Bremen

Founded by dwarf prospectors, the sleepy town of Bremen sits on the west bank of Maer Dualdon, at the mouth of the Shaengarne River. Bremen’s harbor has frozen, requiring local fishers to haul their boats across the ice to put them in the lake. Visitors who lack a boat can reach Bremen only by crossing the river, which is mostly frozen over. Targos, Termalaine, and Lonelywood are all visible from the docks on clear days.

If Auril’s everlasting winter has one benefit, it’s that the hardy folk of Bremen are spared the seasonal floods that normally threaten the town in early summer. That’s not to say that the long nights, frigid air, and howling blizzards provide any comfort. They don’t.

Twice in the past two months, residents of Bremen have had to mount search parties for their town speaker and oldest living resident, Dorbulgruf Shalescar, and twice they’ve found him wandering the frozen shores of the Shaengarne in heavy furs, with no memory of how he got there. Dorbulgruf, old even by dwarf standards, isn’t long for this world. Many locals fear the same is true of the town itself, if Auril’s brutal winter does not abate.

Bremen in a Nutshell

Friendliness ❄❄❄Services ❄Comfort ❄❄

Available Quest

“area Lake Monster”.

• Population 150.

Leader

Speaker Dorbulgruf Shalescar (lawful good shield dwarf commoner) speaks for the townsfolk. Age has addled his mind, and his vacant-eyed stare is often mistaken for unflappable calmness.

Militia

Bremen can muster up to 25 soldiers (use the tribal warrior stat block) and 2 Veteran.

• Heraldry A gold circle on a white field, with a horizontal blue band extending to the left under the circle, and a flaring blue triangle opening away from the circle on the right. The gold circle represents treasure found in the wake of local floods, the blue band is the Shaengarne River, the blue triangle is Maer Dualdon, and the white field represents snow.

Sacrifice to Auril

Warmth (see “area Sacrifices to Auril").

• Rivals Lonelywood, Targos, Termalaine.

Overland Travel

Heavy snow has obliterated a trail that once guided travelers to Targos. Adventurers determined to make the journey on foot can reach Targos in 2 hours. Using mounts or dogsleds can reduce this travel time by as much as 50 percent.

Locations in Bremen

Bremen doesn’t have much to seduce or comfort the weary traveler, but the following locations marked on map 1.1 are likely to attract adventurers.

Buried Treasures

Inn

This inn caters to treasure-seekers, specifically ones who pan for treasure along the riverbank in warmer weather. During the winter, this establishment has few, if any, visitors. The middle-aged innkeeper, Cora Mulphoon (neutral good human commoner), treats her guests like royalty while trying to conceal the fact that she is barely making ends meet.

Cora’s Loss

Cora is eager to please and apologizes at the slightest provocation if she thinks the characters are not pleased with her service. She explains briefly that her adult son and only child, Huarwar, used to help with the chores until two months ago. If the characters ask Cora for more information, she says that her son had joined a search party to find Speaker Shalescar after he went missing during a blizzard one afternoon. The speaker was brought back safe and sound, but Huarwar got separated from the others and didn’t find his way home until the following morning. He had frostbite and could barely walk.

Over the next few days, Huarwar displayed a meanness toward his mother that was uncharacteristic. The change in his demeanor started after Cora found what looked like a shard of black ice in her son’s room. Huarwar snatched it away and threatened his mother with bodily harm if she touched it again.

The next day, two tieflings (a male and a female) arrived at the inn and offered Huarwar sanctuary in their castle. He left with them willingly, taking the shard with him and telling his mother that he would never return. The tieflings wore amulets that looked much like the shard in Huarwar’s possession. Cora misses her son terribly and she hopes he is still alive. She recalls that one of the tieflings mentioned a castle, and she knows that there are only two castles in Ten-Towns: an intact one in Caer-Dineval and a ruined one in Caer-Konig. The characters might encounter Huarwar in the keep at Caer-Dineval (see “area Black Swords").

Five-Tavern Center

Five unaffiliated taverns

Five taverns stand in a semicircle around a central yard in the heart of Bremen. As the story goes, five brothers originally intended to build a tavern together, but each had assumed he would be the one to run the business. Since none of the brothers would work for the others, each built his own tavern, and they all compete for customers.

The five taverns are called Stones, Even Keel, the River’s Mouth, the Grumpy Moose, and the Black-Bearded Brother. The taverns are old and poorly maintained.

Characters who hang out in the taverns are likely to hear a rumor or two, which you can determine by rolling on the Ten-Towns Rumors table (See “area Ten-Towns Rumors").

Lake Monster

The characters can gain this quest shortly after they arrive in Bremen or if they start the adventure there. The quest starts near the docks, where the characters come upon a shield dwarf who mistakes them for fishers looking for work. Any interaction with the dwarf is interrupted by a half-elf who claims that a monster living in Maer Dualdon has been attacking and sinking fishing boats. The half-elf is a local researcher who has collected accounts from witnesses of these attacks and concluded that it’s some kind of unusual beast.

Characters who search for the lake monster discover that it’s an awakened plesiosaurus. A frost druid (see appendix C) recently cast an awaken spell on the creature, granting it an Intelligence of 10 and the ability to communicate in the Common tongue. In return, the druid expects the plesiosaurus to attack fishing boats from Bremen, thus depriving the fishers of their livelihood and ultimately forcing the villagers to leave. The plesiosaurus feels obliged to heed the druid’s wishes, for fear of losing this magical gift of sentience. Consequently, it attacks anyone from Bremen who fishes in its domain.

Getting the Quest

The lake around the creaky docks is frozen, forcing fishers to pull their rowboats up onto the ice. Standing between a pair of boats is a stout humanoid in cold weather clothing. A gray hood hides most of the humanoid’s face, but you can make out a wide nose and a long, frosty beard. The stout figure stamps their feet, spots you, and waves you over.

“Good, you’re here. Get to it, ingrates! Those fish ain’t gonna catch themselves!”

The speaker is Grynsk Berylbore, a shield dwarf (commoner) who owns the pair of rowboats tied to the docks. The gunwale of one of the boats has what looks like a large bite taken out of it, but both vessels are seaworthy.

Grynsk has been waiting an hour for some fishers he hired the night before to arrive. In fact, those fishers have decided not to bother showing up, having weighed what Grynsk offered to pay them against the danger of the lake monster. Grynsk was drunk when he hired the fishers and doesn’t remember their faces; he assumes the characters are his new employees, and he’s quick about setting them to work. If the characters ignore him or walk away, he yells profanities after them but doesn’t pursue them.

Characters who approach Grynsk can see that his boats bear the names _Burly Ram_and Pronged Goat. The latter one sports the curious bite mark. Grynsk reminds the characters of what he calls “the agreed-upon price” of 5 cp for each trout they catch and scolds them for having already wasted precious trout-catching time.

If the characters explain that they aren’t his employees, Grynsk frowns and repeats that the salary he’s offering is 5 cp per caught trout, and “time is better spent anglin' than yappin'.” He also grumbles in Dwarvish about the characters being stupid and needlessly rude.

If the characters ask about the damage to the Pronged Goat, Grynsk gives them a dismissive wave of the hand.

“Don’t you see? Bloody ice everywhere. Last crew were apparently born with pits for eyes, because they sailed right into a damned ice floe! I ain’t gotten around to repairin' the gunwale yet, but she floats just fine.”

A character who succeeds on a DC 11 Wisdom (Insight) check can tell that Grynsk is lying. If he is pressured about the validity of his story, Grynsk becomes annoyed and tells the characters to get off his docks if all they want to do is ask stupid questions.

In truth, the lake monster took a bite out of the Pronged Goat and caused its crew to fall into the icy water, where they drowned. The damaged boat was found by fishers the next day, drifting crewless in the near frozen water.

Tali Comes on the Scene

Regardless of how the characters' dealings with Grynsk play out, they are joined by another figure before they and the dwarf part company.

You hear footsteps approaching on the creaky dock. Another figure covered head to toe in cold weather clothing has joined you. The figure wags a gloved finger at the frosty-bearded dwarf. “You have no honor, Berylbore!” the newcomer yells, pulling down a woolen muffler to reveal a pale, half-elven face. “You’re sending these innocent people to their deaths. And for what, a few fish?”

“Pay no mind to this rambling fool!” says Grynsk.

“Did you tell them about the monster?” retorts the half-elf.

Grynsk curses the half-elf in Dwarvish before turning to the characters and yelling, “Get to work!” He then stomps away out of earshot, not eager to hear what the half-elf might have to say but still interested in keeping an eye on his boats.

After Grynsk leaves the area, the half-elf approaches the characters sheepishly.

“I’m getting the feeling Grynsk doesn’t like me very much. Or anyone who steps between him and the gold swimming in this lake. I’m Tali. I’m studying the local animal life here in Icewind Dale. I just couldn’t stay silent and watch another crew fall victim to the monster of Maer Dualdon.”

Tali is a neutral good half-elf researcher (scout) who is in Icewind Dale to study how changes in climate alter the nature of the animal wildlife. Tali presents as neither male nor female and requests to be referred to as “they” or by name in conversation. Tali speaks with a soft voice and tends to go on longwinded tangents about the fauna that live in Icewind Dale.

When Tali heard reports of a creature in Maer Dualdon that was attacking the Bremen fishing parties, the half-elf decided to investigate and found that boats from Bremen were the only vessels to suffer these attacks. After deducing this, Tali began frequenting the docks to warn any uninformed people looking to venture out onto the lake about the danger waiting there.

Descriptions of the monster vary wildly; some witnesses say it’s the size of an ox, while others say it’s closer to the size of a house. Some say the monster might be a whale or a large fish, and others describe it as more lizard-like in appearance, with scaly skin and a long neck. If the characters ask about Grynsk’s damaged boat, Tali explains that it was actually found adrift, its crew presumably lost to the lake monster.

Being a researcher, Tali would like to better understand the monster, which has only recently become a threat. “Perhaps this unending winter has affected its eating habits or demeanor in some way,” speculates the half-elf.

“Tali hands you a notebook. “I can’t offer you much other than my gratitude, but if you’re going out on the lake, please write down any information you learn about the nature of this monster. If we know what’s out there, the people of Bremen would be much safer for it. And, well, it bears the potential to be awfully interesting.”

Tali asks the characters to record everything they can perceive about the creature if they spot it, including its size, physical attributes, and general nature. Tali also makes it clear that few people have survived an encounter with the monster and encourages the characters to be careful.

Unsafe Waters

The characters have the use of Grynsk’s two rowboats (see the “Rowboat Statistics” sidebar). The damaged one has 36 hit points instead of 50. Three sets of fishing tackle are stashed in the center of each boat.

The lake is covered in ice floes, which make travel dangerous. As the characters row out from Bremen, their boats must steer around 1d4 + 1 ice floes. Any character who tries to steer a boat around an ice floe must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom check, adding their proficiency bonus to the roll if they’re proficient with water vehicles. On a failed check, the boat hits the ice floe and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

Rowboat Statistics

A rowboat has a speed of 1½ miles per hour and can hold up to four Medium creatures and their gear. An undamaged rowboat has AC 11 and 50 hit points. A rowboat reduced to 0 hit points in the water sinks over the course of 1d4 rounds.

Falling in the Water

Any character who falls into the lake is subject to the effects of frigid water (see “area Frigid Water"). Even after the character gets out of the frigid water, the effects persist until the wet clothing is dried out or replaced with warm, dry clothing.

Water Depth

Once the characters are away from the shore, you can randomly determine the lake’s depth in any given location by rolling a d20 and multiplying the die roll by 10 feet. Conversely, you can just assume the lake is 100 feet deep where the characters are.

Scouting the Lake

The characters can use fishing tackle to try to catch some fish while they’re searching for the lake monster (see “area Fishing for Knucklehead Trout").

If the characters are out on the lake in a boat, roll on the Lake Events table at the end of each hour to determine what occurs next.

Lake Events

Clever Beast

When a roll on the Lake Events table indicates that the lake monster takes an interest in the characters, read:

Ripples disrupt the surface of the lake, causing your boat to bob from side to side. A large mass glides through the dark water below you.

A character who succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) check can identify the creature as a plesiosaurus. The creature recognizes boats from Bremen but does not attack indiscriminately, trying to gauge the strength and determination of the crew before deciding what to do. Roll on the Plesiosaurus Behavior table to determine how it acts. After behaving as described in the table, the plesiosaurus departs unless the characters do something that holds its attention. Once it departs, it doesn’t return until a roll on the Lake Events table indicates another encounter with the creature.

The plesiosaurus prefers to dine on fish, not people. Characters knocked into the lake are more likely to freeze to death or sink to the bottom than be eaten. If a character harms the plesiosaurus, it reacts in kind.

Plesiosaurus Behavior

Talking to the Plesiosaurus

Although the plesiosaurus gives no indication that it’s intelligent and can speak, the characters might try to talk to it regardless. While the monster is underwater, it can hear the characters only if they scream at the top of their lungs and it’s close by. Conversely, a message cantrip or similar magic can be used to get the plesiosaurus’s attention. The creature is curious to hear what the characters have to say:

A reptilian head at the end of a long, slender neck rises out of the cold, dark water. The creature gazes at you intently and says, in Common, “I’m listening.”

A character who converses with the plesiosaurus and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check can safely conclude that it’s the beneficiary of a druid’s awaken spell, and that the effect is permanent.

The plesiosaurus answers straightforward questions and knows the following information:

• “I used to just swim around the lake and eat fish.”
• “The human who gave me this gift is named Ravisin and claimed to serve the Frostmaiden. Ravisin said I must do my part to help the Frostmaiden, who wants the people of Bremen to suffer.”
• “I don’t want to be a stupid beast again.” (The plesiosaurus doesn’t know enough about druidic magic to know that its awakening is permanent.)

A character must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince the plesiosaurus to talk more about the purpose of its attacks. The plesiosaurus reveals that Ravisin instructed it to spread fear among the town’s fishers. The plesiosaurus doesn’t know where Ravisin came from or where she is now. Characters who undertake “area The White Moose”, the quest associated with Lonelywood, might encounter her later. If one or more characters mock or threaten it, the plesiosaurus grows angry and tries to capsize their boat.

The plesiosaurus is afraid to stop what it’s doing because it fears the druid might take away the gift that has been bestowed upon it. A character can convince the plesiosaurus that its awakening is permanent with a successful DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If this check succeeds, the plesiosaurus promises not to attack any fishers from the villages anymore.

Attacking the Plesiosaurus

If the characters attack the plesiosaurus, it dives below the surface of the water and remains submerged as it attacks the characters' boats from below. If it ever drops below half its hit points, it disengages from the battle and dives deeper, leaving the combat.

Back to Bremen!

When the characters make it back to Bremen’s docks, Grynsk shows up soon thereafter, eager to see how many knucklehead trout they caught. He honors his agreement, paying 5 cp per fish.

Tali is also eager to see the characters. If any of the characters took notes about the lake monster and hand their research over, Tali gives the party a spell scroll of animal friendship and a pouch containing 5 gp as thanks, then heads toward Buried Treasures to pore over the characters' notes. The characters can hear Tali mumble the words “interesting,” “fascinating,” and “remarkable” in Elvish as they walk away.

If the characters didn’t take any notes, Tali’s hopes are dashed, and no reward is forthcoming.