Chapter 7 - Introduction

From their icy fortress of Svardborg, Jarl Storvald and his frost giants strike out in their ships in search of the Ring of Winter, an artifact they can use to bring about the Age of Everlasting Ice. Although they’re far from reaching that goal, the frost giants pose a terrible threat to the North. In this part of their mission, the characters confront this threat head-on.

If the characters obtain Storvald’s conch of teleportation, they can use it to travel to Maelstrom, King Hekaton’s undersea citadel (see chapter 10, “Hold of the Storm Giants”). In the course of accomplishing that goal, the characters must elude or overcome the many ruthless denizens of the fortress.

The good news is that things could be worse. The bad news is that they soon will be. When the adventurers first arrive at Svardborg, Jarl Storvald isn’t there. He’s aboard the Krigvind, his flagship, hunting whales in the Sea of Moving Ice. As the characters search for his conch, the Krigvind and its giants are on their way back.

Frost Giants

Review the information on frost giant in the Monster Manual. It’ll help you roleplay the giants in this chapter.

Reclaiming Svardborg

When Annam the All-Father shattered the ordning, Jarl Storvald and his frost giants set sail in an enormous ship called the Krigvind to reclaim Svardborg, a circle of immense lodges built atop an iceberg in the Sea of Moving Ice. In Svardborg’s temple of Thrym, the giants found seven white dragon eggs. Shortly after the giants seized the eggs, a mated pair of adult white dragons, Cryovain and Isendraug, returned from a hunt and demanded that the giants relinquish their offspring. Storvald threatened to destroy the unhatched wyrmlings unless Cryovain and Isendraug submitted to his will. The dimwitted white dragons conceded and were subdued. The giants confined Isendraug to her lair in the temple, and Cryovain was chained to the deck of the Krigvind.

After enslaving the dragons, the giants stumbled upon a tribe of Northlander barbarians living on ice floes in the Sea of Moving Ice and conquered them as well. The Northfolk were transported to Svardborg and tasked with repairing the frost giants' lodges and freeing several greatships (giant-sized longships) entombed in the ice. These barbarians respect the might of the frost giants and, being evil themselves, serve the giants without protest. The barbarians speak Yeti as well as Giant, and have several enslaved yetis working among them. The frost giants and the yetis don’t share a language, so the giants rely on the barbarians to command the yetis.

The Ring of Winter

After reclaiming Svardborg, Jarl Storvald used rune magic to divine how best to find the Ring of Winter -what the frost giants call the Ice That Never Melts. The runes told Storvald that help would come to him after he staged a series of raids on coastal communities. He sent ships to attack sites along the Sword Coast, and during a raid on Port Llast, the giants captured a Zhentarim mage, Nilraun Dhaerlost. Nilraun was dragged before Storvald and came to realize that the frost giants were searching for the Ring of Winter. As the runes had foretold, Nilraun was also searching for the ring and knew about its recent history. He suggested the formation of an alliance between Jarl Storvald and the Black Network, sweetening the deal by offering the frost giant jarl exactly what he needed: information on the ring’s current wearer, Artus Cimber, and a drop of Cimber’s blood (which the Black Network had in its possession). Nilraun is now waiting for the frost giants to track down the ring, so that he can steal it and claim it for himself. Storvald also wants the ring, and each villain is secretly plotting to betray the other once the ring is found.

Storvald used Artus Cimber’s drop of blood in a rune magic ritual to turn a giant diamond into a blod stone. Unfortunately for the jarl, the item can’t find Artus Cimber specifically; instead, it identifies the location of the nearest creature that has Artus’s blood flowing through its veins. Artus has many living relatives, and a few of those reside in the North. The blod stone has pointed Storvald toward the town of Bryn Shander in Icewind Dale, where one of Artus’s children dwells (see chapter 2). The jarl has sent a band of frost giants there to find Artus Cimber and obtain the ring.

The Ring of Winter is an elusive artifact, and neither it nor its bearer can be found in the course of this adventure. Characters who set out to find the ring for themselves will quickly hit one dead end after another. Even divination won’t reveal the ring’s current whereabouts. Over the years, various Harpers have dedicated resources toward finding Artus Cimber and the ring, to no avail. If the Harpers catch wind of the characters' attempts to locate Artus and the ring, they try to discourage any such pursuit. Artus Cimber and the Ring of Winter have roles to play in another adventure.

Svardborg

In the age when giants ruled the North, Svardborg was a remote village where frost giants came to hunt whales and giant walruses. It was abandoned after the empire of Ostoria fell and, over time, drifted northward and became entombed in ice. Today, Svardborg floats amid hundreds of other icebergs in the Sea of Moving Ice. Three of the lodges are still entombed in ice, while the others have been chipped out of the ice and rendered habitable. The expansion and contraction of the ice over the centuries damaged the lodges, and repairs to them are under way. Jarl Storvald has sent ships to the mainland to gather the wood needed to make repairs.

The lodges are perched on sheer cliffs of ice that plunge 50 feet into the sea. The cliffs are only 10 feet high near the Drydock Lodge (area 3), where the giants have built a wooden pier for docking their punts.

A wide cleft in the iceberg offers access to Svardborg’s hollow heart-a water-filled chamber open to the sky where the giants moor their greatships. Stretched across the passage is a gate in the form of a net of thick iron chains. The giants lower the chains into the water to let their ships pass through. A small vessel, such as a rowboat sized for humans, can slip through the net even while the gate is raised. Ships bigger than a rowboat are too large to pass through the gate when it is raised.

Svardborg: General Features

Svardborg is an iceberg with several giant-sized lodges situated in a ring on it. Three of the lodges are entombed in ice, while the remainder are partially exposed. All the lodges have a thick layer of ice on them, indicated by the pale blue ring on the map. The hollow heart of Svardborg is a flooded ice cavern that is open to the sky and where the frost giants moor their enormous ships.

Ceilings: Unless otherwise noted, ceilings inside the lodges are 40 feet high with 30-foot-high rafters.

Climbing: A creature can scale the icy cliffs of Svardborg and the ice-glazed walls of the lodges with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. The cliffs that form the outer edge of the iceberg are 50 feet high, except for the wall that adjoins the docks (near area 3), which is 10 feet high.

Cold Weather: The temperature throughout Svardborg is well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The rules for extreme cold and frigid water apply (see the “Wilderness Survival” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

Doors: Svardborg’s doors are 25 feet tall and made of thick wood, with handles positioned 11 feet above the floor. A Huge giant has no trouble opening one. A smaller creature can attempt to open a door, provided that creature or some other helpful creature can reach the door’s handle and unlatch it. While the handle is unlatched, a creature must use an action to push or pull on the heavy door, opening it with a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check.

Illumination: Continual flame spells cast on torch sconces cast a pale bluish light that illuminates some areas.

Oversized Furnishings and Objects: Most of the furnishings and other items in Svardborg are sized for frost giants. Exceptions are noted in the text. Tables, benches, and other room fixtures are typically twice as high, long, and wide as their human-sized equivalents and roughly eight times the weight. Small and Medium creatures can scuttle under and clamber over giant-sized furniture, treating the spaces the furniture occupies as difficult terrain.

Stairs: Staircases within Svardborg are sized for frost giants. Each step is 3 feet tall by 3 feet deep. Medium and smaller creatures treat the staircases as difficult terrain.

Vessels: The frost giants use two types of ships: greatships and punts. These vehicles are made of frost-covered wood and have sails made from dragon wings. When not in use, the ships are anchored and their sails are lowered.

• Greatships are longships sized for frost giants. A typical greatship measures 240 feet from bow to stern and requires a crew of at least ten creatures that are Large or bigger. A greatship has a speed of 6 mph, AC 15, a damage threshold of 20, and 3,000 hit points. It can hold up to twenty giants plus 200 tons of cargo.

• Punts are keelboats sized for frost giants. Each is roughly the same size as a human-scale longship. A single giant can steer a punt, and a crew of eight Small or Medium humanoids can operate one as well. A punt typically holds two giants and up to 10 tons of cargo. It has a speed of 2 mph, AC 15, a damage threshold of 15, and 300 hit points.

Reaching Svardborg

Unless they have the means to get there by air, the characters must secure passage on a ship and travel across the Sea of Moving Ice to reach Svardborg (shown on maps 7.1 and 7.2).

Airship

If the characters have an airship (see the “Airship of a Cult” section in chapter 4), they can use it to reach Svardborg and avoid a long, icy sea voyage.

Flying Mounts

The coastal village of Fireshear is home to a griffon rider and trainer, Dasharra Keldabar. Characters seeking flying mounts in Waterdeep, Neverwinter, or Luskan are directed to Dasharra. They can pay her for griffon-riding lessons and then use the griffons to fly to Svardborg. When the characters are ready to leave, Dasharra leads the way on Screecher, her personal griffon mount. Dasharra’s griffons fly at a speed of 8 miles per hour and can travel roughly 64 miles per day when flying against the wind. The flight to Svardborg takes five days, with strong, cold headwinds the entire way. Thanks to a stiff tailwind, the return trip is shorter, with the griffons able to cover roughly 80 miles a day. Dasharra expects characters to provide their own cold weather survival gear, supplies, and rations.

When the group reaches Svardborg, Dasharra recommends that the characters land their griffons on the docks south of area 3 (see the “Approaching Svardborg” section for other possible places to land). Dasharra remains with the griffons while the characters explore the frost giant fortress, and the characters can count on her to stick around for the return trip.

Characters can secure flying mounts of a different sort at Hawk’s Nest, where knights of the Order of the Gauntlet breed hippogriffs. The journey from Hawk’s Nest to Svardborg is long. Flying west against headwinds, the hippogriffs can travel 45 miles per day (three 3-hour flights with 1-hour rests in between). An eastward journey benefits from tailwinds, allowing the hippogriffs to travel 60 miles per day.

Seafaring Vessel

Characters who need to make the trip by ship can find a seafaring vessel in Luskan, Neverwinter, or Waterdeep.

Luskan

The characters can approach one of the city’s High Captains. For a bribe of no less than 1,500 gp (half up front, half upon safe return), a High Captain provides a longship with a crew of forty pirates (CN male and female Illuskan human bandit) and an arrogant but green captain, Vaalrik Redreef (CN male Illuskan human bandit captain). Once Svardborg is sighted, the ship drops anchor behind a nearby iceberg. The characters can lower rowboats into the sea and use them to reach Svardborg in 30 minutes. Captain Redreef agrees to wait up to 24 hours before raising anchor and setting sail for Luskan. If Svardborg’s warning horn (area 2C) is sounded, the inexperienced captain panics and abandons the party, ordering the crew to return home.

Characters who want to buy a ship can pay 10,000 gp for a leaky old longship that belongs to one of the High Captains. The characters must hire a crew of at least forty. A common sailor (use the commoner statistics) costs 2 sp per day, while a skilled sailor (use the bandit statistics) demands 2 gp per day. The characters can also try to hire a captain (use the bandit captain statistics) who normally charges 10 gp per day. One of the characters can serve as captain to avoid this expense, but that leaves no one with command experience aboard the ship after the characters disembark.

Neverwinter

If one or more characters are members of the Lords' Alliance, they can arrange a brief meeting with Lord Dagult Neverember and try to convince him to sponsor a voyage to Svardborg. Neverember knows that the Sea of Moving Ice is patrolled by white dragons and seafaring barbarians, so a character must make a successful DC 17 Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince him of the mission’s importance. If he decides to help, Neverember arranges for a galley called the Seabreaker to transport the characters.

The Seabreaker ’s captain is an uptight albino wizard, Draevyn Thornbolt (N male Illuskan human mage). He dresses impeccably and looks thin and stern. He commands a crew of twenty trained sailors (male and female human bandit of various alignments and ethnicities) and sixty raw recruits (commoner). Draevyn’s first mate is an affable brute, Kodd (NG male half-orc bandit captain), whose main tasks are to supervise the crew and keep everyone in good spirits.

Upon sighting Svardborg, the Seabreaker goes behind a smaller iceberg and drops anchor. Captain Thornbolt promises to wait up to 24 hours for the adventurers to return. The characters are given rowboats and can use them to reach Svardborg in 30 minutes.

There are no other crews in Neverwinter that are daring or foolhardy enough to venture into the Sea of Moving Ice, for any price, and there are no ships to buy.

Waterdeep

If one or more characters are members of the Harpers, they can arrange to meet with the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Lady Laeral Silverhand. During the meeting, Laeral explains that ships are hard to come by in Waterdeep these days; the City of Splendors is in the midst of building a new navy after its fleet was scuttled by Dagult Neverember. Saying it’s the best she can do, Laeral offers to give the characters a damaged longship that was recently captured by privateers. What the adventurers choose to do with it is up to them. The ship has 150 hit points and is worth 5,000 gp in its present condition. (For rules on ship repair, see the “Owning a Ship” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.) The longship’s bow is carved and painted to look like the head and neck of a red dragon. The crew costs in Waterdeep are the same as those in Luskan.

If the characters are unable to meet with Laeral Silverhand, they can find a Tethyrian captain willing to take them north into the Sea of Moving Ice for 5,000 gp. The captain, Lady Taska Sonadora (CG female Tethyrian human noble), is, by all accounts, insane. She likes to spend her inherited wealth on bold (some would say foolish) ventures, and dreams of killing a white dragon and draping its hide over the wooden throne she keeps in her spacious cabin. She can be talked down to 2,500 gp if the characters promise to help her slay a dragon and let her keep its hide as a trophy.

Captain Sonadora’s sailing ship is called the Bobbin' Flagon, and she stocks its hold with the finest Waterdhavian food and brandy for her crew of twenty sailors (CG male and female Tethyrian human bandit). Her manservant is the overworked, underpaid, mean Finn (CN male lightfoot halfling commoner).

The Bobbin' Flagon has four rowboats. Sonadora won’t risk her ship in an assault of Svardborg, but she can easily be persuaded to accompany the adventurers as they explore the frost giant fortress if she thinks there’s a white dragon to be had. In that case, she orders Finn and six armed sailors to join her. Two rowboats are needed to transport Captain Sonadora and her away team, leaving two rowboats for the adventurers.

Approaching Svardborg

Svardborg is so isolated that the frost giants don’t bother posting lookouts. Their lack of vigilance makes it easy to approach the iceberg unseen.

By Water

Characters who approach Svardborg by water can tether their vessels to the 10-foot-high wooden docks south of the Drydock Lodge (area 3). Or they can avoid the docks and scale one of Svardborg’s 50-foot-tall icy cliffs, tying their boats to a spike hammered into the cliff face. Neither of these methods of approach attracts attention.

If the characters enter the hollow interior of the iceberg, they risk being spotted by the creatures on the greatships (areas 7 and 9). The gate is up, but the characters can maneuver their rowboats through the gaps between its thick chains.

By Air

Characters who approach Svardborg on flying mounts can land on the outer docks (near area 3) without attracting attention. Although the iceberg’s central grotto is open to the sky and it’s possible to land griffons on the decks of the greatships within, doing so without being noticed by the creatures on the greatships is impossible.

Characters arriving by airship can land the vessel in the water by the docks. There are also a few landing zones on the iceberg itself, each marked with stars on the map. These areas include two flat patches of ice and snow between areas 1 and 2, as well as a pillar of ice west of area 2 that’s connected to the main iceberg by a natural ice bridge. Other places on the iceberg are ill equipped for landings, because the terrain is sloped. Characters can also land their vessel on the water inside the central grotto, but the creatures on the greatships (areas 7 and 9) automatically spot them.

Denizens

When the characters first arrive, most of Svardborg’s frost giants are out hunting whales aboard Storvald’s flagship (see “The Krigvind” section at the end of this chapter). A few giants stayed behind to guard the white dragon eggs and watch over the Northlander barbarians and yetis. Also present in Svardborg are Isendraug, a female adult white dragon who desperately wants her eggs back, and Nilraun Dhaerlost, the evil Zhentarim mage who is plotting with Jarl Storvald to find the Ring of Winter. Characters who interrogate Nilraun can learn where Storvald is and what the frost giant jarl is up to.

The giants' lodge has a warning horn on the upper floor (in area 2C). If it is blown, the sound puts all of Svardborg on alert. Some giants remain at their posts and can’t be surprised. Others gather the Northlanders and the yetis and search Svardborg for intruders to kill.

The Svardborg Roster table specifies the locations of the occupants and indicates how those creatures behave when the horn sounds or when intruders are detected.

Svardborg Roster

1. Jarl’s Lodge

This three-story lodge is partially buried under ice but has numerous entrances. Steps ascend to the main doors (leading to area 1A), and a tunnel cuts through the ice to a door set into the north wall of the lodge (leading to area 1D). Flying or climbing characters can reach a balcony on the second floor (leading to area 1G) or a gaping window on the third floor (leading to area 1H).

1A. Feast Hall

The frost giants have tracked snow into this great hall, which is illuminated by continual flame spells cast on torches that are mounted to the walls and wooden pillars. These cold fires bathe the hall in a bluish light.

Six massive wooden tables, each one 5 feet tall, are arranged about the room. The frost giants sit around them to eat. Wooden goblets and scraps of frozen meat lie strewn upon the tables as well as underneath them. In the center of the hall is the thawing carcass of a mammoth suspended on a giant wooden spit. Three large, empty ale barrels also stand about the room.

Perched on the frozen rafters 30 feet overhead are eight ice mephit. They watch intruders closely but don’t attack unless one or more of them are harmed.

1B. Hunting Racks and Stores

Wooden racks and hooks on the western wall hold fishing equipment: dozens of harpoons, nets, and coils of rope. Curtains made of stitched walrus hide hang over doorways at the north and south ends of the east wall.

1C. Stores

These rooms contain supplies that the frost giants have plundered from ships along the Sword Coast, including crates of foodstuffs and barrels of salt, wine, and ale.

1D. Oar Storage

Giant oars hang from the walls of this room, which has snowy giant tracks on the floor. A door in the north wall opens to a tunnel through the ice. It leads to a ledge overlooking a greatship (area 9). A wooden staircase leads up along the western wall. The stairs creak if anyone climbs them, alerting the villain in area 1E.

1E. Steward’s Office

This room contains a wooden table, two large empty barrels, and a crate filled with packing straw. Standing against the north wall is a cabinet without doors, in which hang three cloaks made of walrus hide.

Also present is a fur-clad Zhentarim wizard, Nilraun Dhaerlost (NE male Illuskan human mage with a wand of fireballs), who believes that the frost giants are his best shot at obtaining the Ring of Winter. He tries to remain close to Storvald, but the frost giant jarl won’t allow Nilraun to accompany him on his whale-hunting expeditions. Nilraun spends his idle hours contemplating how to steal the ring while reminding the giants that the Zhentarim can be a powerful ally. Nilraun knows the command word to free Cryovain (“uvenfetter”), and he trades this information for his life if he is subdued or cornered. For more information about the captured white dragon, see “The Krigvind” later in this chapter.

Nilraun has blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a perpetual scowl. He’s pacing the room, trying to stay warm. If he hears trouble below or the sound of someone climbing the stairs, he retreats to Storvald’s throne room (area 1G). Two closed doors stand between him and that room. Since he isn’t a giant, Nilraun must use an action to try to open each door. If he succeeds in opening the doors, he leaves them open behind him.

Treasure

Nilraun wears a wolf fur cloak (worth 25 gp), wields a wand of fireballs, and has a spell scroll of sending in a wooden scroll tube fastened to his belt. He also carries a spellbook in which are written the spells he has prepared (see the mage in the Monster Manual).

1F. Winter Wolves' Den

The floor of this room is strewn with gnawed mammoth bones. A frost-covered barrel in the southwest corner contains dead fish. The winter wolves that normally sleep here are encountered in area 1G.

1G. Throne Room

Icicles hang from the rafters of this ice-glazed hall, which is illuminated by bluish continual flame spells. An ivory drinking horn rests atop a frozen table in the middle of the room. South of the table are a rug made from the hide of a white saber-toothed tiger and a throne carved from ice. Lying on the seat of the throne is a large conch (see “Treasure”). Against the walls stand three shelving units heaped with furs and packed with bottles of wine, stoppered jugs, and casks of mead.

Snowy wind blows in through a pillared opening in the south wall that leads to a balcony with no railing.

Jarl Storvald retires here when he’s not plying the northern waters. He isn’t here when the characters first arrive at Svardborg. Instead, two frost giant and two winter wolf stand guard here, watching over seven frost-covered white dragon eggs in the northeast corner of the room. Each egg is 4 feet tall, weighs 300 pounds, and is covered with an icy glaze. An egg has AC 14 and 20 hit points. When an egg is broken, there is a 50 percent chance that the white dragon wyrmling inside hatches and is able to attack; otherwise, it is dead.

A wooden ladder ascends 40 feet to area 1H; the rungs of the ladder are 5 feet apart.

The giants and the wolves fight to the death. If Nilraun is here, he casts spells from behind the throne until his life is at risk, then he flees (see “Development”).

Treasure

Storvald’s conch of teleportation rests on the ice throne. The ivory drinking horn on the table is made from the tusk of a mammoth; it’s worth 750 gp and weighs 75 pounds. A crate in the southeast corner of the room holds one hundred pieces of scrimshaw (worth 10 gp each) packed in sawdust.

Development.

Nilraun hasn’t placed his fate entirely in the hands of the frost giants. Hiding on a nearby iceberg are two Zhentarim scout (NE female Illuskan humans) and three manticore. If Nilraun ever thinks his life is in jeopardy, he uses his spell Spell Scroll (3rd level) sending to contact the scouts and waits for them on the balcony. Each scout rides a manticore and provides aerial support while Nilraun mounts the third manticore and uses it to escape. Nilraun and his escorts return to the mainland and report what they’ve seen to their superiors.

Nothing about Nilraun’s appearance suggests that he’s a member of the Zhentarim. If Nilraun learns that one or more characters work for the Black Network, he reveals his allegiance to the faction but advises the characters to leave Svardborg before the Krigvind returns. Nilraun isn’t looking out for anyone’s interests but his own; he wants the Ring of Winter for himself and doesn’t trust other Zhents to help him get it.

Unless you decide otherwise, the Krigvind returns after the characters obtain the conch but before they have time to attune to it. The bellows of the Krigvind’s crew can be heard in the throne room as the ship approaches (see “The Krigvind” section at the end of this chapter).

1H. Treasury

This room on the top floor of the lodge has a pitched roof. A wide triangular opening in the west wall allows wind and snow to enter. Near this opening, hanging from a chain bolted to a rafter, is a 20-foot-tall wooden cage that holds a giant owl. Jarl Storvald uses the owl to deliver messages to his fleet. A wooden latch keeps the cage shut. If the owl is released, it flies off, locates the Krigvind, and reports to Storvald what it has seen.

Treasure

Characters who search the room find several wooden barrels, crates, and chests. Crates measure 10 feet on a side. Barrels stand 8 feet tall and weigh 500 pounds each. Chests are 10 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 7 feet tall with frozen lids. A lid must be thawed to remove it, or one can be pried open with a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check. (Using a crowbar or a similar tool grants advantage on the check.) Applying an open flame to a lid for 1 minute thaws the ice that binds it.

The containers and their contents are as follows:

• A barrel of pitch and two barrels of oil
• A crate packed with sixty flasks of alchemist’s fire
• A crate containing a dismantled clockwork mule, along with a scroll of instructional diagrams labeled in Dethek, the Dwarvish script (see “Development”)
• A crate packed with a gold-inlaid wooden harp (worth 250 gp, weighs 100 pounds), two drums (worth 6 gp each), and six flutes (worth 2 gp each)
• A chest containing four 50-foot lengths of chain
• Four chests, each one holding 3d6 × 100 cp, 3d6 × 100 sp, and 3d6 × 100 gp
• A chest containing a dead, frozen shield dwarf (female) clad in adamantine plate armor, clutching a warhammer and carrying 1d3 magic items, each determined by rolling on Magic Item Table C in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Development

Characters who cast a speak with dead spell on the frozen shield dwarf can learn that she was named Mordana Ur’gray and stowed away aboard a frost giant greatship by hiding in a chest. Unfortunately for her, the chest lid froze shut, and she couldn’t get it open.

It takes 8 hours for one character to assemble the clockwork mule. At the end of that time, the character can make a DC 20 Intelligence check. The check is made with advantage if the character has the assembly instructions and can read Dethek (or has someone who can translate). If the check succeeds, the clockwork mule is assembled correctly. If the check fails, the character ends up with one or more leftover parts that the mule needs to function; the character must spend another 1d4 hours working on the mule, and can then make a new Intelligence check to get it working.

The clockwork mule has the statistics of a mule, with the following changes.

• It is a construct. It follows the orders of its assembler.
• It is immune to poison and psychic damage; the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned conditions; and exhaustion.
• Repairing 1 hit point of damage to the clockwork mule takes 1 hour and requires replacement parts, which can be bought in a large city for 20 gp. If the mule drops to 0 hit points, it is destroyed and unrepairable.

2. Giants' Lodge

This two-story lodge is partially buried in the ice. It has three possible entrances: the main entrance on the ground floor (leading to area 2A), an ice tunnel that leads to a door in the back wall of the lodge, and a large window on the second floor that has a great horn sticking out of it (area 2C).

2A. Gathering Hall

Three frost giant (one male and two females) are engaged in a drinking contest in this area and are so inebriated that they are considered poisoned (see appendix A in the Player’s Handbook). Despite their present condition, they are spoiling for a fight and hoist their greataxes when intruders appear. After the first round of combat, it occurs to one of the giants that she should sound the warning horn. She staggers up a flight of wooden stairs to blow the horn (area 2C) while the other giants keep fighting. If the characters react quickly enough, they can prevent her from reaching the horn. If they keep the giant from sounding the horn, the other inhabitants of Svardborg aren’t placed on alert.

The frost giants have tracked a lot of snow through the main doors. Torch sconces mounted to wooden pillars have continual flame spells cast on them, shedding cold blue light. Mounted on the walls of the lodge are the severed heads of polar bears, giant walruses, young white dragons, and remorhazes. A long wooden table and four smaller round tables take up much of the floor space, their tops strewn with wooden mugs and scraps of leftover food. A few empty barrels and crates sit near a wall.

Treasure

Each frost giant carries a sealskin sack containing 3d6 × 100 cp plus 1d6 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction. A careful search of the room accompanied by a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals a small pouch hanging from the tooth of a white dragon head mounted on the wall above the empty crates. The pouch contains six 100 gp gemstones.

2B. Sleeping Quarters

Each of these two rooms is lit by a continual flame spell cast on a sconce and contains four hammocks. Each hammock is suspended between a hook on a central pillar and another hook on one of the surrounding walls.

2C. Warning Horn

A wide, covered balcony without a railing overlooks the gathering hall (area 2A) 40 feet below. A few empty crates and barrels are stacked in the corners.

An alcove with a window looking toward the southeast contains a wooden brace supporting an ancient red dragon’s horn that the frost giants have etched with runes and made into a musical instrument. The horn weighs 450 pounds. Only a frost giant or similarly sized creature can wrap its mouth around the narrow end of the horn and muster the breath needed to blow it. Sounding the horn requires an action.

Development

If the horn is sounded, the creatures in areas 7 and 9 act as described in the Svardborg Roster table.

2D. Jarl’s Mess

This room contains a 10-foot-tall wooden table. Resting atop it is a golden platter nearly 8 feet across, a wooden fork as big as a pitchfork, and a mug of bronze as large as a barrel, with handles shaped like a dragon’s wings. The platter is worth 750 gp and weighs 75 pounds. The mug is worth 250 gp and weighs 50 pounds.

2E. Armory

This room is in shambles. Weapon racks lie broken on the floor, while others cling precariously to the walls, still clutching old spears and javelins. The giants of Ostoria crafted these weapons, which fall apart if handled.

3. Drydock Lodge

This lodge is unoccupied when the characters first arrive, but anyone who enters can hear the sound of the Northfolk chipping at the ice in area 7 and the back-and forth bickering of the frost giant brothers in area 9. Both ends of the lodge are exposed to the air, and its roof is intact despite the amount of ice on it. The lodge’s interior is one big, open space with a ceiling that stretches 80 feet above the ground floor and a 40-foot-high balcony with no railing that runs around the perimeter. A decrepit-looking wooden ladder with rungs spaced 5 feet apart offers access to the balcony, but the ladder crumbles under the weight of 500 pounds or more.

Stacked in the corners of the ground floor nearest the grotto are dozens of ale barrels that the frost giants have plundered from merchant vessels.

3A. Old Ship Construction

The hull of a greatship takes up most of the interior space. Giant wooden braces hold the ship upright. The giants of Ostoria built the ship, which isn’t seaworthy. Any character who inspects the ship and succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check can tell that the wood is too brittle to withstand rough seas or collisions.

3B. Barbarian Tents

Three camps are set up inside the lodge, each one consisting of three sealskin tents around a smoldering campfire. Each tent contains two crude bedrolls and a few scattered fish bones. The Northfolk barbarians sleep here when they’re not working in area 7. The camps are unoccupied when the characters first arrive.

3C. Barrel Chute

A barrel chute made of walrus skin pulled over a wooden frame is mounted so that barrels can be rolled down it into the icy lagoon. The barrels are then floated across the lagoon to other locations, as needed. A wooden dock with human-sized steps leads to the water.

3D. Crane

A giant wooden crane stands atop the balcony. Used by ancient giants to hoist heavy timbers, its wooden winch, swing-arm, and pulleys still work, though its ropes have rotted and can’t support more than 500 pounds.

4. Temple of Thrym

Of all the north-facing lodges, this is the only one that has survived more or less intact. Once a temple dedicated to Thrym, the god of frost giants, it was recently taken over by a mated pair of white dragons who turned it into a nursery. Now the frost giants have reclaimed the place and trapped one of the dragons inside.

4A. Statue of Thrym

The wind has carried a great deal of snow into this open room, set into the back of which is an alcove that holds a 25-foot-tall statue of Thrym carved from glacial ice. The image looks like a powerfully built male frost giant with clenched fists. Timber from broken rafters and smashed doors lies strewn across the floor.

The ice statue is harmless. Nevertheless, anyone who damages the statue is cursed. Until the curse is lifted with a remove curse spell or similar magic, the afflicted creature has vulnerability to cold damage. This curse negates any resistance or immunity to cold damage the creature might otherwise possess.

4B. Hall of Jarls

Ice has broken through the walls and ceiling of this hall, and a 12-foot-wide, 15-foot high gash in the outer wall leads outside. Set into alcoves along the corridor are four stone statues that once depicted frost giant jarls-Storvald’s ancestors. When the white dragons took over the temple, they broke off the statues' heads and dropped them in the sea. Patches of ice (see the “Wilderness Hazards” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide) have formed around two of the statues.

4C. Hall of Heroes

The dragons investigated this area but otherwise left it untouched. The door has been torn from its frame and is nowhere to be seen, though twisted iron hinges offer evidence that the door put up a fight.

Standing in alcoves along the outer wall are seven granite tablets measuring 16 feet tall, 10 feet wide, and 2 feet thick, each one etched (in Dethek, the Dwarvish script) with the name of a frost giant jarl and a florid summary of that chief’s legendary deeds. Storvald isn’t among the giants honored here.

4D. Narthex

The roof of this chamber sports numerous holes above which ice can be seen. The outer double doors have tons of ice pressed against them, and they can’t be opened.

Two female frost giant stand guard here and watch over the dragon in area 4E. They are eager to spill blood and attack intruders on sight. They have instructions not to harm the dragon unless it harms them first.

Treasure

Each frost giant carries a sealskin sack containing 3d6 × 100 sp, 1d6 × 100 gp, and 1d3 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

4E. Bell Tower

Wooden pillars rise to meet the rafters 30 feet overhead, with the pitched roof rising higher, forming an 80-foot tall bell tower with rafters of its own. Dangling from these rafters is an enormous iron bell weighing 50 tons, with a rim 20 feet in diameter. The bell is missing its clapper and rope; there appears to be no way to ring it.

Curled up inside the bell is Isendraug, a female adult white dragon. She is tormented by the theft of her eggs (which the giants keep in area 1G) and is wracking her brain for a plan to get them back and make the giants pay. If she spots any party members, she crawls out of the bell’s cold confines and rushes forth to destroy them, thinking they have come to plunder her hoard (area 4H). She prefers to lurk among the rafters and remain out of melee weapon range while attacking with her breath weapon or waiting for it to recharge, but she isn’t reluctant to drop down on ranged attackers. If the characters attempt to parley with the dragon, she agrees to let them live in exchange for returning her eggs to her.

Isendraug doesn’t gain lair actions and can’t cause regional effects in the vicinity of her lair.

Development

Isendraug wants her mate, Cryovain, and all seven of her eggs returned to her. She is unwilling to negotiate for anything less. She doesn’t know where the frost giants are keeping her eggs, but she knows that they keep Cryovain chained aboard their biggest ship (she doesn’t know its name or whereabouts). Like most white dragons, Isendraug is not to be trusted. She has no intention of sparing the characters once they have done what she asks. Clever characters can hold her at bay by threatening one or more of her eggs (or wyrmlings). Isendraug flies into a murderous rage if she witnesses one of her eggs or wyrmlings being harmed.

If Isendraug is reduced to fewer than half her hit points, she tries to escape through the submerged passage (area 4G), smashing through the thin ice that covers it. Once she swims to the surface of the lagoon, she takes flight and looks for a place to roost, such as a greatship or the top of the iceberg. Even if her eggs are destroyed, she won’t leave Svardborg until her mate is freed (see “The Krigvind” section later in this chapter).

4F. Altar

This 9-foot-tall block of ice has dwarf skulls and bones within it, and its top is covered with frozen blood.

A character who studies the altar and succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Religion) check can deduce the significance of the bones and the blood. Before a dangerous hunt or voyage, frost giants come here and spill their own blood on the altar to gain Thrym’s favor. The bones are meant to consecrate the altar, which is nonmagical.

4G. Submerged Passage

The dragons clawed their way through the floor of the lodge to reach the ice underneath, creating a 50-foot-diameter, water-filled tunnel. Thin ice covers the hole. For more information on thin ice and swimming in frigid water, see the “Wilderness Hazards” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The submerged tunnel descends toward the southwest, eventually emerging 300 feet later at the bottom of the lagoon, 80 feet below the water’s surface.

4H. Frozen Hoard

A great mound of ice covers the hoard of Cryovain and Isendraug. The ice is transparent enough to see that the bulk of the hoard consists of copper and silver coins, with gold coins strewn among them. Among the coins is a sealed wooden chest buried under 3 feet of ice. A character using a pick or the like can dig out the chest in 1 hour. Each hour a character spends digging for coins yields 100 coins of each type (copper, silver, and gold). It takes 60 hours to retrieve all the gold coins in this way.

Treasure

The dragons' hoard consists of 90,000 cp, 41,000 sp, 6,000 gp, and the aforementioned chest, which is unlocked. It contains five hundred wooden coins (worthless), thirty pieces of costume jewelry (worth 5 gp each), a pouch holding twenty silvered sling stones, a silver tinderbox (worth 25 gp), and wooden scroll tube containing a crude treasure map drawn on a piece of walrus hide (see “Development”). Resting atop these items is a wooden pipe with a strip of parchment stuffed inside it that reads (in Common), “Here lies the treasure of Captain Silbarr Snake-Eyes, legendary pirate of the Sword Coast. A hex upon any who plunder this trove.” Any character who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence (History) check dimly recalls a halfling pirate of no great repute who went by that name.

Development.

A character who studies the treasure map and succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (History) check realizes that it depicts a stretch of the Sword Coast encompassing the islands of Red Rocks, midway between Leilon and Waterdeep. An “X” marks a cove on one island, and a riddle scrawled in Common on the back of the map reads as follows:

High tide it hides,

The moon doth make it rise;

The mast points to the prize,

Watched by feathered brides.

If the characters arrive at low tide at the location marked on the map, they see the barnacle-covered, broken mast of a shipwreck poking out of the murky water, pointing toward one of several caves in the cliffs. (The mast is submerged at high tide.) The cave is roughly 30 feet in diameter with a 20-foot-high ceiling. In the cave is the wreckage of a rowboat that two harpy have made into a nest. The nest is littered with humanoid bones and also contains a rotted wooden chest with a black serpent formed in the shape of an “S” burned into its lid. It contains 1d4 magic items. Roll on Magic Item Table G in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the first item and on Table C for any other items.

5. Yeti Cave

This cave was carved out of the ice that covers the wreckage of an old frost giant lodge. Frozen shards of timber jut out of the cave walls and floor. Eight yeti lurking at the back of the cave rush forth and attack intruders, feeding on anything they kill.

6. Outhouse

Half embedded in the ice is an empty wooden building with an open doorway. A 5-foot-wide hole in the middle of the wooden floor leads into a 40-foot-deep, 30-foot diameter cistern carved out of the ice, its floor covered with frozen waste.

7. Entombed Greatship

Two punts are anchored next to a frost-covered greatship half-embedded in a wall of ice. The hull of the ship leans at a precarious angle.

Relaxing in one of the punts is a lazy male frost giant, who barks orders at eighteen Northfolk barbarians (CE male and female Illuskan human tribal warrior). The Northfolk are tethered to the icy wall by ropes tied to iron spikes and are using their spears to chip away at the ice around the greatship. Meanwhile, three yeti clamber across the deck and dig at the ice with their claws. The Northfolk won’t throw away their spears, so only the giant has a ranged attack. The two punts contain chunks of ice that the giant can hurl at foes.

Fighting on the ship is tricky. Its sloped, icy deck is difficult terrain, and a creature that isn’t secured by a rope or braced in some other way must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw when it tries to move on its turn or whenever it takes damage. On a failed save, the creature tumbles into the frigid water next to the ship. A creature can climb out of the water and onto a nearby vessel with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check.

Treasure

The frost giant carries a sealskin sack containing 3d6 × 100 cp, 1d6 × 100 gp, and 1d3 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

8. Underwater Passage

Eighty feet below the water’s surface is a tunnel that leads up through the iceberg to area 4G. The white dragons use this tunnel to access their lair. Anyone with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher spot the submerged tunnel as they cross or fly over the lagoon. From above, it looks like an opening where the side of the iceberg meets the floor of the lagoon.

9. Greatships

Two seaworthy greatships (see the “Svardborg: General Features” sidebar) are anchored in the lagoon, each one tied by a thick rope to a massive iron spike pounded into the ice. A 15-foot-wide wooden gangplank allows creatures to board and disembark safely.

One frost giant guards each ship. If the horn hasn’t sounded, the brothers are throwing ice at each other (the frost giant equivalent of a snowball fight) when the characters approach. If they detect intruders, they hurl chunks of ice at them instead.

Treasure

Each greatship holds treasure that has been piled up and concealed under a net, waiting to be sorted and divvied up.

Under the net in the easternmost ship is a crate of soap (worth 1 gp), a barrel of salted fish (worth 10 gp), a wooden case inlaid with mother-of-pearl (worth 25 gp) containing 20 crossbow bolts, a leather satchel of alchemist’s supplies (worth 50 gp), a crate containing ten fine dresses (worth 25 gp each), and a velvet-lined wooden case containing a spyglass (worth 1,000 gp).

The southernmost ship holds five casks of wine (worth 1 gp each), a wooden mannequin clad in a fur shawl (worth 10 gp), bagpipes (worth 30 gp), a wax-sealed wooden tube containing five nautical charts (worth 25 gp each), and a waterlogged spellbook containing 1d4+6 spells (of your choice) of 6th level or lower.

The Krigvind

The Krigvind returns when the characters obtain the conch of teleportation in Storvald’s throne room (area 1G), but before a character has time to attune to it, or at another time of your choosing. Too big to fit in Svardborg’s lagoon, the ship drops anchor next to the iceberg, south of the Jarl’s Lodge (area 1) and within view of the docks south of the Drydock Lodge (area 3).

The Krigvind requires a crew of at least twenty giants and can hold up to forty giants, plus a thousand tons of cargo. The Krigvind has Jarl Storvald plus a crew of twenty frost giants (eight males and twelve females). Four operate the ballistae, one trims the sails, one controls the rudder, and fourteen pull the oars. Chained to the deck is Cryovain, a male adult white dragon. Behind the dragon are two empty holds where prisoners, slain whales, and stolen goods are kept.

Storvald is returning angry from not having caught a single whale, and that anger intensifies when he realizes that Svardborg has been invaded. If the giant owl in area 1H escaped, it accompanies Storvald and has warned him of intruders in Svardborg. Otherwise, the jarl and his crew become aware of intruders only after finding evidence of such or hearing the sound of the horn in area 2C. If there are obvious targets in sight, such as an airship parked on the iceberg or characters standing in the open, the frost giants use the ship’s ballistae to attack them (see the “Features of the Krigvind” section).

Whether the frost giants are aware of intruders or not, they split up as follows:

• Five frost giants accompany Storvald as he makes his way to the jarl’s lodge (area 1). Storvald heads to his throne room while the others wait in the feast hall.
• Five frost giants head to the giants' lodge (area 2).
• Five frost giants go around the iceberg to check on Cryovain’s mate in the temple of Thrym (area 4).
• Five frost giants remain aboard the Krigvind four to man the ballistae and one to guard Cryovain (see the “Dragon in Chains” section).

The Frost Giant Jarl

Jarl Storvald is a frost giant, with the following changes:

• He has 189 hit points.
• He has a blod stone bolted to a 50-pound iron chain that he wears around his neck.
• He speaks Common, Giant, and Giant Owl.
• He has Wisdom and Charisma scores of 16 (+3) and gains the spellcasting feature described below.

Spellcasting

Storvald is a 9th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom. He knows the following ranger spells:

• 1st level (4 slots): hunter’s mark, jump

• 2nd level (3 slots): locate animals or plants, locate object

• 3rd level (2 slots): water breathing, water walk

Treasure

Storvald wears the Helm of Svardborg, a copper helm fitted with red dragon horns. The helm weighs 250 pounds, has no magical properties, and is worth 2,500 gp as an art object.

Dragon in Chains

While Cryovain is chained to the deck, he is restrained. Two chains are secured to an iron collar around his neck. Two more chains secure his back legs. A creature can use a bonus action on its turn to magically release the four chains by speaking a command word (“uvenfetter”) while within 60 feet of the dragon. Only Storvald and Nilraun know the command word. A knock spell or a similar effect can unlock a single collar, and a creature can break a single chain by using an action and succeeding on a DC 27 Strength (Athletics) check, or by reducing the chain to 0 hit points. Each chain has AC 20, 20 hit points, a damage threshold of 20, and immunity to cold, fire, psychic, poison, and thunder damage.

Storvald frees the dragon if the Krigvind is boarded or if the ship is attacked from the air. The jarl commands the dragon to fight as his ally. While Storvald has the dragon’s mate and eggs as prisoners, Cryovain does as the jarl commands. If Cryovain’s mate and young are liberated, the dragon turns on Storvald and his giants.

Cryovain is a mean creature who doesn’t make deals with puny humanoids or show mercy toward creatures that are kind to him (including those who try to free him). Once he is freed, he reunites with his mate, and the two of them try to reclaim Svardborg as their lair.

Cryovain doesn’t gain lair actions and can’t cause regional effects in the vicinity of his lair.

Features of the Krigvind

The Krigvind is over 500 feet long with a 200-foot-tall mast. It has the fortitude of a floating castle, ignoring all damage except that dealt by the mightiest of siege engines. It has a few other noteworthy aspects.

Giant Ballistae

Only giant-sized creatures can operate the Krigvind’s ballistae. These weapons are mounted on swiveling bases and can fire in any direction. They follow the rules for ballistae (see the “Siege Equipment” section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide), except that they deal 44 (8d10) piercing damage on a hit.

Holds

Forward and aft of the ship’s mast are two empty holds with hinged doors made from logs lashed together with thick rope. There are no locks on these doors, since their weight alone prevents all but the strongest creatures from lifting them. It takes two frost giants or creatures of similar strength and size to lift one of the doors. Narrow gaps between the logs are wide enough for a Small creature to squeeze through.

The floors of the holds are 12 feet below deck level. The holds' thick wooden walls are sealed with pitch, and small holes at floor level keep the holds from flooding.

Treasure

Flying atop the ship’s mast, doubling as a flag, is a pennant of the vind rune.

Each frost giant crew member with the exception of Storvald carries a sack containing 3d6 × 100 sp, 1d6 × 100 gp, and one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Character Advancement

Once the characters retrieve Jarl Storvald’s conch of teleportation, a character can attune to it and use it to transport the party to Maelstrom. The characters might decide not to use the conch right away, perhaps because they want to attack the Krigvind, plunder the white dragons' trove, or take care of some other business. Make sure the characters advance to 9th level before moving on to chapter 10, “Hold of the Storm Giants.” The characters need not confront Storvald or the white dragons to advance in level.