Chapter 10: The Sea of Moving Ice

Far to the north, beyond the Spine of the World and above even Icewind Dale, lies the Sea of Moving Ice. Gigantic icebergs wander listlessly through this glasslike sea, or are sent smashing and grinding against each other by bitterly cold winds, the sea spray transformed into fantastic frozen shapes around them. Only creatures adapted to severe cold can survive such frigid extremes, but many beasts—and even people—make their homes in the Sea of Moving Ice. One such creature is the white dragon Arauthator, known as “Old White Death” by those he stalks and terrorizes. In this section of the adventure, the heroes' battle against the cult leads them to one of Arauthator’s iceberg lairs.

Introduction

The Draakhorn’s Call

Each time the Draakhorn sounds out, its unearthly call echoes across the Sword Coast. Dragons hear it plainly, even as other creatures hear it only as an indistinct moaning when their surroundings are quiet and the wind blows just right. Creatures that cannot hear the Draakhorn can still sense it, like a faint vibration felt subconsciously and interpreted as a sense of dread.

The adventurers were introduced to the Draakhorn by Dala Silmerhelve during the first session of the Council of Waterdeep. When they are ready to seek more information on the ancient relic, Dala provides it.

“The Sea of Moving Ice was the last known location of the Draakhorn. No one can pinpoint its present location from the sound, or even verify with certainty that the relic is still in the northern sea, but the search must start there.

“The one person who could tell us more is a tiefling sorcerer called Maccath the Crimson. No one alive knows more about the Draakhorn than her, but the Arcane Brotherhood, of which she is also a member, hasn’t seen her for three years. She was investigating the Sea of Moving Ice when she disappeared.”

“Old White Death”

The white dragon Arauthator haunts the Sea of Moving Ice like an avenging wind. Personifying the brutality and savagery of his kind, Arauthator is a solid ally of the Cult of the Dragon, and can be counted on to be present at the Well of Dragons when Tiamat makes her triumphant return from the Nine Hells.

Arauthator’s chief lair is beneath a remote peak known as Lonefang Mountain, but he maintains a number of smaller lairs among the icebergs that drift with the seasonal tides in the Sea of Moving Ice. One of these is known as Oyaviggaton (“island of eternity”) by the local tribes known as the Ice Hunters, because of the many enemies Arauthator has frozen into the icy walls of the berg’s hollowed interior.

In addition to his size, cunning, and ferocity, Arauthator wields spellcasting power that makes him a particularly dangerous foe. More than a century ago, during one of the cyclical periods of draconic violence known as the Rage of Dragons, Arauthator joined with a dozen other dragons in attacking the Hosttower of the Arcane in Luskan. Their assault toppled the west arm of the tower, and Arauthator was seen scooping up numerous items of great magical importance and power, including at least three tomes of rare spells. The possibility of recovering those books is part of what drew Maccath the Crimson to the Sea of Moving Ice.

Arauthator’s iceberg lair serves primarily as a meeting ground for him and his mate, the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace (“the White Wyrm”). She is aware of the cult’s activity but has been reluctant to join forces with it, and Arauthator seeks a way to gain her commitment. At one time, Arveiaturace served a wizard named Meltharond, whose corpse remains strapped to a saddle on the dragon’s back. She has never accepted his death, and still speaks to him as if he were alive. Arauthator hopes that if he provides Arveiaturace with a new wizard to serve, she will recover from her grief and join him in wholeheartedly supporting the Cult of the Dragon. When the proud, ambitious Maccath the Crimson arrived in Arauthator’s lair, the dragon enticed her with the prospect of becoming Arveiaturace’s master and rider.

Maccath the Crimson

The Arcane Brotherhood is a league of mages based in the city of Luskan at the fabled Hosttower of the Arcane. The Hosttower is an academy for the best and brightest mages of Faerûn. Only the most promising are accepted as members in the Arcane Brotherhood, and only members of the order can study at the Hosttower.

Maccath the Crimson was one of those best and brightest when she journeyed to the Hosttower seeking admission. Her knowledge of dragon lore and draconic relics was already vast, but she wanted to know more about the dragons' magic. Even though she gained access to the accumulated lore of the Arcane Brotherhood, Maccath concluded that some questions could be answered only by dragons—and that questions about the magic stolen from the Hosttower during the last Rage of Dragons could be answered only by Arauthator. Maccath set sail on an expedition to learn those answers three years ago and hasn’t been heard from since.

Dala Silmerhelve provides the characters with all that is known of Maccath’s fate.

“Maccath reported her progress to the Hosttower by way of sending spells. Her last report spoke of seeing Ice Hunters paddling their sealskin boats toward a huge iceberg, flattened like a plateau across its surface, but ringed by icy peaks. She had intended to follow the Ice Hunters and investigate the iceberg. After that, no more reports came.

“Attempts to find Maccath using scrying and other magical means located only her ship, adrift and heavily damaged. Some of the ship’s crew were seen dead, but no sign of the tiefling sorcerer was ever found. However, the lair of a dragon as powerful as Arauthator is no doubt protected against scrying magic. If Maccath is alive, in addition to the lore she can share regarding the Draakhorn, the Arcane Brotherhood would be most grateful to get her back.”

Setting Sail

In Waterdeep, the characters are outfitted with cold weather gear, including snowshoes suitable for traversing deep drifts, and have passage north arranged on a ship specially built for plying the waters of the Sea of Moving Ice. Frostskimmr is captained by a human male known as Lerustah Half-face. The right half of his face was left a scarred ruin from severe frostbite suffered years ago on the Sea of Moving Ice. He keeps a leather hood drawn across his face most of the time, both for warmth and so as not to frighten children. Lerustah is a brave explorer and a skilled sailor.

Frostskimmr is a light longship with a shallow draft, driven by a single sail or by oars when necessary. The combination of wind and oar power is needed for picking a course through close-packed ice. Despite the ship’s length of nearly sixty feet, it is still light enough to be lifted by its forty crew members if it becomes hemmed in by ice. The ship is open to the air, but the crew rig sailcloth shelters across the deck to keep away the wind and sleet and hold in some warmth.

The Sea of Moving Ice

The journey up the Sword Coast isn’t the focus of this chapter, so you don’t need to dwell on it in detail. With favorable winds, Frostskimmr reaches the Sea of Moving Ice in a few days. From that point, the ship must slow down and proceed cautiously.

Captain Lerustah has no strong feelings one way or the other about whether the crew should pull Frostskimmr onto an ice floe at night or spend the night on the water. An ice floe is more comfortable and offers safety from certain aquatic creatures. On the open water, the ship is safer from creatures that hunt only on the ice, but sleeping on the deck is colder and less comfortable than in an easily built snow shelter. The decision of where to spend the night is up to the characters.

Ice Hunters

The Ice Hunters are nomads that have lived in the North far longer than any other humans. Short, dark-haired, broad-faced, and with light brown skin, they cling stolidly to their culture and their traditions of fishing and whaling on the Sea of Moving Ice, and of hunting for seal, walrus, and polar bears among the ice floes. They travel by dogsled on land and ice, and paddle seal-hide boats called khyeks or oumyeks across the frigid water. They worship totems of animals from the world around them, such as Clever Oomio the gray seal, Grandfather Walrus, Great White Bear, and Pindalpau-pau the Reindeer Mother.

The Ice Hunters came unaware to the dragon’s iceberg generations ago. Desiring servants to guard his lair during his long absences, the dragon killed just enough of the tribesfolk to force the rest to obey him out of terror. Using their unsurpassed ability as scouts, they act now as Arauthator’s eyes and ears on the Sea of Moving Ice. Living as thralls, they have no doubt that if they ever leave the iceberg, Arauthator will hunt them down and take horrific revenge.

Random Encounters

Searching the Sea of Moving Ice for the plateau-like iceberg described by Maccath is a time-consuming process. Roll a d6 each morning, afternoon, and night. On a roll of 1, an encounter occurs. Roll on the table to determine the specifics, adding +1 for each previous table roll made while the characters were searching from the ship on water by day. Searching by night or searching by day while Frostskimmr is on an ice floe doesn’t improve the odds of finding Oyaviggaton.

Sea of Moving Ice Encounters

If combat becomes necessary, Captain Lerustah fights as a knight and his crew fight as 40 Guard. If fighting aboard Frostskimmr, the characters must be cautious while using area spells that deal fire or force damage. One such spell does minimal damage that can be fixed by the crew at sea after the fight ends. If two such spells are used, Frostskimmr must be hauled onto an ice floe for repairs that take half a day. Roll normally for events during that time, but reroll any total of 7 or higher.

Giant Octopi

This event can occur by day or night, but only on water. Two Giant Octopus attack simultaneously, trying to drag characters and crew off the ship into the freezing water. When one octopus is killed, the other withdraws underwater and escapes.

Merrow

This event can occur by day or night, on ice or water. Five merrow move as close as possible to Frostskimmr before attacking. If the characters are on the ship, the merrow try to swamp it by making a DC 25 Strength check, with a +2 bonus to the check for each additional merrow involved in the attempt. Success means that Frostskimmr lurches dangerously and each creature on board must make a DC15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw, a creature is dumped overboard.

A creature that falls into the frigid water is swimming, and must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw at the start of each turn that it is in the water. On each failed saving throw, the creature suffers one level of exhaustion. Characters in the water are preferred targets for monsters in the water.

Polar Bear

This event can occur day or night, but only on the ice. A crew member aboard Frostskimmr spots a polar bear stalking a wounded Ice Hunter on an ice floe. If the characters intervene and save the hunter, he is grateful, and converses with them in his own tongue. (If the characters have no means to communicate with him, one of Frostskimmr’s crew can translate.) Though he is not from the tribe that lives on Oyaviggaton, the hunter knows the iceberg. In response to any questions about Oyaviggaton, he advises the characters as to its distance and direction from their current position, but warns them to keep away from it. Armed with this information, the characters gain a +1 bonus to their next two daytime event rolls.

Scrags

This event occurs only at night, and only on the ice. While Frostskimmr sits on an ice floe to wait for morning, three aquatic trolls, known as Scrag (swim speed 30 ft., can breathe underwater), attack the ship. If the characters and crew don’t intend to haul Frostskimmr onto an ice floe for the night, one of the scrags swims beneath the ship and wrenches a plank loose, causing a serious leak that requires the ship to be pulled onto the ice for repairs.

Ice Hunters

This event can occur only by day. A hunting party from Oyaviggaton (12 Tribal Warrior) is spotted pursuing seals on an ice floe, whether Frostskimmr is on the water or on an adjacent ice floe. The hunters are surly and uncommunicative if approached, knowing that they must return to the iceberg before nightfall or their kin will be punished. Captain Lerustah is puzzled by their behavior, knowing that the Ice Hunter people are shy but never hostile. The hunters quickly paddle their khyeks away to the northeast. If the characters follow the hunters or use that bearing for the next stage of their journey, they gain a +1 bonus to their next daytime event roll.

Ice Hunters in Fishing Boats

This event occurs only during the day. A group of fishers from Oyaviggaton (12 Tribal Warrior) are spotted in their characteristic boats, whether Frostskimmr is in the water or on a nearby ice floe. They are unfriendly and uncommunicative if approached, paddling away to the northeast as soon as they are able. If the characters follow the hunters or use that bearing for the next stage of their journey, they gain a +1 bonus to their next daytime event roll.

Oyaviggaton Sighted

This event can occur by day or night. There’s no mistaking the silhouette of this massive iceberg as matching the description given by Maccath the Crimson. With a flattened expanse at one end rising to jagged peaks at the other, the characters' objective is at hand.

Oyaviggaton

Arauthator’s iceberg lair rises from the sea to form a floating island. The portion of the berg above the water appears roughly triangular, with rounded corners. The plateau portion of the iceberg rises more than a hundred feet above the water, and the jagged ice peaks add another two hundred feet above that.

The Ice Hunter village is a collection of snow shelters and tents sitting at the center of the island. The village can’t be seen from the sea because of the berg’s height, but a large shelf of ice where the Ice Hunters beach their boats is clearly visible from the water. Approximately 60 feet across, the shelf rises a few feet above sea level and is littered with enormous, cracked bones—including ribs that arch taller than a human.

A character proficient in Nature recognizes that the bones are mostly from whales and huge seals (or Captain Lerustah can supply that information). Any character who spends a few minutes examining the bones discovers tooth marks with a monstrous bite radius—evidence that a gigantic predator (Arauthator) ate at least some of these creatures. Examining the bones reveals smaller human bones in the pile as well, all of which show the same bite marks.

An ice chasm splits the cliff face above the ice shelf, rising to the top of the plateau. The chasm is 20 feet wide near the bottom but narrows to 5 feet wide at the top. Steps are cut into the ice, making for an easy climb to the top of the plateau.

Captain Lerustah would like to keep his crew members aboard Frostskimmr rather than marching them up to the plateau. He’s not at all comfortable with the idea of leaving his ship without the strongest possible complement of guards. If the characters are unable to communicate with the Ice Hunters (who speak only their own language, Uluik), one of the crew members speaks enough Uluik to get by. The translator will accompany the characters onto the iceberg if he’s paid a bonus of at least 50 gp, but he returns to the ship as soon as the characters descend into the ice caves.

The Village

The top of Oyaviggaton is a plateau, but it’s not level. The ground is uneven, fractured by narrow ice chasms and divided by rills, snowdrifts, and ice ridges taller than a human, sculpted by sea spray and wind. The ridges block the view of the village until characters are 200 feet from the nearest shelter.

The first sight that greets the adventurers when they emerge onto the plateau is a row of ten corpses frozen into a wall of ice: three Luskar warriors, a dwarf, and six Ice Hunters. The bodies have been preserved in the ice, making it impossible to tell how long they’ve been here. The southerners and the dwarf were some of Maccath the Crimson’s companions, killed by Arauthator. The Ice Hunters used the bodies to put up this grisly warning, in the hope that other intruders might fear the same fate and turn back. The dead Ice Hunters tried to flee from the iceberg but were hunted and killed by Arauthator, who forced their kin to add them to the horrid display.

Layout

The village sits in a sheltered spot near the center of the iceberg. When the wind blows—which is most of the time—snow whips off the surrounding drifts and surrounds the settlement in a swirling shroud of white.

Twenty structures make up the village, divided between snow-block shelters similar to igloos and double-walled yurts made from sealskin stretched over whalebone frames. Sixteen of these structures are small, one-room family dwellings. One ice-block shelter is a storeroom used for gear owned in common by the tribesfolk, including fishing nets and heavy ropes used for whaling. One yurt near the center of the village is slightly larger than the others, and is home to the Ice Hunter chieftain, Barking Seal. A yurt standing apart from the rest of the shelters is home to the shaman Bonecarver, as indicated by the many animal totems and whalebone carvings around the hut. The shaman’s hut features a lesser-used entrance to the ice caves.

The largest structure in the village is the meeting hall, heavily decorated with whalebone and the skulls of fish and mammals. Consisting of one large room, the hall has a wooden floor made of planks salvaged from ships caught and crushed in the Sea of Moving Ice. Beneath the planks in a back corner is an entrance to the ice caves under the village, which lead to Arauthator’s grotto. A long coil of rope hangs on the wall near that corner, and a large iron pulley has been left suspended from a beam above the hole.

No columns of smoke rise above the village to give away its location, since the Sea of Moving Ice features no wood or peat to burn. The only artificial heat comes from lamps and tiny stoves burning whale oil. The villagers live on fish, whale meat, and seal meat, eaten raw or dried on racks scattered around the village. With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Survival) check, a character examining the racks realizes that the village must produce far more food than the number of villagers alone would require.

Villagers

If the characters approach by the obvious path up the chasm from the ice ledge, they are noticed by the village’s 12 sled dogs (treat as Wolf). As soon as the dogs begin barking and growling, the whole village turns out armed and alert—25 Tribal Warrior (males and females; including the chieftain, Barking Seal), 30 Commoner, 1 druid (Bonecarver, tribal shaman, female), and 1 gladiator (Orcaheart, village champion, male).

The chieftain and shaman do all the talking for the villagers, who speak only their own language, Uluik. The chieftain also knows a little of a rough Illuskan dialect. The Ice Hunters have two main interests: finding out why strangers have come to Oyaviggaton, and getting them to leave. They lie freely and well, telling tales of sea monsters and ravaging scrags in the area. If the characters ask about Arauthator or other dragons, the shaman claims a dragon known as Old White Death was killed a year ago by frost giants. She describes the heap of whale and seal bones on the waterside ice shelf as all that’s left of the monster. Otherwise, the bones are described as evidence of monstrous predators in the area.

While Barking Seal and Bonecarver speak with the adventurers, the other members of the tribe circle around the party, frowning and muttering as the dogs growl. Eight warriors lope off with their weapons toward the icy staircase and the ice shelf below, where they keep a cautious eye on Frostskimmr. Wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks among the party attract scornful looks. Do your best to communicate an atmosphere of tense hostility to the players.

Any crew member accompanying the characters can point out that this behavior is highly unusual. Though the Ice Hunters avoid contact with outsiders, they are almost never hostile.

During this interaction, allow the characters to attempt DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) checks. A character who succeeds notices several villagers slipping away one by one and disappearing into the meeting hall. From the hall, the villagers descend into the ice caves to warn Arauthator’s servants that strangers have come, then quickly slip back up to the surface.

Encounters in the ice caves assume that the presence of intruders on the iceberg is already known. If the party has maintained stealth since they arrived, they have a chance to surprise creatures in the ice caves.

An Honorable Duel

The Ice Hunters are determined not to allow the strangers inside the village hall, where they might discover the entrance to the ice caves. They know that letting powerful adventurers get past them into the dragon’s lair means torture or death for every adult and child of the tribe.

As they stall for time, Barking Seal, Bonecarver, and Orcaheart are also sizing up the adventurers' strength. If the characters refuse to leave the iceberg, Barking Seal proposes a contest: the village’s champion against any warrior among the strangers. If the champion wins, the characters must hand over some of their fine steel weapons and sail away immediately, never to return. If the adventurer wins, the strangers will have earned their place among the villagers. They can spend the night in the village, after which Bonecarver will answer their questions to the best of her ability.

If the characters agree to the duel, one of them must fight Orcaheart one-on-one. No magic is allowed, but if the character possesses a magic weapon or magic armor with no obvious effects, the villagers are unlikely to notice. The fight continues until one contestant is unconscious and dying. (Allow Orcaheart to make death saving throws if he drops to 0 hit points.) At that point, the match ends and each combatant’s allies can step in to provide healing and assistance.

During the fight, a combatant forfeits if he or she gains assistance of any kind from allies. Despite this, however, Bonecarver aids Orcaheart during the fight if she can. She positions herself so that when he is struck, he can fall backward and land in front of her. When she helps him back onto his feet, she surreptitiously casts cure wounds. If a player states specifically that a character is watching the crowd for signs of interference, that character can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Success means that Bonecarver was spotted in the act, though she denies providing assistance if accused of cheating.

Ice Hunter Hospitality

If Orcaheart loses the match, the Ice Hunters go through the motions of honoring their pledge. They offer to let the characters sleep in the village storage hut, which barely qualifies as shelter. Bonecarver brings them a platter of slightly spoiled raw fish, explaining (truthfully) that her people prefer the tanginess of meat that’s gone past its prime. The fish won’t hurt characters who eat it—but the poison Bonecarver added to it will. The sharp tang of the fish covers the bitter poison so well that a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check or DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check is needed to detect it.

Any character who eats the poisoned fish must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. Failure means the character takes 13 (3d8) poison damage and becomes unconscious for 8 hours. On a successful save, the character takes 9 (2d8) poison damage. If all the characters are rendered unconscious by the poison, they are tied up and carried down to area 1 in the ice caves, where they awaken to see 5 Ice Toad (see appendix D) examining their belongings.

Convincing the Shaman

Of all the Ice Hunters, Bonecarver is the only one whose favor the characters have any chance of winning. She does not initially trust the adventurers, and is as keen to see them depart Oyaviggaton as the rest of her people. However, she knows that the Ice Hunters will eventually perish under Arauthator’s wrath, and she has long dreamed that the totem spirits will send heroes with the strength to best the dragon.

With effective roleplaying and a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check, Bonecarver will meet privately with the adventurers and speak the truth of her people’s plight. A druid, ranger, or some other character who can truthfully express an understanding of the shaman’s animal totem-based faith has advantage on this check. Bonecarver is not willing to risk the lives of her tribesfolk in a battle against the dragon. However, she shows the characters the entrance to the ice caves from her hut and explains what she knows about the caves. This includes their general layout, occupants, and the presence of the “horned lady” (Maccath the Crimson).

Ice Caves

Beneath the village lies a network of ice caves inhabited by Arauthator and his minions. Two entrances lead into the caves from the village: one hidden inside the meeting hall and the other inside the shaman’s hut. The dragon enters the caves by way of underwater tunnels that connect to his lair chamber, but these are too deep and well hidden to be used by the adventurers.

Ice Toads

Arauthator has attracted a number of ice toads to Oyaviggaton, where they help to maintain the iceberg and the dragon’s many treasures and trophies. The ice toads are good at this job, thanks to their exceptionally intelligent leader, Marfulb.

Feeding on seals, sea birds, and fish caught for them by the Ice Hunters, Oyaviggaton’s ice toads are not automatically hostile to strangers. Once characters get inside Arauthator’s lair, they might find that these creatures can be helpful to their quest. Ice toads normally speak only their own obscure language. Those in Oyaviggaton know a little Draconic and Uluik (the language of the Ice Hunters), but their accents are thick and their pronunciation atrocious. Marfulb is fluent in Draconic thanks to many hours spent conversing with Arauthator.

When the characters encounter ice toads, their intelligence won’t be apparent until they act or attempt to speak. Even then, characters might not recognize the ice toads' croaking as language. Ice toads move on all fours, but their webbed front feet are surprisingly dexterous. Some carry tools and useful items in pouches slung around their necks.

General Features

With its caverns carved out of the glacial depths of the iceberg, every surface in Oyaviggaton is made of ice.

Ceilings and Walls

Most passages in the ice caves are at least 15 feet wide, and ceilings are 20 feet high unless noted otherwise. The walls are intricately carved with draconic imagery, pillars, cornices, filigrees, buttresses, leering dragon faces, and other decorative flourishes. This work has been done by kobolds in Arauthator’s service, and its quality varies widely.

Floors

The floors inside the iceberg are worn glass-smooth from decades of traffic. Arauthator, the ice trolls, and the ice toads move across the slick ice with ease thanks to claws and bony spurs on their feet that give them traction. The dragon’s kobold servants wear crampons made of animal teeth strapped to their feet. Characters without crampons or the ability to walk on ice treat all areas of the ice caves as difficult terrain. A successful DC 10 Intelligence check allows a character to rig a set of crampons from items in a climbing kit, or to convert a pair of kobold-sized crampons to fit a Medium creature. Snowshoes are of no help inside the iceberg.

There are no stairs inside the iceberg; the floor slopes between areas of different elevation. Characters can slide down a one-level ramp with ease. Sliding down a two-level ramp (for example, from area 10 to area 9) is automatic if the character is sitting, but requires a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check if the character tries to slide down while standing. Characters equipped with crampons cannot stand, but can treat ramps as difficult terrain. Moving along a two-level ramp with crampons also requires a successful DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Characters without crampons can climb a one-level ramp with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, or can climb a two-level ramp with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. Acrobatics is of no use to these checks, but using a climber’s kit grants advantage on the checks. Any failed Dexterity check to move on a ramp results in the character sliding to the bottom of the ramp and falling prone.

Light

The interior of Oyaviggaton is filled with dim light by whale-oil lamps that are kept filled and lit by the kobolds. The light is for the benefit of the ice toads, who are the only residents of the caves who need light to see.

Temperature

The ice caverns are cold, with the temperature in most chambers hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The white dragons, the ice trolls, and the ice toads don’t mind the cold. The kobolds and Maccath the Crimson bundle up in furs and warm their living quarters with small stoves that burn whale oil supplied by the villagers. As long as the characters wear proper cold weather gear, they are at no risk from the cold while in the ice caves.

Visibility

The ice caves are open to the sea, creating banks of vapor that roll constantly through Oyaviggaton’s corridors and chambers. This fog is more common in the low points of the caverns. In areas noted as +10 feet on the map, visibility is unrestricted unless a patch of random fog is encountered. In areas noted as 0 feet, visibility is limited to 75 feet. In areas noted as–10 feet or–20 feet, visibility is limited to 45 feet.

Random Encounters

In addition to the inhabitants noted in specific areas, the adventurers might run into Arauthator’s minions in any corridor or empty chamber. Whenever the characters move from a chamber into the circular corridor, or from the corridor into a chamber with no occupants, roll a d6. On a roll of 1, an encounter occurs. Then roll on the table to determine the specifics.

Ice Caves Encounters

Fog

The air is suddenly filled with roiling vapor. Visibility is reduced to 5 feet for 2 minutes or until the characters move 90 feet away.

Kobolds

Arauthator brought a pack of unwitting kobolds to Oyaviggaton generations ago, and the creatures have been serving him in the frigid cold ever since. In the event of an encounter, a squad of 3d6 Kobold is working in or passing through the area. If the characters are dressed as Ice Hunter villagers or are wearing some other appropriate disguise, the kobolds eye them warily but don’t immediately sound an alarm. Make a single Wisdom check for the kobolds with a DC equal to the lowest of the characters' checks to disguise themselves. The kobolds' Wisdom modifier is–2, but they have advantage on this check because of their numbers. If the check is successful (or if the characters aren’t disguised), the kobolds launch a single volley of sling stones at the intruders, then flee in as many directions as possible to report the intrusion to the ice toads or ice trolls.

Ice Toads

A crew of 1d6 Ice Toad (see appendix D) is working in this area or passing along the corridor. Disguises are ineffective against the ice toads, which know what creatures live in Oyaviggaton at any given time. If they see anything unexpected—even Ice Hunter villagers entering the caves without permission—they stop what they’re doing and observe the characters' actions, asking questions if they can. The ice toads flee to the ice trolls if threatened, fighting only if they must.

The ice toads speak their own language, plus enough Draconic and Uluik to communicate with Arauthator, the kobolds, and the Ice Hunters. They work for Arauthator but have no special devotion to the dragon. If a fight is coming, their loyalty goes to whomever they expect to win. That means the dragon, unless the characters somehow impress them.

Maccath the Crimson

Maccath often wanders the ice caves, deep in thought. On meeting strangers, her reaction is oddly subdued. See area 10 for more details on Maccath’s situation.

Ice Trolls

Encountered singly or in small roving gangs, Ice Troll are ordinary trolls with bluish skin and immunity to cold damage. Unless any ice toads are nearby to intervene, the ice trolls treat any creature not a kobold, an ice toad, Maccath, or an Ice Hunter as an intruder. For more information on the ice trolls working for Arauthator, see area area 12.

Ice Caves (areas 1-7)

1. Entrance from Hut

Inside the hut of the shaman Bonecarver, old furs heaped atop poles are laid across an opening leading down to the ice caves. Steps are cut into the wall of the chute, creating steep, icy stairs that drop down 100 feet in a tight spiral. Because this entrance is seldom used, the steps become increasingly obscured by frost as the characters descend. At the 40-foot mark, a character must attempt a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to maintain a grip on the dangerously uneven footholds. Failure means the character loses his or her footing, sliding and tumbling 60 feet to the bottom and taking 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage. Characters can mitigate this danger by roping themselves together or using a climber’s kit. Past the 40-foot mark, the steps improve again so that no further checks are necessary.

The chute and its icy stairs end at the ceiling. A sturdy ladder then descends into the approximate center of a rectangular chamber. The exit to the corridor is an icy, 15-foot-wide passageway sloping downward.

The chamber is empty except for a dozen baskets woven from leather strips and walrus ribs, stacked in the north corner. These contain frozen fish and a few skin-wrapped bundles of rotting shark meat that the Ice Hunters consider a delicacy.

2. Entrance from the Village Hall

Hidden beneath the planks in the back corner of the village hall, this entrance to the ice caves consists of a chute carved with icy stairs descending 100 feet in a tight spiral. This route is used regularly to bring supplies to Arauthator’s minions, so the steps are clear and easy to climb. Supplies are carried down strapped to villagers' backs, or lowered in baskets with the pulley and rope in the village hall.

This chamber is empty except for three bundles of rolled-up sealskins sitting where the ladder descends from the chute above to the approximate center of the room. Additionally, a bed of piled furs has been arranged in the southwest corner, from which the sound of loud coughing can be heard when the characters enter the chamber. Villagers who suffer disease or injury beyond Bonecarver’s limited healing ability are quarantined here in the relative warmth of the caves. The coughing villager is named Mend-nets (tribal warrior).

Mend-nets is naturally suspicious of strangers, but if any character can use lesser restoration to cure his disease, he becomes a trustworthy ally. He won’t do anything to hurt the village or the tribe, but he hates the kobolds who live in the caves. The ice toads likewise repulse him, though they also ignore him. The ice trolls terrify him, and he has awoken several times to find a troll hungrily peering at him from the tunnel leading to the trolls' lair (area area 12). He tells the characters that the creatures of the caves have been warned of their presence, but the only chambers he knows anything about besides this one are areas 1, 3, and area 7.

3. Larder

The supplies that the villagers provide for Arauthator and his minions are stored here—mostly dried and frozen fish, whale, seal, walrus, and giant squid, plus furs that the kobolds fashion into protective clothing. Fish organs, shells, bones, soft stone, and other sundries are stored in smaller quantities, and are used by the ice toads to make ink, brushes, parchment, and other items for their work. A few seemingly inexplicable items are stored away from the other supplies, including a single steel gauntlet, a silver brooch containing a cameo, the brass hilt of a dueling knife, and a decorative belt buckle—bits and pieces that the villagers have pulled from the stomachs of sharks or giant octopi that have fed on explorers lost to the Sea of Moving Ice.

Also stockpiled in this chamber are coils of rope, spikes, and a few pulleys. It’s clear at a glance that this gear has come from the south and was not made by the Ice Hunters. The kobolds use this equipment when something—or someone—needs to be lowered down into Arauthator’s lair through area 6. The pulley is attached to the iron hook in the ceiling of that chamber.

4. Kobolds' Den

Arauthator’s kobold servants live in this chamber.

A dozen kobolds occupy this disheveled and filthy chamber. Half-eaten fish heads and gnawed seal flippers are tossed into corners or carelessly strewn around matted heaps of furs, which would undoubtedly smell as bad as they look if not for the cold.

The chamber holds 12 Kobold when the characters enter. A few are sleeping but most are tossing knucklebones, sharpening blades, sewing clothing, carving whalebone, or picking on each other. See “area Random Encounters” (above) for guidelines on how the kobolds respond to intruders.

If the characters spend a few minutes searching the area, a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check suggests that approximately two dozen kobolds live in this chamber.

Treasure

Their only possessions of value are a number of walrus tusks carved with draconic imagery, six of which are of sufficient artistry to fetch 200 gp each from a suitable collector.

5. Junk Room

The kobolds throw their litter, food scraps, waste, worn-out boots, and other useless junk into this cavernous chamber. Its pit-like floor is filled to a depth of several feet, courtesy of minions that have been serving Arauthator in this iceberg for centuries. The trash floor of the chamber can be safely traversed, but there is nothing of value here.

6. The Chute

This narrow cavern is the access point to the lair of Arauthator below.

This chamber feels far colder than any area of the ice caves you’ve explored so far. The cold issues from a yawning pit in the floor that twists down into darkness, and above which a heavy iron hook is anchored in the ice of the ceiling. A five-foot-wide walkway extends around both sides of the pit, connecting this entrance to an exit across the room. Carved into the ice of the walls are images of white dragons in flight.

A visual inspection from either doorway indicates that the walkway looks safe enough—aside from being icy, narrow, and adjacent to an apparently bottomless pit. The walkway that crosses the east and north sides of the chamber is, in fact, safe, and characters can walk along it without difficulty. The walkway that crosses the west and south walls is weakened and dangerous. When a character reaches the bend in the walkway, have the player roll any die. If an odd number is rolled, a portion of the wall crumbles, and any creature on the walkway must attempt a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed off the walkway into the chute.

The chute drops 60 feet to the top of the ice platform in **area area 16 ** in Arauthator’s lair. A creature tipped into the chute slides as much as falls, taking only 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage when hitting bottom. The creature must then attempt a Dexterity saving throw or fall off the ice platform; see area 16 for more information. A creature that jumps into the chute on purpose takes half damage from the descent and has advantage on the saving throw to stay on the ice platform.

7. Hall of Giants

The bodies of some of the frost giants Arauthator has fought and killed over the centuries are on display in this chamber, frozen into crystal-clear ice walls. Visibility at this level is only 45 feet, so characters won’t be able to see much from the doorway. As they move into the chamber, the shape of the first frost giant becomes dimly visible at a distance of 60 feet. At 45 feet, the figure is easily mistakable for a living frost giant standing perfectly still. At 30 feet, the characters recognize that the giant is dead and frozen, seeing its torn armor and the awful claw wounds in its pale blue flesh. The hall displays the bodies of eight frost giants, one fire giant, and one cloud giant.

When the characters arrive in this area, 8 Kobold are working in the chamber, polishing and maintaining the ice. If they recognize the characters as intruders, they try to keep away from them in the fog, then slip out of the chamber when they can.

Ice Caves (areas 8-14)

8. Trophy Hall

Trophies of Arauthator’s many battles are displayed in this chamber. Visibility is 45 feet, so the characters won’t be able to see much from the doorway. Among the creatures frozen here in death are two remorhazes, a trio of behirs, five abominable yetis, and a giant squid of jaw-dropping size. A complete longship with sail raised is also on display here. The ship clearly will not fit through any of the iceberg’s entrances; it was painstakingly disassembled outside and reassembled here by the kobolds. Characters who know ships can see mistakes in the rigging and hull planking, but it’s passably good work for a display.

Treasure

Of more immediate interest is the open chest of gold and jewels sitting on the ship’s deck. The chest contains 375 gp, 1,480 ep, and 495 sp, plus jewelry and precious objects worth another 225 gp. A character examining the chest without disturbing it or the contents can estimate its value at between 1,000 and 1,500 gp with a successful DC 10 Intelligence check.

If the chest or any of the treasure it contains—even a single coin—is removed from the ship, Arauthator senses it immediately and dispatches 2 Ice Troll (see area area 12) to investigate.

9. Unused Chamber

This chamber is empty, awaiting the day when Arauthator’s collection of trophies overflows areas 7 and 8.

10. Maccath the Crimson

If Maccath the Crimson hasn’t been encountered elsewhere in Oyaviggaton, the characters meet her here.

At the top of the ramp from area 9, 1 ice Ice Troll (see area 12) stands guard over this cavern. It positions itself around the corner so it can’t be seen until intruders reach the top of the ramp.

The empty ice floor of this chamber holds a most unexpected sight. A large shelter is seemingly built of scraps, and in the style of the tents used by the desert nomads of Calimshan, some two thousand miles to the south.

Maccath’s shelter is made from huge tapestries and carpets draped across a frame of whale ribs, and stands 8 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and 30 feet long. The bottoms of the walls drape down onto the ground, leaving no gaps underneath. The tent has no obvious entrance, but a character can slide between any two overlapping tapestries to emerge inside the shelter.

When the characters step inside, read or paraphrase the following.

The interior of the shelter is surprisingly warm, thanks to a small stove and simple lamps burning aromatic whale oil. Carpets are heaped on the floor in thick layers, and tapestries from every culture in Faerûn hang suspended from a sturdy frame of whale ribs.

Books and scrolls are stacked neatly on tables and reading stands made of hide and whalebone. The only furnishings in the shelter not made from these natural materials are the carpets and tapestries, and a portable writing desk that appears to have been taken from a sailing ship.

If this is the characters' first meeting with Maccath the Crimson, add:

Seated at the writing desk is a female tiefling wearing a blazing crimson cloak over tailored furs. The cloak is fastened with a silver-and-ivory brooch bearing a design reminiscent of a stylized, branching tree—the symbol of the Arcane Brotherhood. Two kobold attendants stand nearby, glancing nervously between you and the tiefling. After a few moments, the tiefling looks up with an expression of pale disinterest and asks, “Have you come to save me or kill me? Not that there will be much difference between the two.”

When Maccath arrived at Oyaviggaton three years ago, Arauthator would normally have killed her without a second thought. However, the brooch of the Arcane Brotherhood she wore suggested to Arauthator that the tiefling might present a solution to two problems. First, the dragon possessed numerous items stolen from the Arcane Brotherhood, some of which defied his understanding even after decades of study. Second, Arauthator had long sought to help his mate Arveiaturace overcome her grief over the death of the wizard she once served. Replacing that wizard with a member of the Arcane Brotherhood seemed a perfect solution.

Maccath was smart enough to convince the dragon that his offer had won her over, expecting that she would eventually be able to seek a means of escape from the iceberg. However, she has so far been thwarted by Arauthator’s potent magic—including spells and rituals stolen from the Arcane Brotherhood—which have kept her sealed and helpless in Oyaviggaton, invisible to scrying and unable to use sending to call for help. Before he turns Maccath over to Arveiaturace, Arauthator has had the tiefling deciphering his stolen writings, though the work has gone slowly thanks to the inherent complexity and danger of the material. Maccath is studying one of the stolen scrolls when the characters walk in.

If the characters announced their presence by fighting the ice troll, the 2 Kobold will be visibly agitated, even though Maccath shows little concern. The kobolds have been directed to stay with the tiefling and follow her orders, which mostly means undertaking errands to the scriptorium (area 11). She also relies on them for cooking, housekeeping, and other mundane chores. The moment the characters make it clear that they are here to rescue Maccath, the kobolds make a dash for area area 12. They alert the ice trolls unless they are stopped.

Maccath’s Bargain

Though she is a prisoner, Maccath has become obsessed with completing Arauthator’s challenging magical translations. Like most members of the Arcane Brotherhood, she is dedicated to the point of arrogance, believing that even if she is fated to die as a dragon’s plaything, she will have accomplished something magnificent first.

As such, the tiefling sets out terms for her rescue, saying that she won’t leave Oyaviggaton without bringing along as much of the Arcane Brotherhood’s stolen property as she can. If the characters agree, Maccath shares the following information:

• Arauthator is currently inarea area 20 of his lair, close to the entrance beneath the scriptorium (area 11).
• Most of the material stolen from the Hosttower is in the scriptorium, but a few items might be in Arauthator’s lair (see “area Arauthator’s Treasure” at the end of this chapter.)
• Maccath knows the general layout of the dragon’s cavern but not its specific dangers. Arauthator has never allowed her out of his sight in the lair. In particular, she knows nothing of the scrags in area area 15 or the traps in area area 18.
• Two entrances lead to Arauthator’s lair—one in the adjoining scriptorium and the other in area area 6.
• Arauthator moves in and out of the lair using underwater passages.
• The Draakhorn was here when Maccath came to Oyaviggaton, but a group of humans wearing distinctive robes came to the iceberg half a year ago. After negotiation with Arauthator, they took the device away. (The characters recognize Cult of the Dragon regalia in Maccath’s description of the humans.) In addition to this, Maccath can tell the characters all the information about the Draakhorn as it’s described in chapter 17.
• Trying to escape from the iceberg on a ship would be suicidal while Arauthator is able to attack from the air. The dragon is content to let his minions deal with intruders, but he will be alerted if the characters flee.
• Even if the adventurers have not alerted any of the dragon’s servants, Maccath’s absence would be reported within a day. When that happens, the dragon will come looking for her and whoever helped her escape.

Maccath knows that surprise is the characters' best weapon for challenging the dragon, and that he will not risk dying over this single lair. Though he hates the idea of abandoning a home with its treasure and trophies, if bested by the adventurers, Arauthator will flee to one of his other lairs.

Treasure

If the party seems intent on fighting Arauthator, Maccath offers them a Ring of Cold Resistance and two Arrow of Slaying that she has crafted during her captivity. Though these items and her draconic knowledge give the characters an edge, she warns the party that Arauthator has devoured almost every hero he has faced.

11. Scriptorium

Though this chamber is deeper than the adjacent caverns, no mist hangs in the air here.

Three shelves stand in this otherwise empty cavern, cobbled together out of salvaged wood, whale bone, pieces of giants' armor, and even the frozen limbs of yetis. A number of scrolls, books, parchments, and folios are carefully arranged on the shelves, all bearing the markings of magical writing.

If Maccath is with the characters, she can direct them to the items stolen from the Hosttower of the Arcane. She cautions the characters not to read or even peruse the material for their own safety. The writings are laced with diabolical lore that is anathema to the mortal mind.

Characters unable to read magic can’t make any headway in the books. A character who can read magic who examines the writings must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. Success indicates that the character recognizes the danger and stops reading. Failure indicates the character absorbs the power of the fiendish lore and suffers a psychic shock. While suffering this shock, the character has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and must attempt a DC 10 Constitution check to cast a spell. On a failed check, the spell cannot be cast, though the spell slot is not expended. The character can make another saving throw to end the effect each time he or she finishes a long rest.

Treasure

Arcane spellcasters can find much of value in this scriptorium, along with much that’s worthless. Arauthator has collected many spellbooks from slain wizards over the centuries. More importantly for the party’s immediate benefit, he also collected dozens of scrolls. Though many of those here have deteriorated from dampness or age, characters who spend a few minutes searching can find ten Spell Scroll: gaseous form, haste, protection from energy, water breathing, Evard’s black tentacles, fire shield, wall of fire, hold monster, chain lightning, and disintegrate.

Access to Arauthator’s Lair

Near the western end of the scriptorium, a 15-foot-wide chute leads down to area 19 of Arauthator’s lair. The dragon can clamber up and down this passage without difficulty. Characters proficient in Athletics can climb down the chute using crampons or some other device to grip the wall. Other characters can climb down only with ropes, pitons, and other climbing gear. The chute descends 60 feet to the roof of area area 19, after which characters must drop 15 feet to the ice platform.

Before the characters head down into the cavern, Maccath tells them they have no easy way back up to these chambers. Old White Death doesn’t want anyone—intruders or guests—to be able to easily leave his lair.

12. Ice Trolls

The ice trolls that Arauthator has gathered to his service use this hall as their residence, and no other creatures are permitted here. An ice troll has bluish, translucent skin and immunity to cold damage; it otherwise has the statistics of an ordinary troll.

A minimum of 2 Ice Troll are here when characters first enter, but 3 or more can be placed in this area at your discretion (and depending on whether the adventurers meet conditions that might lead to fighting; see below).

This cavernous chamber is filled with drifting mist that shrouds a field of ice pillars rising from floor to ceiling. The muffled silence beyond is broken only by the sound of running water.

Ice pillars and pressure ridges form razor-sharp crags that loom out of the roiling fog. Streams of crackling water, magically flowing even at subzero temperatures, course thickly through the hollows beneath wind-driven, icy snow.

From the entrance, only swirling fog can be seen and only the wind can be heard. If Maccath or any ice toad is with the party, they advise the characters in the strongest possible terms to stay out of this chamber. Those who venture here aree silently surrounded and ambushed by the ice trolls. The trolls hungrily pursue the adventurers if they flee, but they heed the ice toads and refrain from attacking if the toads command them to.

The trolls speak Giant and understand a little bit of the Draconic tongue. They are willing to trade or bargain with characters who prove too difficult to kill. Only the verifiable offer of food and treasure can convince the trolls to turn against Arauthator.

13. Ice Toad Workplace

Giant ice toads serve Arauthator as overseers at Oyaviggaton. They manage the labor of the kobolds, direct the Ice Hunter villagers to provide the lair with food and other supplies, and have the patience required to deal with the ornery ice trolls.

A bizarre sight greets you in this rough-walled chamber. About a dozen giant toads with thick, mottled white hides are at work here, scribing strange writing into the ice of the walls, or onto weathered parchment and stone tablets. A few toads transfer parchments and tablets into and out of floor-to-ceiling cubbyholes cut into the ice along the entire southern wall.

A total of 11 Ice Toad (see appendix D for statistics) work in this chamber, scribing records and tallies into the ice using sharpened antlers or their own claws. They also maintain rough maps of the Sea of Moving Ice based on reports from the Ice Hunter villagers. At regular intervals, their temporary records are transferred to more permanent form.

See “Random Encounters” (above) for guidelines on how the giant ice toads respond to intruders. The characters' best chance to avoid a fight in this area—and to keep the toads from alerting the ice trolls—is to win the ice toads to their cause by treating with their leader, Marfulb.

The average ice toad is smart, but their leader Marfulb is exceptional (Intelligence 13). Her knack for organization and governance had no outlet until her path crossed Arauthator’s on the Sea of Moving Ice, and she has served as the seneschal of Oyaviggaton for the four decades since. Not even Arauthator understands the workings of Oyaviggaton as well as Marfulb, who knows the contents and value of every pack, chest, and heap of coins in the iceberg down to the last copper piece.

Marfulb’s Lore

In addition to data about Arauthator—his treasures, mating habits, and epic battles with frost giants and other monsters—the information amassed by the ice toads includes exhaustive details on the ever-changing Sea of Moving Ice, the weather north of the Spine of the World, and the culture of the elusive Ice Hunters. Marfulb feels great satisfaction in her life’s work, but she knows too little about society south of the Spine of the World to sense its full importance.

Characters equipped with a bag of holding could take all the parchments and stone slabs with them when they leave Oyaviggaton. The Arcane Brotherhood would regard the lore as one of the most amazing works of natural philosophy in existence (once it is painstakingly translated from the ice toads' unique language), and they would clamor to meet and praise Marfulb. Without a bag of holding, the collection is too large to move.

14. Ice Toad Lair

This freezing, miserable chamber makes a perfect home for the ice toads, but is presently empty. None of the toads' belongings here has value as loot, but they make a strange and curious collection. Such objects include walrus-tooth wart scrapers, spears fashioned from narwhal horn, oddly shaped furniture sculpted into the icy floor instead of rising above it, writing implements carved from baleen and shaped for a webbed hand, and art objects that combine carved whalebone, driftwood, and mundane items such as silverware and glass stoppers salvaged from shipwrecks.

Arauthator’s Lair

The dragon’s lair is a single, cavernous chamber with many nooks, crannies, and icy outcroppings.

General Features

Like the caverns above it, Arauthator’s lair is composed entirely of ice.

Ceiling

The rough ceiling of the open cavern rises 40 feet above the varying height of the uneven floor.

Floors

The floor of the cavern is worn smooth and is highly slippery. Arauthator and the scrags move across the slick ice with ease thanks to their claws, but characters without crampons or the ability to walk on ice treat all areas of the lair cavern as difficult terrain. See the “General Features” of the ice caves for information on crampons. Snowshoes are of no help in the lair.

The terrain levels represented on the map of the cavern show increments of 8 feet. The elevation of the floor results from the ice splitting and splintering, so the ledges are abrupt and have a distinctly step-like appearance. Characters can drop down a level without difficulty. Scrambling up a level requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check; the climber has advantage on the check if equipped with crampons or climbing gear.

Light

The lair cavern is normally dark. All description assumes that the characters have a light source or darkvision.

Temperature

The lair cavern is colder than the tunnels and chambers above it. The cavern is a bone-chilling 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Area 20 is even colder.

Visibility

Banks of vapor roll through the cavern, limiting visibility to 60 feet for characters with light.

15. Scrags' Lair

This corner of the cavern is home to 2 Scrag that Arauthator allows to live in his lair, provided they guard it in his absence. These aquatic trolls can breathe underwater and have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

If the characters approach, the scrags duck into hiding places, then attempt to attack from ambush and claim an unexpected meal.

16. Ice Pillars

Pillars of ice jut from the floor in this area. Climbing an ice pillar more than 8 feet tall requires a climber’s kit and a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.

A creature dropping down the chute from area 6 lands on the top level of the large ice platform in the southeast part of the cavern, 16 feet above the cavern floor. The creature must then succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to stay on the platform. (A creature that intentionally jumps down the chute takes half damage from the descent and has advantage on this saving throw.) If the saving throw fails, the creature slides off the top level of the icy platform and hits the second level, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage and falling prone.

Any creature falling to the cavern floor attracts the attention of the scrags in area 15.

17. The Icewolf’s Spine

This jagged ridge of ice divides the cavern into sections. Climbing up to at least the 8-foot level and moving along the ridge is the only safe way to get from area 15 or 16 into area area 19 or area 20 without encountering the traps in areas 18a and 18b.

Unlike other ledges in the cavern, the horizontal surfaces of the Icewolf’s Spine aren’t level. The denizens of the lair can traverse the ledges without difficulty, but any other creature that moves more than 15 feet during a round must make a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Failure indicates that the creature loses its footing and falls to the next level below, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. Wearing crampons grants advantage on this check.

18a. The Gullet

This narrow passage is rigged with a magic trap. When the first character passes through the narrowest point of the passage, the entire area of the passage fills with a stinking cloud for 1 minute.

Arauthator immediately becomes aware of intruders if the stinking cloud is triggered. The dragon does not set off the trap if it moves through the area.

18b. The Throat

This narrow passage is rigged with a magic trap. When the first character moves through the narrowest point of the passage, a slow spell is triggered, targeting every creature in the area. Creatures affected by the spell suffer its effects for 1 minute.

Arauthator immediately becomes aware of intruders if the slow spell is triggered. The dragon does not set off the trap if it moves through the area.

19. The Perch

Arauthator sometimes sleeps on this vast ice shelf, but more often he spends his time lounging in area 20. Much of the treasure the dragon keeps at Oyaviggaton is stashed here and on the ledges above. See “area Arauthator’s Treasure,” below.

20. Arauthator’s Abyss

The western end of the lair cavern is where Arauthator (an adult white dragon) spends most of his time at Oyaviggaton. Gold, jewels, and other treasure lies scattered on the floor and frozen into the walls of this vast chamber.

It is noticeably colder here than anywhere else in the iceberg, reaching–10 degrees Fahrenheit. Any character in an area where the temperature is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour. Characters without cold weather gear automatically fail this save. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion.

When the characters face off against Arauthator, the dragon roars so loudly that the whole iceberg reverberates with his rage. This calls the ice trolls from area area 12, which arrive 5 rounds later.

Pools of slush spread across the floor of the cavern, prevented from freezing by the seawater’s high salt content. One such pool, in the westernmost angle of the cavern, conceals a flooded passage connecting to the Sea of Moving Ice. This is Arauthator’s customary entrance and exit. When the dragon is reduced to 100 hit points or fewer and facing three or more foes, he dives for this exit and escapes into the frozen sea. If the dragon flees, the ice trolls retreat as well.

Developments

If the characters defeat Arauthator, the reactions of Oyaviggaton’s other inhabitants are dependent on whether the dragon is killed or driven off.

If Arauthator is killed, the ice toads grieve, but they won’t take any action against the characters. In contrast, the kobolds are furious with grief, throwing themselves at the characters in frenzied, suicidal attacks. The ice trolls' reaction will likely be influenced by whatever interaction the characters had with them earlier. The trolls might flee without a word, or they might decide they like Oyaviggaton and make it their permanent home.

The Ice Hunters are elated over the dragon’s death. When the characters emerge from the iceberg, the normally reserved villagers greet them with cheers and offers of the choicest fermented fish. The villagers then begin packing their few belongings into their hide boats and prepare to leave immediately.

If Arauthator is wounded and driven off, Maccath or Marfulb know enough of the dragon to predict that he will spend months recovering at one of his other lairs before returning to Oyaviggaton. The Ice Hunters believe that this gives them enough time to lose themselves in the vast expanse of the Sea of Moving Ice and find a new home where Arauthator can’t track them. The dragon is vengeful, but with everything else going on, Maccath believes Arauthator won’t put any real effort into seeking out his former thralls. The Ice Hunters have no contact with civilization, so they can’t possibly spread word of his humiliating defeat.

With the dragon’s disappearance, the kobolds hide if they can, while the ice toads demonstrate the same impassive stoicism they show if the dragon is killed. The ice trolls shy away from Arauthator’s treasure as long as he is alive, knowing better than to come between a dragon and its hoard. They don’t really care if someone else plunders items from the dragon’s hoard, and they’re too stupid to think they might be blamed for any such thefts.

Leaving Oyaviggaton

The characters have no chance to sail away from the iceberg aboard Frostskimmr while Arauthator is free to attack. The dragon can strike just as easily from the sky or from beneath the water, freezing or capsizing the ship, then picking off the crew at his leisure. If the adventurers try to sneak away with Maccath, the sorcerer’s absence is noticed by the kobolds and ice toads within a day.

If Arauthator was beaten in combat and forced to retreat, he will not pursue Frostskimmr as the characters sail away. The adventurers and the crew might see the dragon shadowing them in the far distance, but Arauthator is too proud and fearful to face the party again.

Arauthator’s Treasure

If Old White Death is killed or driven away, he leaves his iceberg lair’s treasure hoard behind. (Because Oyaviggaton is just one of a number of minor lairs maintained by the dragon, the treasure here represents only the smallest part of his total wealth.)

Areas 19 and 20 contain a total of 700 gp, 1,000 sp, and 20 precious stones (five each worth 200 gp, 400 gp, 600 gp, and 800 gp). In addition, add potions, scrolls, and magic items at your discretion. Alternatively, use the treasure tables in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to generate a hoard whose value is in line with your campaign.

To claim this treasure, it must be hacked out of the ice in the lair cavern. Doing so takes half a day (and is thus impossible if Arauthator is still in the lair).

Marfulb’s four decades of data on Arauthator is priceless to the Arcane Brotherhood (a fact Maccath will recognize if the characters don’t) or to other collectors of draconic lore. If the dragon is dead, Marfulb can be talked into letting this material be transported south, provided she gets to come along. If Arauthator still lives, the ice toad would prefer to stay and continue her work with her records intact.

Conclusion

Arauthator is a strong ally of the Cult of the Dragon, and the adventurers deal a solid blow to the cult by defeating him. Additionally, by returning Maccath and the stolen lore of the Hosttower, the characters can earn the allegiance of the Arcane Brotherhood in the fight against the cult’s plans.

The characters gain a level at the end of this chapter.