Chapter 6: Caves of Hunger

After opening a fissure in the Reghed Glacier, a party of explorers prepares to head inside.

Equipped with the “Rime of the Frostmaiden,” the characters can begin their search for the lost Netherese city buried deep in the Reghed Glacier. Ideally, the characters should be at least 8th level when they embark on this journey. Lower-level characters can survive the Caves of Hunger if they’re cautious and rest often to regain their spent hit points and magic.

The characters must use the “Rime of the Frostmaiden” to open a crack in the glacial wall at a place where a waterfall once tumbled down the glacier. The newly formed passage leads to the Caves of Hunger, a dungeon that was sealed off by the Frostmaiden long ago—a network of sepulchral ice caves haunted by ravenous beings. These chambers must be successfully navigated to reach the Netherese city of Ythryn.

Running This Chapter

This chapter focuses on the characters' exploration of the ice caves. There’s a good chance that Vellynne Harpell is present as well, serving as an NPC guide. If she died earlier in the adventure, the characters can use Professor Skant as a substitute guide, assuming they retrieved Vellynne’s professor orb from Auril’s island in area chapter 5. If neither Vellynne nor Professor Skant are around, you can furnish another NPC with the information needed to reach the Caves of Hunger. Likely candidates include Hengar Aesnvaard (see “Elk Tribe Escort” below) and Dzaan’s simulacrum (see appendix C).

Character Advancement

The characters should gain a level when they reach area area H39 for the first time, regardless of the route by which they get there. Thus, if they were 8th level at the start of this chapter, they will be 9th level when they enter Ythryn for the first time.

Race to the Glacier

If Vellynne Harpell survived the perils of Auril’s island and returned to Icewind Dale with the characters, she urges them to accompany her to the glacier without delay, lest one of her rivals in the Arcane Brotherhood catch up to them. Vellynne can be persuaded to delay the journey, but with each passing day, she becomes more agitated.

Random Encounters

You can use the “area Wilderness Encounters” section in chapter 2 to make the characters' journey to the Reghed Glacier more challenging, to level up the characters, or both. If the characters are 8th level already, it’s probably best to skip over the random encounters and proceed with the “Elk and Tiger” section below.

Elk and Tiger

With grand events having been set in motion, those sensitive to prophecy have begun to experience dreams and visions. One such person is Mjenir, a fifty-year-old shaman of the Reghed Elk Tribe, who received a vision about the characters' journey to the Reghed Glacier.

Elk Tribe Escort

Several hours before the party reaches the glacier, read:

As you crest another ridge, you spot a dozen humanoids approaching, their cloaks flapping in the wind sweeping down from the eastern glacier.

The approaching figures are ten Tribal Warrior of the Elk Tribe, led by Mjenir (neutral human druid with Survival +4) and Hengar Aesnvaard (neutral good human gladiator with Survival +5). Mjenir waves at the characters to signal his peaceful intentions. If they are willing to speak, he directs them to a rocky alcove where both parties can enjoy a reprieve from the wind.

Mjenir proceeds to explain his vision and warns of grave danger ahead:

“Tigers with ice in their veins come to spill your blood upon the snow. They will do everything in their power to keep you from finding what the Frostmaiden has preserved under the ice.”

Mjenir and his fellow Elk tribesfolk volunteer to escort the party to the foot of the Reghed Glacier. If the characters refuse that offer, the Elk tribesfolk return whence they came. Mjenir wishes them well and says, “The fate of the dale rests upon your shoulders.”

Tiger Tribe Ambush

When the characters reach the glacial wall, read:

The Reghed Glacier rises hundreds of feet into the sky. The foot of the glacier is still a half-mile away.

Suddenly, nearly two dozen figures burst out of the snow sixty feet away from you. They are spaced roughly ten feet apart and begin advancing in a line.

Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher are not surprised by the ambush, nor are members of the Elk Tribe who are traveling with the party.

Ambushers

Mjenir was not the only one who foresaw the characters' path. The queen of the Tiger Tribe, Bjornhild Solvigsdottir (see area appendix C), has also been stirred to action. Bjornhild worships Auril and is furious that the party has decided to meddle in the Frostmaiden’s affairs. If Bjornhild died earlier in the adventure, replace her with a frost druid (see appendix C) named Ajka.

If Bjornhild leads the ambush, she is joined by her pet saber-toothed tiger, Grava. If Ajka leads the ambush, give her a woolly rhinoceros companion. Twenty Tribal Warrior make up the rest of the ambushing force. Before closing to melee range, they hurl spears at the characters.

Elk Tribe Reaction

If the characters allowed Mjenir, Hengar, and the other Elk tribesfolk to accompany them, the two leaders are confident in their ability to fight off the attackers while the characters race toward the glacier. If the characters let the Elk Tribe members fend off the Tigers, the outcome of the battle depends on whether Bjornhild leads the ambush:

• If Bjornhild leads the ambush, both she and Grava survive, as does Hengar. All three are reduced to half their hit points (rounded down). Everyone else is slain. Bjornhild takes Hengar prisoner and interprets the characters' escape as a sign that Auril intends to slay them herself; consequently, Bjornhild doesn’t pursue them.
• If Ajka leads the ambush, she and Hengar are the sole survivors with half their hit points remaining. After a brief standoff, Ajka polymorphs into a snowy owl and flees, leaving the wounded Hengar alone.

Characters who refuse to let the Elk Tribe fight this battle without them are attacked by Bjornhild and her saber-toothed tiger (or Ajka and her rhinoceros) while Hengar and his fellow Elk Tribe warriors clash with the rest of the attacking force. You can forgo making attack rolls for the tribal warriors; assume that they all act on the same initiative count and that one warrior from each tribe dies each round on that tribe’s turn. Hengar kills an additional Tiger Tribe warrior on each of his turns. Mjenir stays out of melee and uses his produce flame cantrip to hurl fire at enemies.

Opening the Way

When the characters reach the wall of the Reghed Glacier at the spot specified by Vellynne Harpell or Professor Skant, read:

An immense, glistening wall of blue ice stands before you. It seems impenetrable, but then you notice that a lighter-colored stripe nearly bisects the wall at one point. This must be the frozen waterfall Vellynne spoke of!

Vellynne or Professor Skant urges one of the characters to read aloud the “Rime of the Frostmaiden” (see appendix E). Reading the poem aloud while standing before the glacier has the following effect:

As the last words of the poem are spoken, a rumbling sound comes from deep within the glacier. The noise reaches a crescendo as the great wall of ice parts. Through the crack, you can see an opening that leads inside the glacier.

Once the way is open, the party is free to descend into the newly formed tunnel (area area H1).

Into the Caves of Hunger

When the floating city of Ythryn plummeted from the sky into the Reghed Glacier centuries ago, the impact of the collision (and the resulting heat) drove the city deeper into its heart until, finally, it came to rest. Auril then buried the city under the ice to preserve it, claiming it as her own.

The Caves of Hunger is a sprawling dungeon complex hollowed out of the Reghed Glacier. Some of its caves and tunnels formed naturally, some formed as a byproduct of Ythryn’s fall, and still others are the work of creatures such as remorhazes that can dig or melt their way through solid ice. The fact that the entire complex is made of ice contributes to its alien atmosphere. The air is often stale, sound behaves strangely, and the tension of moving ever downward wears on the sanity of even the boldest adventurers.

General Features

The following features are common throughout the Caves of Hunger:

• Ceilings Most cavern ceilings are 30 feet high and made of smooth ice. Tunnel ceilings range from 10 to 15 feet high unless otherwise noted.
• Darkness All areas are cast in complete darkness unless otherwise noted.

Echoes

Sound travels quickly here. All Wisdom (Perception) checks to hear sounds in these caves have advantage.

• Ice Slides As remorhazes burrow through ice, the heat radiating from their bodies smooths out the sides of the tunnels behind them to a glass-like finish. Many of these passages are severely sloped, creating ice slides. Descending an ice slide is easy; climbing one is another matter. A character needs crampons or other climbing gear to ascend one of these slippery passages.

Professor Skant

If the characters have Professor Skant with them, the professor orb can provide educational commentary on certain features found in the Caves of Hunger, as noted in the text, provided the orb is in a position where it can view its surroundings.

Psychic Hauntings

The Caves of Hunger have a way of capturing and holding on to psychic trauma. In certain locations, the text will ask you to check for a psychic haunting, in which case roll a d20 and consult the Psychic Haunting table to determine if the area contains a haunting. If one is present, its image or its effect can’t leave the cave in which it’s encountered.

Psychic Hauntings

Tekeli-li

Of all the creatures that claim the Caves of Hunger as their lair, perhaps the most fearsome is Tekeli-li, a gnoll vampire (see appendix C).

When they cracked open the Reghed Glacier, the characters unsealed the glacial prison holding Tekeli-li. After decades of captivity and starvation, the vampire is once again free to leave the caves and haunt Icewind Dale. First, however, it plans to feed. The vampire is the only wandering monster that the characters encounter in the Caves of Hunger, and they are likely to encounter it more than once as they descend deeper into the caves.

Vellynne Harpell’s professor orb, Professor Skant, is an expert on vampires and vampirism. Once it becomes aware of Tekeli-li, the professor orb shares the vampire’s known weaknesses with the characters.

The party should meet Tekeli-li several times. The vampire’s strategy is to drain the party’s resources, then retreat and recover before attacking again. If Tekeli-li ever takes more than 20 damage during an encounter, the vampire turns to mist and withdraws to a safe location in the dungeon. Even when the vampire is not immediately present, its cackling laughter echoes through the caves sporadically.

You can stage an encounter with Tekeli-li anywhere you like. If you’re not sure where it might be or how it should behave, roll a d6 and consult the Tekeli-li’s Location table. The table determines where the vampire is first encountered. If the vampire withdraws, roll again on the table to determine where it goes (roll again if the result indicates no change in its location).

If the characters have not encountered the vampire by the time they reach area area H36, it attacks them there.

Tekeli-li’s Location

Caves of Hunger Locations (H1-H10)

The following locations are keyed to map 6.1.

H1. Into the Glacier

The light blue area shown on map 6.1 indicates the section of glacial wall that parts when the characters use the “Rime of the Frostmaiden” to cut a path to the dungeon. Reading the poem creates an opening in the ice wall that’s 100 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 20 feet deep. A tunnel at the back of this opening contains uneven, naturally formed steps that descend to area H2.

If any of the Elk tribesfolk are present at this point, they volunteer to guard this entrance until the characters return or until hunger forces them to abandon their post.

H2. Crashed Skycoach

You come to a thirty-foot-high cavern. In its center, the remains of a wooden ship hull rest on the floor.

If Professor Skant is allowed to view the wreckage, the professor orb offers the following commentary:

“Ah, a Netherese skycoach! I’ve always wanted to ride on one of those. Pity it’s no longer in one piece.”

The ship is all that remains of a Netherese skycoach, an airship that was used to ferry people to and from the floating city of Ythryn. Any loud disturbances in this cave cause the four Flameskull in area H3 to cackle madly as they make their way to this cavern. The flameskulls are the animated, fire-wreathed skulls of Netherese wizards transformed into guardians by the will of the Frostmaiden.

The tunnel that leads to area area H5 has a slippery, 20-foot-tall drop-off that characters can descend safely with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. On a failed check, a character slips and lands prone, taking damage from the fall as normal.

Treasure

Characters who search the wreckage find the headless skeletons of four dead Netherese wizards and a 200-pound iron safe with a combination lock that has numbers from 0 to 50 written in the Draconic script. A character using thieves' tools can spend 1 minute trying to open the safe, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. The safe contains a bag of holding, inside which are four amethysts (100 gp each) and a ring of the ram made of chardalyn (see the “Chardalyn” sidebar). The ring’s unusual composition has no effect on its magical properties.

H3. Flameskulls

These two 15-foot-high caves and passageways are occupied by four Flameskull—two in the caves west of area H2 and two in the caves northeast of area H2. They attack intruders on sight. The caves are otherwise empty.

H4. Kobold Vampire Spawn

Characters coming from area H2 must descend a naturally formed staircase of ice to reach this cave.

Frost-covered blocks of stone jut from the floor of this ten-foot-high cave of ice. Perched atop the largest stone is an emaciated kobold with glowing red eyes. It bares elongated fangs as it hisses at you, then scampers away.

The creature is a kobold vampire spawn (see area appendix C) created by Tekeli-li. Professor Skant recognizes the creature as a vampire and knows its weaknesses. The undead kobold hungers for fresh blood but knows better than to attack a superior force. It tries to rejoin its kin in area area H17.

H5. Icicle Drop

Sparkling icicles as long as longswords cling to the forty-foot-high roof of this cavern, the floor of which is strewn with frost-covered blocks of stone and a toppled pillar. Embedded in the east wall is a glittering stone tower that appears to have crashed through the ceiling long ago. The exposed wall is cracked and has a few small holes in it but is otherwise intact.

If Professor Skant is allowed to view the tower, the professor orb offers the following commentary:

“That tower appears to be of Netherese construction. Were it not for the cracks and holes, the stone would be smooth as glass, shaped by wizardly magic!”

Seven Ice Mephit created by Auril cling to the ceiling, their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies so that they are easily mistaken for icicles. Characters who have passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of 13 or higher can distinguish the mephits from the scores of real icicles that festoon the ceiling.

The ice mephits are tasked with guarding the cave but do not enter melee combat willingly. An ice mephit’s preferred tactic is to use its action to fly next to an icicle and break it off, causing it to fall on an enemy below. Any creature standing under a falling icicle must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) piercing damage from it.

Tekeli-li

If Tekeli-li is hiding in area H6, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) attacks the party after the ice mephits are dealt with, passing through the tower wall in mist form and assuming its Large hyena form. See the “area Tekeli-li” section earlier in this chapter for more information.

H6. Ruined Tower

Characters who peer through the cracks and holes in the tower walls see the following:

Little remains of this tower besides its outer shell. The interior walls are decorated with shifting geometric patterns. A human skeleton in a white robe lies on the uneven floor.

If Professor Skant is allowed to view the interior, the professor orb offers the following commentary:

“Netherese spellcasters would come to towers like this one to regain their spent magic more quickly. Despite the extensive damage, I would venture to guess that the tower still works!”

A character who examines the shifting geometric patterns can, with a successful DC 17 Intelligence (Arcana) check, come to the same conclusion as Professor Skant.

The characters can punch a hole in the tower’s outer wall that’s big enough for them to crawl or walk through. Any character who takes a short rest in the tower regains one spell slot of 3rd level or lower at the end of that rest. A character can’t gain this benefit again for 24 hours.

Treasure

The skeleton is the remains of a Netherese priest. It wears a silver holy symbol shaped like a four-pointed star (25 gp). A successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check identifies it as a holy symbol of Mystryl (see the “Mystryl” sidebar).

H7. Rubble-Strewn Cave

Aside from the tower embedded in the west wall (see area 6) and the rubble around it, this 30-foot-high cavern is empty. A naturally formed staircase to the southeast descends to area area H10.

Tekeli-li

If Tekeli-li is hiding in area H6, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) passes through the tower wall in mist form, assumes its Large hyena form, and attacks the characters as they cross the cave or get within 10 feet of the tower. See the “area Tekeli-li” section earlier in this chapter for more information.

Mystryl

The history and fate of the god Mystryl are tied up in the story of Netheril’s fall. Mystryl was the original god of magic. She is said to have created the Weave, which enables spellcasting. A Netherese mage named Karsus sought to steal Mystryl’s godly power. To prevent certain doom from befalling the material world, Mystryl sacrificed herself to keep Karsus from achieving his goal. After her sacrifice, Mystryl was reincarnated as Mystra and is now worshiped across Faerûn. For more information about Netheril and its fall, see chapter 7.

H8. Arcane Eye Activator

A flat, slightly canted slab of stone rests in the center of this twenty-foot-high cave. One side is rough, as if the slab had been torn from a larger structure. The slab is eight feet long, four feet wide, four feet high, and covered with frost.

Scraping off the frost on the slab reveals Draconic script etched into its top, with an open eye carved above it. Close examination reveals that the pupil of the eye is a stone button that can be pressed. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of divination magic around the slab.

If Professor Skant sees the script, the professor orb informs the characters that the Netherese used the Draconic script (see the “area Loross: The Netherese Tongue” sidebar). If the characters don’t know Draconic, Professor Skant can translate the script for them. It reads:

“Take the free, self-guided tour of Ythryn. Press the eye to cast the spell.”

A character can use an action to press the eye, thereby using the slab to cast the arcane eye spell. The spell lasts for 1 hour or until the character’s concentration on the spell ends. The slab, which used to function whenever the button was pressed, is damaged. Once the spell is cast, the slab ceases to be magical.

H9. Golem Head

Lying on its side in the middle of this twenty-foot-high cave is an enormous head made of iron, its eyes aglow with a golden light.

Iron golems were used as sentries throughout Ythryn. This head is all that remains of a golem that was decapitated when the city crashed. It has been separated from the city and its body ever since. The potent magic used in the golem’s construction has kept the head functional.

The head can’t attack or use its Poison Breath in this state, nor can it speak. It can communicate by blinking the lights in its eyes—one blink for no, two blinks for yes, three blinks for “I don’t know.” It understands Elvish and Loross (see the “Loross: The Netherese Tongue” sidebar). If the characters know none of these languages, Professor Skant can communicate with the golem in Loross on their behalf.

Here are examples of the questions the party might ask, and the golem’s responses:

• “Do you know where Ythryn is?” (No.)
• “Were you damaged when the city fell?” (Yes.)
• “Is there danger ahead?” (I don’t know.)
• “Have other creatures passed through this cave recently?” (Yes. The golem is referring to the kobold vampire spawn that lair in the caves to the east.)

Loross: the Netherese Tongue

Loross, a language spoken by the Netherese, is a dead tongue. Very few creatures in the world today would recognize it, much less speak it. Loross used the Draconic alphabet in its written form, while the spoken language had many similarities with Elvish, due to the cultural influence the elves had on Netherese civilization. A character who speaks Elvish can understand what a creature speaking Loross is saying, and vice versa. A character who has the Cloistered Scholar or Sage background, or a warlock who knows the Eyes of the Rune Keeper invocation, can translate written Loross without an ability check.

H10. Toppled Spire

This cave might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

The top of a partially shattered tower rests on its side in the middle of this thirty-foot-high cavern. Long icicles hang from the ceiling above the toppled spire. North of the tower is a fifteen-foot-diameter hole in the floor that seems to be the upper end of a tunnel.

The hole in the floor is the mouth of a glass-smooth tunnel created by the remorhaz in area area H24. A creature that slides down this ice chute gains enough speed along the way to propel itself into the heated pool at the bottom, provoking the remorhaz that is submerged in it. The creature can avoid this fate if, upon reaching the end of the slide, it makes a successful DC 15 Strength saving throw to stop itself from going into the pool.

Access to the toppled tower can be had through its east side, which is open though surrounded by rubble.

Treasure

Tucked inside the attic’s spire is a wooden chest with a sliding bolt latch held fast by frost. A character can melt away the ice on the latch using a torch or other open flame. Most of the bottles inside the chest were smashed in the fall, but two Potion of Superior Healing survived.

Caves of Hunger Locations (H11-H21)

H11. Den of Shadows

Naturally formed stairs lead up to area area H9 and down to area area H15. A wide passage to the east leads to area area H13, with a branching tunnel to area H12.

Twelve Shadow haunt this 30-foot-high cave. They swarm over members of the party but recoil from any character who presents a holy symbol of Mystryl.

The shadows were born from those who survived Ythryn’s crash, only to face starvation. Driven mad by trauma and hunger, the group of survivors resorted to cannibalism. These victims rose as shadows to take vengeance upon the last surviving member of the group, and their hatred extends to other living creatures as well.

Tekeli-li

If Tekeli-li is hiding in area H12, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) attacks the characters in its Large hyena form once the shadows are dealt with.

H12. Curse of Hunger

This twenty-foot-high cavern tapers to a dead end. A dozen human skeletons sheathed in frost lie on the uneven floor, but their skulls appear to be missing.

The frozen skeletons are the remains of the Netherese cannibals whose shadows haunt area H11. Characters who scrape off the frost and examine the bones see teeth marks on them. The missing skulls were taken by kobold vampire spawn and placed in area area H20.

Terrible psychic trauma lingers in this cave, causing any creature that enters it to feel intensely hungry, even after leaving the cave. Eating a handful of food keeps the creature’s hunger at bay for 1 hour. If its hunger isn’t satisfied within 1 minute, the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. The saving throw must be repeated every hour until the creature succeeds or dies, or until the effect is ended on that creature by magic that can remove a curse. A creature that doesn’t require food automatically succeeds on the saving throw. Once the effect ends on a creature, it becomes immune to the cave’s psychic trauma. This immunity does not remove levels of exhaustion gained from the creature’s earlier failed saves.

Treasure

One skeleton at the back of the cave wears a tarnished silver holy symbol shaped like a four-pointed star (25 gp) around its neck. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check identifies it as a holy symbol of Mystryl (see the “Mystryl” sidebar).

H13. Icicle-Filled Cave

This cavern has a ten-foot-high ceiling covered with icicles that nearly touch the floor, forming thin stalactites. Several of these icicles have been broken off, leaving paths that lead to the cave’s four exits—narrow tunnels to the east and south, and wider tunnels to the west and northeast.

High-pitched barking and yipping echoes throughout the cave, but you can’t tell which direction the sounds come from.

The icicles are more of a nuisance than an obstacle and can be easily broken, although smashing them creates enough noise to alert the creatures in area area H17.

Because of the acoustics in the cave, the characters must be within 5 feet of the east tunnel to discern that the barking and yipping is coming from that direction. The east tunnel has a rough-hewn staircase leading down to area area H17. A similar staircase in the south tunnel leads down to area area H16.

H14. Ice Sculptures

Peering into this ten-foot-high cavern, you come face to face with an army of small, misshapen ice sculptures.

Add the following if the characters haven’t confronted the kobold vampire spawn in area area H17:

An incessant yipping noise fills the cave, originating from a tunnel in the south wall that contains a rough-hewn staircase leading down into darkness.

Crammed into this cave are twenty 3-foot-tall ice sculptures that the kobold vampire spawn have made to startle and frighten intruders. Each statue is carved in the vague likeness of a kobold, which a character can discern with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check.

Each ice sculpture is a Small object that weighs roughly 40 pounds and has AC 13, 5 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning and fire damage, and immunity to cold, poison, and psychic damage. Smashing any of the sculptures alerts the kobold vampire spawn in area area H17.

H15. Drakareth’s Doom

This location consists of multiple areas:

• An empty cave to the northeast has a 20-foot-high domed ceiling, naturally formed stairs leading up to area area H11, and a narrow tunnel leading east toward areas area H16 and area H22.
• A cave to the southwest has an uneven ceiling that ranges in height from 15 to 30 feet. A wraith named Drakareth haunts this cave, northwest of which are three cysts blocked off by thick walls of ice. The northernmost cyst contains Drakareth’s earthly remains and treasure (see “Treasure” below).

When one or more characters enter the wraith’s cave, read:

A deep sigh issues from the darkness. A voice steeped in malevolence and hatred whispers to you in a language reminiscent of Elvish.

The wraith speaks Loross (see the “area Loross: The Netherese Tongue” sidebar), which Professor Skant can translate if necessary. Its words are as follows:

“Cursed be those who gaze upon the horror that Drakareth has become. Such promise wasted, lost in this cold sepulcher! Where were you centuries years ago when he was in the prime of life? Where were you when the frigid darkness consumed him? You are no good to Drakareth now! Nothing remains of him but frozen bones, ancient treasures, and me.”

Drakareth was a Netherese mage who survived the fall of Ythryn, murdered his wounded rivals, and stole their spellbooks and magic items. He had hoped to escape with his newfound treasures but perished from exhaustion and cold, rising as a wraith. The wraith seeks the destruction of all who enter its chamber. If successfully turned or reduced to 20 hit points or fewer, the wraith retreats to the icy cyst that contains Drakareth’s frozen remains, passing through the interposing walls of ice to reach it. There, it fights to the bitter end.

The walls of ice that separate the smaller cysts from the larger cave are thick enough to be opaque, but characters can break through them. Each 5-foot-square, 1-foot-thick section of wall has AC 13, 18 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to cold, poison, and psychic damage.

Treasure

Beyond three walls of ice, in the northernmost cyst, is the frost-covered skeleton of Drakareth, clad in a mantle of spell resistance and surrounded by the rotted remains of six ancient, leather-bound spellbooks that are no longer legible and a cracked crystal ball that is no longer magical. Clutched in the dead mage’s hands is a staff of charming fashioned out of chardalyn suffused with evil Netherese magic.

Anyone who attunes to Drakareth’s staff gains the following flaw, which supersedes any conflicting personality trait: “I like to give orders and expect to be obeyed.” This flaw lasts until the attunement ends.

H16. Ice Cave

Although this cave is empty, it might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

This ice cave has a 25-foot-high, domed ceiling festooned with icicles. A rough-hewn staircase leads up to area area H14, and an opening in the middle of the south wall breaches a tunnel connecting areas H15 and area H22.

Slaad Host

If one of the characters has the Slaad Host secret (see appendix B) and the slaad tadpole hasn’t been born or destroyed yet, it bursts from the character’s chest in this cavern.

H17. Den of the Vampire Spawn

The yips and barks abate as you descend the stairs leading to this cave in which hangs the faint whiff of death.

Five kobold vampire spawn (see area appendix C) dwell here. Add a sixth if the one fromarea area H4 escaped and made it all the way here. These creatures have sharp senses and know when living creatures are nearby. They use their Spider Climb trait to cling to the walls and pounce on the first character to enter their lair. The vampires fight until two or more of their number are slain, whereupon the rest retreat to area area H19 to make their final stand. Professor Skant recognizes the creature as vampires and knows their weaknesses.

Aside from the vampires, the cave is empty. The 20-foot-high ceiling is festooned with icicles.

Stench of Death

A tunnel to the south contains a staircase that leads down to area area H19. The stench of death grows stronger as one descends these stairs.

H18. Snow Golems

These areas have slippery, uneven floors. Scores of icicles hang from the ceilings, which range in height from 15 to 30 feet.

Southern Cave

Naturally formed stairs descend to the southernmost cave. Describe its contents as follows:

This dead-end cave contains a half dozen mounds of snow that rise up and assume vaguely bipedel forms. Wide smiles appear on their otherwise featureless heads.

These creatures are six Snow Golem (see appendix C). They are hostile toward all trespassers but don’t pursue intruders beyond the confines of the three caves that comprise area H18.

H19. Den of Death

This thirty-foot-high cavern reeks of death. The floor is slippery and slightly concave.

If Tekeli-li is here, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) lurks in the northernmost side cave. When one or more intruders enter its den, Tekeli-li emerges from this smaller cave in its gnoll form and attacks. See the “area Tekeli-li” section earlier in this chapter for more information. Any kobold vampire spawn that retreated to this cavern are hidden in the northeastern side cave. They gang up on whichever foe Tekeli-li chooses to attack.

Slippery Ice

The icy floor is difficult terrain. When a creature moves onto the ice for the first time on a turn, it must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or fall prone.

Stench of Death

A naturally formed staircase in the southern wall leads down to areas H20 and area H21. The stench of death intensifies the closer one gets to area H20.

H20. Ice Crypt

The deathly stench originates from this ten-foot-high cave, where a dozen human skulls surround a pillar of ice. A large cavity has been opened in the pillar, as if something had burst from inside it.

This is the chamber where Tekeli-li lay dormant, encased in ice, until the characters opened the Caves of Hunger with the “Rime of the Frostmaiden” and awakened him. Kobold vampire spawn found the human skulls in area area H12 and placed them at the base of the pillar to show their devotion to Tekeli-li.

A search of this cave yields nothing of value, as Tekeli-li has no interest in treasure.

H21. Frozen Frost Giant

Entombed in the icy floor of this twenty-foot-high cave is the frozen, well-preserved corpse of a frost giant. Scratch marks in the ice suggest a half-hearted attempt to excavate the remains.

A frost giant named Vlagomir was walking across the glacier when Ythryn fell to its doom. The giant was crushed to death as the Netherese city plunged into a deep crevasse and became buried under tons of ice.

Characters can reach the giant’s corpse by chipping through 2 feet of ice. If they do so, they discover that the giant had nothing of value. The scratch marks in the ice were made by kobold vampire spawn who sought to feed on the corpse but quickly tired of digging through the solid ice.

Caves of Hunger Locations (H22-H31)

H22. Borehole

This cave might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

This thirty-foot-high cave has exits to the north and south. Along the western side is a fifteen-foot-diameter hole in the floor that seems to be the upper end of a tunnel.

The ice slide descends to area H23.

H23. Remorhaz Nest

This bulbous cavern has walls as smooth as glass and a ceiling lined with dripping icicles. A wisp of steam rises from a roughly circular pool in the northern half of the cave. South of the pool is a shallow crater filled with oversized snowballs.

Two Young Remorhaz lurk at the bottom of the pool, which is 15 feet deep. Their tremorsense alerts them to the presence of intruders, and they attack immediately.

The creatures' bodies heat the pool, causing it to give off steam. The water is not hot enough to deal damage. Without the body heat of a remorhaz to keep the water warm, a pool’s surface freezes over in 1 hour. After 24 hours, the pool is frozen solid.

Tekeli-li

If Tekeli-li is here, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) is in mist form, hiding in the steam. The characters can sense the vampire only if they have magic that can detect the presence of undead. As the young remorhazes engage the characters in battle, Tekeli-li assumes its gnoll form and joins the fray, keeping its distance from the remorhazes. See the “area Tekeli-li” section earlier in this chapter for more information.

Eggs

The “snowballs” in the shallow crater are six unhatched remorhaz eggs, each one frozen to or partially embedded in the icy floor. Each egg is a Medium object with AC 13, 6 hit points, and resistance to cold and fire damage. Reducing an egg to 0 hit points kills the unborn remorhaz inside it. Left alone, the eggs won’t hatch until they are placed in a heated pool for a period of 4d6 days.

Treasure

An undamaged remorhaz egg can be sold to an interested buyer in Bryn Shander for up to 500 gp.

H24. Remorhaz Mother

This enormous cave has glassy walls and a smooth, domed ceiling forty feet overhead. The cavern contains two large pools, both of which have steam rising from them.

Each pool is 15 feet deep. Submerged in the northern pool is a full-grown remorhaz coiled around a cluster of eight remorhaz eggs, which look like oversized snowballs from a distance (see area H23 for more information about remorhaz eggs). A young remorhaz is submerged in the southern pool and eagerly joins any battle involving its mother. The remorhazes' tremorsense alerts them to the presence of intruders.

The remorhazes' bodies heat the pools, causing steam to rise from them. The water is not hot enough to deal damage. Without the body heat of a remorhaz to keep the water warm, a pool’s surface freezes over in 1 hour. After 24 hours, the pool is frozen solid.

H25. Empty Side Caves

Although these caves are empty, one or both of them might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

Each cave has a ceiling that ranges in height from 10 to 20 feet.

To the Underdark

West of area H24, a remorhaz tunnel leads down to the Underdark. The slide extends for a mile under the glacier before breaching a stone cavern lit by bioluminescent moss growing on the walls. The bioluminescence is persistent throughout the Underdark, and it’s clear to characters who end up here that they are no longer on track to find Ythryn. Their only options are to return to the Caves of Hunger or continue exploring the Underdark. The latter option is beyond the scope of this adventure.

H26. Egg-Shaped Cave

This cave might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

This chamber rises to a height of forty feet and is shaped like an egg. The floor is slightly concave and sinks toward a fifteen-foot-diameter hole in the floor that seems to be the upper end of a tunnel.

The ice slide descends to area area H36.

H27. West Observation Platform

Clinging to the thirty-foot-high ceiling of this cavern is a forest of icicles, some of which have grown to a length of five feet or more. Embedded in the south wall is a cylindrical, domed building made of seamless black stone and decorated with faintly glowing constellations. Rime-covered statues of human wizards stand in front of this building, gazing outward from atop three-foot-high stone pedestals. The building and statues are raised by a five-foot-high, curved stone platform enclosed by a low wall, with stone steps leading up to it.

See area H28 for a description of the stone building’s interior. The constellations on the building’s outside wall shed dim light out to a range of 15 feet—just far enough to backlight the frost-covered statues that encircle it.

Statues

Professor Skant can ascertain that the statues were sculpted by magic and that, given their costuming, they depict Netherese wizards. A character can do the same with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check.

Hiding behind the two westernmost statues are two male Drow Elite Warrior named Meldirn and Tlaknar. They cast faerie fire spells on intruders before attacking with their hand crossbows. They are soon joined by Yilsebek, the drow mage in area H28, who tries to engulf as many enemies as possible with his cloudkill spell. For more information about the drow and why they’re here, see area H28.

If there are too many foes for the drow to deal with on their own, Yilsebek tries to summon a shadow demon to assist. If defeat is inevitable, Yilsebek casts fly on himself, heads up the ice slide toward area area H24, and flees back to the Underdark through the remorhaz tunnels, leaving Meldirn and Tlaknar to fend for themselves.

H28. Drow Outpost

Much of this building has collapsed, but the front room is intact—and also free of ice and frost. The remnants of smashed furnishings suggest that the room once served as a wizard’s workshop. Atop a splintered table is a brimstone cube small enough to hold in one hand. The air around the cube ripples, as it seems to be putting out enough dry heat to warm the room.

A drow mage named Yilsebek Dalambra has turned this partially collapsed Netherese building into an outpost. From here, he intends to launch a full-blown expedition into the ruins of Ythryn, which he and his fellow drow discovered a few weeks ago. The drow entered the Caves of Hunger by scaling a remorhaz tunnel that connects to the Underdark. Using a sending spell, Yilsebek has asked the matron mother of his house to send reinforcements, but they are weeks away.

Yilsebek has no desire to share his recent discovery with potential rivals, nor does he trust surface-dwellers. For these reasons, characters can’t persuade Yilsebek to join forces with them.

Treasure

The source of the room’s heat is a thermal cube) that Yilsebek found during his last foray into Ythryn.

Yilsebek carries a spider silk satchel that contains his spellbook (described below), a spider-shaped brooch made of obsidian and engraved with the symbol of House Dalambra (25 gp), and a half-empty bottle of Elverquisst (a rare, ruby-colored elven liquor distilled from sunshine and rare summer fruits). Professor Skant recognizes Elverquisst on sight, since he is an expert on the making of it. Elf characters would also recognize it.

Yilsebek’s spellbook has black leather covers and pages made from sheets of trillimac (an Underdark fungus). The book contains the following spells: alter self, cloudkill, comprehend languages, detect magic, Evard’s black tentacles, fabricate, fly, greater invisibility, lightning bolt, mage armor, magic missile, misty step, sending, shield, suggestion, web, and witch bolt.

H29. East Observation Platform

If the characters aren’t already familiar with the structures described in areas H27 and H28, use the following boxed text to describe them:

Icicles cling to the twenty-foot-high ceiling of this ice cavern. Embedded in the south wall is a domed, circular building made of seamless black stone and decorated with faintly glowing constellations. A frost-covered statue of a human wizard stands outside it, gazing outward from atop a three-foot-high stone pedestal. The building and statue rest on a five-foot-high, curved stone platform enclosed by a low wall.

Frost-covered stone steps descend from the stone platform to the icy floor in the cavern’s northernmost section, as shown on map 6.1.

Auril the Frostmaiden has transformed ten of the icicles that cling to the ceiling into creatures resembling piercers. They use the piercer stat block, have immunity to cold damage, and deal 10 (3d6) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) cold damage on a hit. The drow in areas H27 and H28 are aware of the Ice Piercer, having seen them creep along the ceiling, and do their best to avoid them.

H30. Vlagomir’s Spark

This cavern has a fifteen-foot-high ceiling and a smaller, dead-end cave at the back of it. Sticking out of the larger cave’s floor at a sixty-degree angle is a giant-sized wooden spear with its obsidian tip pointing upward. The weapon glows with a faint, cold light.

The spear is 25 feet long, but only its top half is visible; the rest of it is lodged in the icy floor. Pulling it free requires an action and a successful DC 23 Strength (Athletics) check.

Treasure

The spear belonged to a frost giant named Vlagomir, whose remains can be found in area area H21. The giant was a hunter of white dragons and a Chosen of Thrym, the evil god of frost giants. When Vlagomir died, his warrior’s spark was bound to the spear. The first time a barbarian, fighter, monk, or ranger touches the spear, the light around the spear fades as Vlagomir’s spark bestows the following supernatural charm on the character (see “Supernatural Gifts” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide):

Vlagomir’s Spark

You gain 1 foot of height every hour and become proportionately heavier until you stand 21 feet tall and weigh 7,700 pounds. When you are 9 feet tall, your Strength becomes 19 unless it is already higher. For every 3 additional feet of height you gain, your Strength increases by 1, to a maximum of 23. Armor and clothing you are wearing and weapons you are carrying magically increase in size to match your growth. If you are the recipient of a greater restoration spell or similar magic, this charm vanishes from you, and you immediately shrink back to normal size, along with any armor, clothing, and weapons in your possession.

Caves of Hunger Locations (H31-H39)

H31. Thing in the Ice

A flat sheet of cloudy ice forms one wall of this forty-foot-high cavern. Something dark and humungous shifts behind the wall, its tentacles waving unimpeded. You become aware you are not alone inside your mind. Somehow, this horror from another world has wormed its way inside you.

Something beyond mortal comprehension exists partially inside the wall of ice and partially within some distant, horrific demiplane. As this otherworldly entity peers into the cavern, visitors risk losing their sanity to its influence.

Any creature that comes within 20 feet of the wall of ice is targeted by a dominate monster spell (save DC 15). The entity can concentrate on up to ten such spells at once. Any creature that successfully saves against the spell resists it and can’t be targeted by this effect again. On a failed save, the creature stands perfectly still and does nothing while the alien entity probes its mind for 1 hour. If a creature remains under the spell’s effect for the full duration, it must make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw at the end of the hour, taking 44 (8d10) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Whether the save succeeds or fails, a creature subjected to the hour-long probe also gains a randomly determined form of long-term madness, determined by rolling on the long-term madness in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The ice wall has AC 13, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to cold, poison, and psychic damage. If the wall takes 50 points of damage or more, large cracks form along its surface, and the alien entity withdraws into its distant demiplane, never to return. As it withdraws, its dominate monster spells end.

H32. Mirrored Cavern

Every surface of this twenty-foot-high cave is polished to a mirror finish, such that you are faced with countless distorted reflections of yourself. Your head spins as you try to keep your bearings.

If Tekeli-li is here, add:

Crouching in the middle of the cavern is a gaunt gnoll with ravenous eyes and the foul stench of the grave coming from it. The creature does not cast a reflection.

Ranged attack rolls made in this cave have disadvantage because of the disorienting reflections. If Tekeli-li is here, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) uses its Frightful Cackle first, then targets enemies with its Sickening Gaze until one or more them closes to melee range. See the “area Tekeli-li” section earlier in this chapter for more of Tekeli-li’s tactics.

Slaad Host

If one of the characters has the Slaad Host secret (see appendix B) and the slaad tadpole hasn’t been born or destroyed yet, it bursts from the character’s chest when the character enters this cavern.

H33. Watcher in the Walls

This fifteen-foot-high, U-shaped cavern appears empty at first glance, but a sudden tapping draws your attention to the west wall, within which is trapped a black-robed figure with a golden visage.

A mummy dressed in a tattered black robe and wearing a golden face mask is trapped in the western wall and has no way to free itself from the ice. The mummy was created by Netherese priests to serve as a lore-keeper in Ythryn.

The section of ice that traps the mummy has AC 13, 22 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to cold, poison, and psychic damage. If the wall is reduced to 0 hit points, the mummy is released and makes its way to area area H39 and from there to the library in Ythryn (area area Y9 in chapter 7). It ignores the characters unless they interfere with it.

Treasure

The mummy’s golden mask (750 gp) is a Netherese art object.

H34. City Debris

This cave might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

Large pieces of stone jut from the twenty-foot-high ceiling of this empty cavern.

The stone fragments are pieces of Ythryn that settled in the ice. Any character who examines the stone and makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check to discern its true nature. (A dwarf’s Stonecunning trait can prove helpful here.) If the check succeeds, the character can confirm that the stone is neither naturally formed nor hewn, but rather shaped by magic.

H35. Mysterious Cube

On the floor in the middle of this fifteen-foot-high cave is an eight-foot cube of smooth, grayish-green stone that is free of frost.

The stone cube is a spitting mimic (see appendix C). Anything that touches the mimic automatically adheres to it, and a Huge or smaller creature adhered to the mimic is also grappled by it (escape DC 16). The mimic sprouts pseudopods and attacks if it is touched, harmed, or otherwise disturbed.

H36. Frozen Grove

If the characters make it this far and haven’t yet faced Tekeli-li, the gnoll vampire (see appendix C) confronts them here in its Large hyena form.

A grove of frost-covered trees fills this fifty-foot-high cavern, the floor of which is a mixture of earth and ice. By some magic or miracle, the trees are alive, their canopies thick with frosty leaves, their branches bearing purple pears that hang like ornaments. A low wall, broken in several places, threads its way through the grove, which is surrounded by six exits.

This grove of pear trees was enchanted by Netherese arcanists to endure high altitude and harsh weather. That magic has enabled the trees to thrive even in these icy caverns. Essential to the grove’s survival is a dryad named Hathowyn, who resides in the southernmost tree. If the dryad dies, the trees die 1d10 days later. Centuries of isolation have made Hathowyn lonely, and the dryad hungers for conversation and companionship.

If Tekeli-li is present, Hathowyn remains hidden in her tree until the gnoll vampire leaves or is destroyed. Tekeli-li has never seen the dryad and is unaware of her presence. If given the chance, Hathowyn tries to engage the characters in conversation, speaking Elvish or Sylvan. She hopes to keep them in the grove for as long as possible. If the characters try to leave, Hathowyn tries to charm one of them into staying and keeping her company. The dryad knows the following information:

• Netherese magic binds the dryad to the grove and keeps the trees alive.
• The pears hanging from the trees are magically delicious.
• Three dark elves have passed through the dryad’s grove on multiple occasions, coming and going through the southwest and southeast passages (leading to areas area H29 and area H39). Hathowyn hasn’t spoken to them out of fear that they might harm her.
• Strange, one-eyed creatures lurk in the cave to the south (area area H37). They followed the dark elves up from below after their last foray down the southeast passage.

Purple Pears

Each tree has 3d6 ripe pears hanging from its branches, most of them within reach. Any creature that eats more than half of a purple pear gains the benefit of a special charm (see “Supernatural Gifts” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Determine the charm randomly by rolling a d20 and consulting the Purple Pear Charms table. This charm must vanish from a creature before it can gain any more charms by eating purple pears. A creature that eats three or more purple pears within 1 hour is poisoned for 24 hours thereafter and suffers painful cramps until the condition ends.

Purple Pear Charms

H37. Weird Insights

Huddled together at the west end of this ten-foot-high cave are four hunched creatures with spiny backs and sharp claws. Each one stares at you with a single unblinking eye.

These four Nothic, evil denizens of Ythryn, followed Yilsebek and his fellow drow as far as the dryad’s grove (area H36) before taking refuge in this cave. The nothics use their Weird Insight to glean secrets from the characters. They are reluctant to provoke a well-armed group of adventurers, preferring to pick off lone prey, but if attacked, they respond in kind.

Offering food and drink to the nothics loosens their tongues, but these ones speak and understand only Loross (see the area “Loross: The Netherese Tongue"). They can also write in the Draconic script. Professor Skant can serve as a translator if none of the characters can understand the nothics.

The nothics have no memory of their lost humanity, and any information they might provide is garbled with bits of nonsense. Characters who succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check can glean the following information from the nothics after a brief conversation:

• Iriolarthas, a powerful Netherese archwizard, watches over Ythryn. He has lost not only his mind, but most of his body as well. All that remains of him is a floating human skull.
• Giant floating hands made of magical force wander around in the city.
• Ythryn’s mythallar won’t function properly as long as the Spindle—a powerful artifact dating back 40,000 years—remains in the city. The artifact is located within the city’s central spire.
• One must perform a ritual to enter Ythryn’s central spire. (The nothics don’t remember how the ritual works, but they do recall that clues can be found in the towers of wizardry scattered throughout the city.)
• Somewhere in Ythryn is a scroll that can summon the tarrasque.

H38. Ice Caves

Although these caves are empty, one or more of them might contain a psychic haunting (see “area Psychic Hauntings").

The caves have 20-foot-high ceilings and slippery floors.

H39. Passage to Ythryn

This tunnel of ice cuts through the glacier for almost a mile before ending at the great ice cavern that contains Ythryn, described in chapter 7.

Slaad Host

If one of the characters has the Slaad Host secret (see area appendix B) and the slaad tadpole hasn’t been born or destroyed yet, it bursts from the character’s chest as the character descends this tunnel.

Wrapping Up

Once the characters enter area H39, they can make their way deeper inside the Reghed Glacier, where the lost city of Ythryn awaits.

Avarice Follows

Guided by the visions of Levistus, Avarice follows the characters to the Reghed Glacier. Around the time when the characters reach Ythryn, the tiefling wizard and her followers arrive at the Caves of Hunger and kill any Elk Tribe warriors guarding the entrance. Avarice then leads her troupe through the icy caverns, marching toward her destiny.

More information about Avarice and her followers is provided in the next chapter.

Tekeli-li Escapes

If the characters do not slay Tekeli-li, the gnoll vampire leaves the Caves of Hunger in mist form and makes its way across the sunless tundra, eventually finding an ample food supply in Ten-Towns.