owlbear, “That is not nice. How would you like it if I wore your skin?”
Andy, “How could you? You don’t know skinning or leather working. And how can a dead owlbear talk?”
Dead owlbear, “You will make a loving skin. And your brains will cure it. Plus, I not a dead owlbear but nameless.” A frost-bitten berserker arises from the guts of the owlbear. The party pumps fire, cross bolts, and melee weapons into the berserker. The berserker is force back into the kitchen. He goes to one knee.
Nameless, “That does not hurt anymore.” Andy hits in the face. “You can’t hurt me anymore!” Sandoval pumps four bolts into him. “I said that is not going to work. Time to die. And my friends have snuck behind you!”
(DM notes. Ok. I did draw the map badly. I can not do justice to fight. But smart move on shoving the enemy down the fissures. Good move on the sanctuary spell.) The fight is long. The group flees but both Andy and Gold Fine do not escape. They are killed. The rest of gang flees to Caer-Dineval. Andy and Gold Fine bodies are recovered by the Adventure League Body Snatchers team. The Group goes to the house of Morninglord in Bryn Shander to raise them.
EXTRA DOUGAN’ HOLE is no more. From the bodies most were eaten by Bulette. However, six had their brains eaten. Three of them had strange burn holes in them. Where will the bulette strike next?
Extra Sandoval’s Raiders kill two evil white dragons. Skin and parts are available.
Extra the Easthaven Ghost is wandering the town of Easthaven, who can put a stop to it.
Books. Magical Wonders of Netheril. This book is a collection of interviews with Netherese archmages, who discuss their studies of ancient elven magic and the creation of mythallars. The book includes sketches of such devices.
Mysteries of the Phaerimm. This book sheds light on the phaerimm—telepathic, funnel-shaped monsters of malevolent intellect that lurk in the Underdark—and includes disturbing sketches of them.
Wizards in the Hollow. The birth of the Netherese empire is chronicled in this otherwise dull, plodding story about the lives of three Netherese wizards.
Ajamar’s Guide to the Phantastic. This breezy, lighthearted treatise on illusion magic was required reading in many Netherese classrooms. It describes clever ways to use common illusion spells.
The Unfettered Mind. This lunatic text discusses how one might exist solely as a disembodied brain, preserved for eons in a magical suspension fluid. It includes sketches of brains in jars.
Lost Scrolls of Sabreyl. Written in Elvish, this scholarly tome copies and analyzes fragments of eight ancient scrolls left behind by a sun elf wizard who taught magic to the cloud giants of Ostoria, a bygone empire that collapsed 40,000 years ago.
From Shadow, Substance. This speculative work discusses how one might harness the Weave to turn an illusory object or creature into its real counterpart, with commentary and criticism from noteworthy Netherese illusionists.
Here Lies the King. This elaborately plotted novel features an illusionist who uses magic to impersonate a prince, supplant a king, rule a fictional kingdom for sixty-one years, and fake his own death.
Ventatost. This book uses testimonials and conspiracy theories to piece together events leading up to the destruction of a Netherese city called Ventatost, which disintegrated as it flew over the forest of Cormanthor nearly two thousand years ago, before the fall of Ythryn.
RIP Coke the Polar Bear, Dzann the Snowman, Andy, Gold Fine, Gelym, Tyzar.
Population. Bryn Shander 1180. Bremen 121. Caer-Dineval 82. Caer-Konig 133. Dougan’s Hole 0. Easthaven 683. Good Mead 69. Lonely Wood 83. Targos 968. Termalaine 607.
