The Curse of the Frost Queen

The tales of Snow Blast Island’s dangers are immediately
confirmed when the player characters’ hot air balloon is
set upon by a young black dragon as they approach Port
Bluster. They must find a way to fend off their airborne
attacker and land the balloon safely if they want to hunt for
the storied broken heart of the Frost Queen, the powerful
magic orb rumoured to keep the island locked in winter.
Unfortunately, their only local guide is the quiet, antisocial,
and possibly mad Murmurous Stan. If the player characters
can be patient and persuasive, he’ll tell them of the island’s
strange and perilous sites.
Where the adventurers go next is up to them. Perhaps
they begin by following the fleeing dragon back to the
Snowbound Hills, where they find the remains of a pleasant
town buried beneath thick blankets of snow and ice. The
black dragon lives here, huddled for warmth in what was
once the town hall. If given the chance, she apologises for
frightening the characters, explaining that she was over-
excited at the prospect of a lift off this freezing island. In
fact, with her knowledge of the land, the dragon could be a
valuable friend to our heroes!
Or maybe they investigate the weather-beaten Old
Shack to see if the eerie rumours are true. If they do, the
incongruously luxurious interior, size-mismatched furniture
and housewares, and trapdoor revealing a long staircase
into the Ice Caverns will only introduce more questions—
that is, if they can make it past the ice mephit calling the
shack home!
Characters might instead journey to the lovely but deadly
Crystal Wood, finding themselves at the mercy of the ice-
marked beasts that dwell there: yeti, polar bears, ice mephits,
and worse. In the centre of the wood lives Maius, the frost
giant, the only living witness to the incident long ago that
trapped the island in endless winter. He can recount his
version of events, but only if characters can convince him
through a combination of bribes and favours.
When characters find their way into the Ice Caverns, it
will take all of their wits and strength to avoid joining the
skeletons of past treasure hunters still mouldering in the
many caves and tunnels. But with a lot of skill and a little
luck, they can find the legendary genius loci, the fractured
Orb of the Frost Queen, guarded by a pack of winter wolves.
But the Orb isn’t just an artefact! Instead, it contains
the Frost Queen herself, an ancient elemental spirit who
demands that Maius apologise to her over past wrongs.
Once Maius apologises, the crack magically heals itself, and
the Orb can be taken from the island as a magical item.
While on the island and before Maius has apologised, the
globe covers everything in ice and snow.
If our heroes can put together the pieces and convince the
frost giant to say he’s sorry, they may be the first in decades
to see the lush, tropical paradise that Snow Blast Island once
was—and thaw some ancient hearts in the process.
Players should be free to follow whatever path they choose
and might not even need to visit every location in order to
break the Frost Queen’s curse and free the island. They will
face dangerous enemies but may also make some powerful
friendships if they’re willing to listen!

We open on the players in the basket of a hot air balloon
called the Squallskimmer. Over the previous hour of travel,
the temperature plummeted, leaving the player characters
shivering, fur dusted with snowflakes. Chunks of ice have
appeared in the waters below the balloon, growing steadily
larger and more dangerous looking as they grow closer to
Snow Blast Island, its silhouette looming out of the mists.
Suddenly, a dark shape appears from the clouds over the
island, a young black dragon. Before the adventurers
can react, the dragon wraps herself around the basket.
The balloon drops with the added weight, and the player
characters must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw
or be knocked prone. Any character who remains standing
gets advantage on their initiative roll to fend off the dragon.
Horace, the albatross balloonist, squawks out a plan.
“I’m going to attempt a water landing to dislodge the beast!
But we can’t let it do any further damage to the balloon.
Can you keep it busy?”
The Squallskimmer begins at an altitude of 300 feet. Horace
spends each turn venting the air in the balloon, causing it
to descend 50 feet. He must succeed a DC 12 Dexterity
(Acrobatics) check to stabilise the balloon as it drops. If
he fails, all players in the basket must repeat their DC 12
Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Players don’t have to fight the dragon—feel free to let them
get creative! They can try to talk with her, attempt to scare
her off or detach her in other ways, or aid Horace with his
work, among other things. The dragon will react defensively,
striking back at those who have most recently hit her, but
her primary goal is to remain on the basket of the balloon.
She is very worked up and won’t be easy to communicate
with, but a successful DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check
could get through to her. Reference “The Snowbound Hills”
on page 196 for more information about how she might
respond if characters can engage Sulfuria in dialogue. If she
drops below 100 hit points, or when the basket touches the
water, she flees towards the southern end of the island.
During the final two rounds, players spot a figure on the
docks, about 150 feet away, aiming a crossbow in their
direction. It’s Murmurous Stan, doing his best to help the
adventurers fight off the dragon.
Once the dragon flees, Murmurous Stan begins rowing to
the balloon to fetch the newcomers. While the characters
wait for him to arrive, the very-chatty Horace has a lot to
say. He agrees to drop the heroes off at Snow Blast Island
but refuses to set foot on the island himself due to the scary
stories he’s heard. These stories may include:

• There is a haunted shack with whispering walls and
  ominous, grasping shadows. Horace once met a hollow-
  eyed man in a tavern who tried to spend the night in the
  Old Shack. All he would say was, “Don’t go in the tunnels.”
  
• The curse of the evil Frost Queen plunged the island
  into perpetual winter a century ago.
  
• There are miles of labyrinthine tunnels beneath the
  surface of the island, easy to get lost in and rife with
  dangerous magics—but also containing priceless treasures!
  
• The beasts that roam the hills and the Crystal Wood
  are “Ice-Marked”—clad in natural frozen armour and
  incredibly dangerous.
  
• Ice-Marked. The creature forms a thick layer of
  crystallised perma-frost across their outer flesh. This
  increases their AC by 4. If an Ice-Marked creature suffers
  bludgeoning damage of any kind during a combat, the
  permafrost is shattered the AC bonus is lost.

Once in the rowboat with Murmurous Stan, the adventurers
will quickly realise that he is quite the opposite of their
chatty balloonist friend! They have heard tales of Stan back
on Flotsam, where he sometimes visits for supplies. No one
knows how he survives as the sole inhabitant of Snow Blast
Island. He may be slightly out of his mind (why else would
he stay on this inhospitable iceberg all alone?). He also
adores liquorice.
Stan’s manner of speaking is true to his name. He murmurs,
reluctant to make eye contact. Sometimes his murmurs
are directed at the player characters, but other times he
seems to be talking to himself. Perhaps his time in isolation
has made him this way, or perhaps he’s simply talking to
someone that the characters can’t see. With a little patience
and the right questions, our adventurers might learn
something from him.
Stan can tell them the story of the Frost Queen that Horace
hinted at. Nearly a hundred years ago, an ancient frost
elemental frost used to live on the island, which was once
sunny and warm. They say she emerged from the caverns
below the ground one day, although no one knows why.
She lived peacefully on the island and fell in love with a
giant named Maius, who lives on this island still. It was her
tears over unrequited love that transformed not only the
elemental herself, but the entire island. Snow Blast Island
has been covered in snow and ice since that day.

Stan can also tell the player characters about the main areas
of the island:

• The oddly orderly Snowbound Hills to the south These
  barren, tree-less hills are arrayed in neat rows, almost
  like they were built instead of formed by nature. This is
  where the black dragon lives, guarding her hoard.
  
• The Old Shack on the edge of the Crystal Wood Many
  call this place haunted, but rumours that it contains a
  secret entrance to the Ice Caverns make it a popular
  destination for treasure hunters, nonetheless. It’s been
  here (and empty) for Stan’s entire life.
  
• The Ice Caverns, an astonishing network of frozen tunnels
  that stretch out beneath the entire surface of the island
  In fact, Stan says the island is more like an iceberg:
  What’s on the surface is only a fraction of what’s there.
  The real treasures of Snow Blast Island are said to be
  underneath. However, Stan isn’t quite sure how to get
  into the Ice Caverns.
  
• The beautiful Crystal Wood, named for the way the bare,
  ice-crusted trees sparkle and glitter Instead of leaves,
  each bough is decked with fluttering snowflakes. But
  despite its loveliness, the wood is home to all manner
  of dangerous beasts and to the frost giant that even the
  beasts fear.
  

It is even possible, with a successful DC 16 Charisma
(Persuasion) check, that Stan might act as a guide, leading
the player characters across the island, although he will
refuse to enter the Ice Caverns.
Once the player characters’ feet are firmly on the snow, they
might feel the urge to frolic in it! This is a good time to teach
them some fun, wintery skills they can use on Snow Blast
Island. All player characters gain the ability to use the Dash
action as a bonus action in order to skate or ski across the
frozen tundra. Player characters can also form the snow into
snowballs, providing a surprisingly effective ranged attack.

• Snowball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 20/60
  ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d3) bludgeoning damage.
  

At this point, our heroes are free to go anywhere they
choose! There’s no “right” order to explore the island in, so
encourage them to follow whatever clues or stories spark
their interest.

At the edge of the Crystal Wood stands—or rather, sags—
the Old Shack. This worn, two-storey building appears at
first glance to be on the verge of collapse. However, visible
through the windows is an immaculately clean and
well-kept interior.
If player characters have obtained the key from Maius, it
will unlock the front door. Otherwise, a character proficient
with thieves’ tools can pick the lock on the front door with a
successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or, if
they’re feeling less polite, break a window with a successful
DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check.
Inside, they find a well-kept home. On the main floor,
the door opens into a living room with luxurious, wood-
panelled walls, a stone fireplace, and two armchairs, one
oversized and one in miniature. By the door, a massive
hat and scarf and a tiny hat and scarf are hung on pegs. To
the left, a kitchen full of dishes both large and small, and a
pantry is stocked with dried and jarred food, beer and wine,
and even fresh fruits and loaves of bread that show no signs
of decay. This strikes the heroes as strange, considering that
Stan assured them that this shack hadn’t been inhabited in
nearly a hundred years.
To the right, a small study is walled with neatly organised
bookshelves, full of everything from cookbooks to arcane
grimoires written in long-lost languages. Somehow, nothing
is dusty. A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation)
check reveals a letter, written in a tiny, neat script, but
never sent.
I am made of frost, but you are the one with the cold heart!
I have dropped hint after hint, but still, you ignore me There is
only one explanation:You do not love me If your heart is frozen,
then let your home be frozen, too!
There is a staircase leading up to the second floor, which
holds the bedroom. Again, in the bedroom is one very
large bed and one very small one. All the furniture and
housewares, while fine, are similarly mismatched—perhaps
meant to accommodate two people of disparate size.
While they spend time in the shack, they’ll experience
several unsettling and mysterious occurrences, just like they
were warned. As they walk between the rooms, they’ll hear
occasional scuffling and clicking sounds from beneath the
floorboards, as if something is moving just beneath their
feet. Player characters hear the sound of a cabinet or drawer
slamming from a nearby room, but when they enter the
room, there is no visible source for the noise. Every once in
a while, a frigid wind passes through the house, causing a
chill to run down the player characters’ spines.
If player characters pay attention to these occurrences and
try to follow them, they arrive at the pantry. On the floor,
easily visible without a check, is a large, wooden trapdoor
with a thick, iron ring to lift it. It is not locked. Should
players pull it open, they find a set of stairs leading down
into the darkness, and a cold wind blowing up from the
depths. But, more urgently, they also find an ice mephit
clinging to the underside of the trapdoor!
The mephit is holding a half-eaten loaf of bread. Once
discovered, he leaps into the pantry and attack the
characters, wreaking havoc on the little kitchen. In addition
to a normal ice mephit’s attacks, this one may grab jars
of preserved food, like pickles or fruit, and hurl them at
characters for a ranged attack. When he picks up a jar, it
becomes coated in frost and deals cold damage in addition
to bludgeoning damage when it strikes a target. Tasty!
Pickle jar. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range
20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage,
3 (1d6) cold damage.
Characters may fight the mephit, or they might prefer to
simply trap, escape, or otherwise neutralise it. Either way,
once the mephit is taken care of, they can finally take the
stairs beyond the trapdoor. These stairs go further and deeper
than any normal set of stairs would. As they descend, the
brick walls glitter with ice, before finally giving way to raw,
frost-rimed stone. This staircase leads into the Ice Caverns.

The Ice Caverns are a sprawling network of frozen
underground spaces running beneath the entirety of Snow
Blast Island and beyond, stretching beneath the ocean.
The caverns are dark, but any light source will refract off
the walls and crystalline structures of the space, making
the caverns twinkle and glow blue. Noises echo, making it
difficult to pinpoint the source of a sound or travel stealthily.
There are many dangers in the Ice Caverns, but none so
dangerous as its sheer size. When the characters begin to
explore, the most important thing to impress upon them
is its vastness. Emphasise its scale by describing soaring
ceilings, endless-looking tunnels, and multiple passages and
openings leading in and out of each space.
To simulate the scope of the caverns, roll on the table
below to generate unique caves and passageways. It is
recommended that players pass through 1d4 + 1 cavern
locales before reaching the Winter Wolf Den, but feel free to
adjust those numbers if you feel a shorter or longer journey
through the caverns would suit your players. If the player
characters succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check,
they are able to scout out a more efficient path. Subtract
one cavern from your total.
Winter Wolf Den
When characters have traversed the caverns, they find
themselves in the Winter Wolf Den. The outer edge of this
spacious cavern is cluttered with glassy stalagmites made
entirely of ice. Traced onto the frosted surfaces of these are
the words “just say sorry”, repeated over and over again.
There are a dozen winter wolves sleeping or prowling the
cavern. (There’s no need to call for a check to spot them—
they’re not hiding!) In the centre of the cavern, there is a
swirling crater, as though the snow and ice in this cavern
was flung outward from a central point. At its core is a pale
blue orb, pulsing with a soft light. A jagged fracture splits
the surface. The wolves do not attack the characters unless
they attempt to approach the Orb, in which case the wolves
defend it.
If a creature touches or picks up the Orb, they must
succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or suffer
10 (1d10+5) cold damage. They are also immediately
possessed by the spirit of the Frost Queen. The possessed
creature shouts “I demand an apology!” before carefully
placing the Orb back where it was. If player characters find a
clever way to move the Orb without touching it, a cold wind
will whip up in a 10-foot radius around it, bringing snow,
and disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks within its
area of effect.
Players can retrace their steps to exit the way they came in.
Stick to the previously rolled caverns, but reroll encounters
if you like. Alternatively, they can go through an additional
two caverns after reaching the Winter Wolf Den to find a
different exit, which leads them out of the caverns and into
the Crystal Wood through an opening amongst the roots of
a lightning-struck tree.

D20 Features
1 A long tunnel that grows slowly narrower as it goes. The exit is so small that only one character may pass through it at a time.
2 A medium-sized cave with crystal stalactites and stalagmites crowding the space. The entire cave is considered difficult terrain.
3 An oblong cavern with a high ceiling covered in hundreds of bats. Bat guano coats the floor. If the players make a loud noise, the bats will swarm
(1d4 + 2 swarms of bats) at the player characters and attack.
4 A vast, echoing cavern with a small pool of still water near the middle, the surface covered in a thin sheet of ice. Submerged in the pool are the skeletons
of two unlucky treasure hunters. One of them has a decaying knapsack which contains a driftglobe.
5 A wide, rounded tunnel with a patch of ice a third of the way in. A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal a safe path on the right
side. If the player characters step anywhere other than the safe pathway, the ice cracks, and they fall into a 10-foot-deep ice pit and take 3 (1d6)
bludgeoning damage.
6 A small, sloping cavern that concludes in a dead end. Characters must go back the way they came and take another path.
7 A medium-sized cave with purple, frost-covered, luminescent mushrooms sprouting from the walls and casting dim light throughout. It is violet fungus
and attacks the player characters if they come within range.
8 A wide cavern with the crumbled remains of a stone obelisk in the centre. There are arcane symbols carved in the stone, but they are too faded to read.
The obelisk is not magical and has no effect.
9 A narrow but tall passageway that begins to collapse as the player characters move through it. They must make a successful DC 12 Dexterity saving
throw to escape it or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage. The player characters must succeed a DC 14 Strength check to dig themselves out.
10 A small, low-ceilinged cave. Against one wall, five skulls have been stacked in a pyramid shape. Resting in the eye sockets of each skull are a gold piece,
for a total of 10 gold pieces.
11 A dark, cramped tunnel formed mostly of stone. A lantern has been hung near the entrance here but has gone out.
12 A roughly triangular cavern. At the point, a single, fire-blackened skeleton is slumped. The ice around it is frozen in a swirling pattern, ash trapped in the
ice, as if it melted and then re-froze. The skeleton has a ring of swimming on its finger.
13 A steep, narrow staircase rough-hewn from the ice. It spirals down the outside edge of a cylindrical space, ending at a doorway to the next cavern.
In the middle of the cylinder is only blackness with no discernible bottom.
14 A winding tunnel, forty feet long before ending in a cave-in. Player characters must backtrack and find another path.
15 A roughly rectangular cavern with transparent, glassy walls of ice. Frozen deep in the ice are two skeletons in the act of fleeing a third skeleton holding
a greataxe.
16 A cavern that contains what was once a campsite, including a tattered canvas tent, a moth-eaten bedroll, and the scattered remains of a campfire.
In the tent, there are a climber’s kit and 50 feet of rope.
17 A cavern containing a long stone bridge over a wide, rushing subterranean river. If player characters look down into the water, they might spot the
shadow of a very, very large creature swimming by.
18 A long, vertical tunnel of sheer ice. There is a frost-coated rope hanging down. Player characters must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to
scale it or find some other means to reach the top.
19 A vast cave filled edge-to-edge with a huge, pitch-black underground lake, crossable only on a series of icy steppingstones. Player characters must
succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity check to cross the stones safely or fall into the water. Any that fall in the water take 3 (1d6) cold damage.
20 A small, cramped passageway with semi-transparent walls and ceiling, through which player characters can see they are beneath a large underground
body of water. They see the silhouette of a plesiosaurus pass over them as they walk through it.

The centre of Snow Blast Island is dominated by the
Crystal Wood. All the trees in this forest are encrusted in
glittering frost, their leaves long stripped away and replaced
with perfect, delicate snowflakes, clinging to the branches and
fluttering in the wind. The refraction of light through the trees
is a breath-taking sight, but the player characters must be
wary of that beauty distracting them from the dangers of the
forest. Many ice-marked creatures roam this land, and it is
well-known that the frost giant Maius dwells in the middle.
There is an entrance to the Ice Caverns in the roots of a
huge, twisted dead tree, once struck by lightning. Player
characters might emerge from here if they leave the Ice
Caverns at a different location than they entered them. They
may also find it from the outside with a successful DC 12
Intelligence (Investigation) check or with direction from the
Sulfuria, the young black dragon.
To find Maius, they need only to follow the easily visible
trail of destruction he leaves. The closer our heroes get to
the centre of the wood, the more evidence there is of the
frost giant’s rage and size. Trees have been felled, his huge
footprints have filled with now-frozen water and become
difficult terrain, and birdsong and the chattering of animals
fades as the characters near his territory.
When they find Maius, he is stomping around, roaring
“I’m THIRSTY!” Characters may attempt to calm him by
many means, but the easiest, of course, would be to provide
him with a drink! His favourite drink is beer (a beverage
plentifully stocked in the Old Shack) and offering him some
will immediately calm him and make him significantly more
friendly. However, other forms of persuasion, accompanied
by a successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check, could
also settle him down.
Once calmed, Maius will recount his version of events.
Characters may note that there are some key differences
between his story and the stories they’ve been hearing from
other characters.
He was once a hill giant and good friends with a
frost elemental.
She used to give him papers. He produces a sheaf of
letters from his belt pouch. He thought them a puzzling
gift but accepted that perhaps elementals gave different
sorts of gifts where they came from. (They are love
letters, but Maius cannot read.)
One day, she gave him a key to her shack. He believes
this was for the purposes of getting the mail and
watering the plants if she ever went on vacation. He still
has the key and will lend it to players if they ask him.
The frost elemental demanded he tell her how he
felt about her. He responded that he thought her a
good friend. For some reason, this upset her. She
wept icy tears until they crystallised around her body,
transforming her into an Orb that spilled winter onto
the island.
Cold and lonely, Maius tried to break through the ice
of the Orb to free his friend and return summer to the
island. But when it fractured, ice and snow erupted
from it, transforming Maius into a frost giant.
It has been almost a hundred years since these events, but
Maius is still confused about what happened. He misses his
friend but is wary of interacting with the Orb any further
after how it has already changed him. However, he can be
convinced to make an apology with a successful DC 16
Charisma (Persuasion) check.
If players fail to persuade him into apologising, he
complains that he’s lost his favourite winter wolf pelt. If
he had it back, he would surely be in a better mood. If
players can resolve his complaint, the DC for convincing
him decreases by 2. If they are still unable to persuade
him, he follows up by hinting about orcs stealing his spear,
preventing him from hunting. If characters retrieve his
spear, any attempt to convince him is an automatic success.

Winter Wolf Pelt

Maius lost his winter wolf pelt while rampaging through
the woods the other day. He recalls that he had it when he
fished in the river, but not when he climbed the lightning-
struck tree to scare off a bird that was bothering him. Player
characters can locate the river with a successful DC 10
Wisdom (Nature) check or locate the lightning-struck tree
with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check if they
haven’t already found it. Once either landmark is located,
it will take a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation)
check to find the pelt half-stuck in a snowbank.
Player characters can also obtain a new winter wolf pelt.
If they have already killed a winter wolf, they can simply
return to its body and skin it. To find 1d4 winter wolves
in the Crystal Wood, characters must succeed on a DC 14
Wisdom (Survival) check to track the creatures. It’s another
survival check to successfully skin one, this time with a DC
of 11.

Stolen Spear

Maius left his spear leaning against a tree while he swam in
the river last week. But while he was swimming, those nasty
orcs came by on their polar bears and stole it! Maius saw
the orcs camped out just north of his cave that morning.
The player characters should have no trouble finding the
orcs with the frost giant’s direction. However, there are
twice as many orcs as there are party members, which
means a fight could be a mistake. One orc in particular
has the spear strapped to the side of his polar bear mount.
The player characters can use any tactics they choose
to retrieve the spear. But be warned. The orcs are not
interested in negotiating.
Once Maius agrees to apologise, he cooperates with the
player characters as they either lead him to the Winter Wolf
Den or bring the Orb to him. If players encounter any
combat while Maius is in their company, he takes part in
the battle, but opponents are also frightened of him, so they
may be less likely to attack or might flee during combat.

When the player characters first visit these hills, they notice
how strangely orderly they are. The hills are of consistent
sizes and seem arrayed in neat rows. What they don’t know
is that this is because beneath years of snow and ice, the
“hills” are actually buildings. This is what remains of a once-
thriving island community where most of the inhabitants
lived. With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check,
players might notice a chimney or weathervane poking out
of the snow.
Characters may want to dig into some of the hills to uncover
what is beneath. A success on a DC 12 Strength (Athletics)
check enables them to shovel enough snow away to find a
door or window, or employ some other creative solution to
melt, move, or pass through the snow. Buried under all this
is a nice little neighbourhood. They may find themselves
in a modest little house, clothes still in the closets, food
moulding in the cupboards. Or perhaps they find themselves
in the town general store, looking at bins of long-rotten
fruits and shelves of crates that once held grain, but have
now been chewed into and emptied by mice. Each building
is vacant, as though the inhabitants left one day, intending
to return shortly, but never coming back.
The young black dragon that beset the Squallskimmer
upon the player character’s arrival has made her home in
one of the largest hills (originally the town hall) in order to
keep warm. The dragon has dug a tunnel through the snow
and now lives comfortably inside the building. It’s easy to
spot the largest hill and the wide, cave-like opening in the
side of it, but using that tunnel is a little harder.
The tunnel begins with a steep decline that will require a
successful DC 12 Dexterity saving throw (or some other
creative solution!) to traverse without slipping and sliding
towards 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage where the tunnel
levels out against a snow-crusted brick garden wall. Past
this, the tunnel starts up again fifteen feet higher (an easy
thing for a dragon to navigate, but more difficult those
of smaller stature). Once they’ve scaled this, the player
characters find themselves inside the dragon’s den. Player
characters may want to be stealthy while making their way
inside. If so, they will need to succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity
(Stealth) check to escape the dragon’s notice.
The interior of the dragon’s den might surprise characters if
they haven’t yet identified the hills as buildings. It is a sturdy
wooden structure, although one wall has been torn open
by the dragon’s claws to make way for the tunnel entrance.
There was once furniture, but it is now in matchsticks,
pushed into the corners of the structure. Player characters
can look up and see a big brass bell in a wooden tower, once
used to mark the hours, but now stilled by snow. The dragon
huddles in a massive hoard of mittens, scarves and hats,
stolen from tourists or recovered from the snow after the
previous owner lost them. She is making a strange roaring
sound they eventually realise is weeping.
If characters choose to address her, or if she notices them
arriving, the dragon will introduce herself as Sulfuria. She
will apologise for her behaviour at the docks and explain
that the “balloon incident” only happened because she got
too excited at the prospect of a ride off the island. Being
young, she is not strong enough to fly the whole way to
another warmer island.
She collects warm clothes in an effort to keep herself
warm, but judging by her shivering and the dragon-sized
goosebumps on her hide, it’s not enough. Offering her more
warm clothes for her collection can be a good way to bribe her
into doing the characters a favour, although she might also be
convinced to help out of guilt over the balloon incident.
Sulfuria can offer the following information or assistance:
A few months ago, a treasure hunter told her of an
entrance to the Ice Caverns deep in the Crystal Wood. It
is a tunnel in the roots of a huge, lightning-struck tree.
She heard that Maius heroically tried to destroy the
Orb of the Frost Queen in order to save the island. His
punishment from the evil queen was the curse of being
transformed into a frost giant. Poor thing!
She could fly the characters from one location to
another, although she won’t agree to more than one trip,
since she hates being out in the cold and wants to get
back to her cosy den as quickly as possible.

When Maius issues his apology, a warm wind suddenly rises.
The frozen landscape begins to melt, green plants unfurling
through the remaining snow. The fracture across the surface
of the Orb of the Frost Queen glows with a blinding light.
Everyone shields their eyes, and when they open them again,
a frost elemental, no taller than a human’s knee, is holding
the now-whole Orb.
It is the Frost Queen’s turn to apologise to Maius for
subjecting both him and the island to nearly a century of
suffering over a miscommunication. She thanks the player
characters for reminding her that we don’t all see the world
the same way. She offers them the Orb as a reward (for
more information, see page 125). Without her trapped
inside, it can no longer plunge entire lands into winter, but
it can still provide some protection to the bearer.
Sulfuria comes to find the player characters once the thaw
begins. If this is the first time the player characters have
seen her since the balloon incident, she will apologise for
frightening them and give her explanation about being
desperate to leave the island. But now that things are
warming up, she’s finding that this little island has really
grown on her. She plans to stay—although she’ll have
to start a brand-new hoard that’s more appropriate to a
tropical location. She offers the characters a ride to the
docks, excited to stretch her wings in the warm weather.
At the docks, they find Murmurous Stan, amazed by the
transformation. He tells the characters that he is descended
from the mayor of the island, which is why he remained
here and acted as the island’s steward, despite the harsh
landscape. Some part of him, he admits, thought that the
island would remain locked in ice for his entire life. Now
that he needs to take on the mantle of mayor and rebuild
the island, he’s a little intimidated by the prospect, but also
excited! He will also tell them that the island can now be
referred to by its previous name, Summer’s Breath Isle.
This concludes the adventure! Whenever they’re ready to
leave, Murmurous—or rather, Mayor—Stan offers to take
them back to Flotsam on his boat. After all, rebuilding the
island is going to take time, and he needs to start spreading
the word as soon as possible.

EXPERIENCE
The adventurers should gain enough
experience from the adventure to advance to
the next level.