Chapter 2 Behind the storm (Lv3)

Village Investigation
The party takes Petria back to the village, seeing a large group gathered at the
outskirts of the village prompting Petia to run ahead of the party into the arms of
his family. This caused the villagers to cheer as the party are welcomed back with
great fanfare and a feast is soon cooked up to honour the success and loss of Thump
(if died) , drinking into the morning. As you and the caravan recover from the
previous day of celebrating you head back onto the Long Road.
Heading towards the city if Waterdeep, there is a strange occurrence as it is mid-
summer the last thing you expect to feel is an unpronounced chill in the air. With
the usual expectation of it being the hottest part of the year, the journey was
initially uneventful with the temperature dropping quickly as snow starts to gather
on the ground. The caravan comes into the village of Amphail, with the weather
becoming more hazardous the decision is to set down at the nearest inn. Once out of
the weather the party sees the inn (the Jolly Dwarf) crowded with people recovering
from the cold, downstairs of this inn features a large taproom. A gray-haired dwarf
behind the bar greets you cheerfully as you enter. Two humans and two tiefling
children laugh among themselves as they enjoy a meal together.

Arl Bortock (a neutral good, male, mountain dwarf veteran) works behind the bar,
offers respite however there is a private event upstairs. The children come over to
see what the newcomers are doing as the party goes over to the table nearby.
Irvia Liel, her partner Fenton Tethwick (both neutral good, male Dwendalian human
commoners), and their adopted daughters Honor and Magic (both tiefling
noncombatants) are friendly and invite the characters to join them. Irvia and
Fenton are traveling booksellers. If asked about the vial, Irven explains that they
met Hulil Lutan on the road to Village. She said she was moving and needed to shed
some possessions, so she offered him a chance to buy the Aeorian relic at a great
price. He plans to sell the item for a profit in Uthodurn, offering to show the
vial wrapped up in the cloth. Any character who touches the vial directly must
succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or contract frigid woe.
A person from upstair comes down to see who arrived making you aware a funeral was
held for a known adventurer Drumbled roll history more than 11 the player knows the
adventurer’s deeds. He suspiciously eyes the vial, as the weather gets worse and
seeing the party are adventures issues a request. Discover the source of the
unnatural early onset of winter and remove it so that the seasons return to normal.
The village leader rewards the PCs 750 gp on behalf of the grateful citizens of
Amphail for completing this quest, along with find a cure to the disease affecting
people in village 450 gp.
A gruff voice speaks softly from behind you. "Thank you for attending Drumbled 's
service." You turn and meet the gaze of Elro Aldataur, a weathered elf, retired
ranger, and the leader of the village. " I’m sorry to speak of dark tidings under
such circumstances, but I believe that Amphail Village may be in danger, and I’m
hoping you can help us."
There are two main issues facing the village. The weather is damaging the
production of the villages supplied and limiting what they can collect to sell, the
other issue is that an explorer dwarf called Drumbled died from an unknown disease
and others seem to have it.
Use the following points to help guide the conversation as he explains his concerns
to the characters:
• Two months ago, Drumbled returned home after exploring Dessarin Valley for a
year. He had been back for only for a few days when he came down with a strange
affliction, which made the dwarf move slowly and caused blue veins to appear all
over his body.
• The village's priests of Moradin and Corellon used every spell they could
muster to attempt to heal Drumbled, but nothing they tried could stop the bizarre
malady. Drumbled battled the affliction for weeks, until his ever-slowing body
eventually turned to ice.
• Until yesterday, Elro and the rest of the community believed that Drumbled's
sad fate was an isolated incident, most likely caused by something the dwarf came
into contact with while exploring Dessarin Valley. Then Elro noticed Tulgi Lutan, a
dwarf trapper, showing signs of the same illness.
• Alarmed, Elro tried to talk to Tulgi about it, but she pushed him away,
asking that he let her die in peace.
If the characters are willing, Elro wants them to find out what caused Drumbled and
Tulgi's affliction. He's worried that it could spread, but Tulgi refuses to talk to
him, and the Glassblades in the village are better known for their combat skills
than their ability to glean the truth in a complicated situation. Moreover, Tulgi
is extremely distrustful of the authorities.
Elro thinks a group of adventurers might have better luck convincing Tulgi to talk.
If the characters agree to help find the cause of Drumbled and Tulgi's affliction,
Elro offers to pay them 450 gp. He suggests that the characters start by searching
Drumbled's home or talking to Tulgi at her cabin.
Drumbled’s Cabin
A good-natured Glass blade rookie named Mila Teno (a lawful good, female wood elf
scout) stands guard outside the front door. Drumbled lived in a one-story, one-room
log cabin at the edge of town.
The cramped, dark cabin might have been a cozy place when its owner was alive. Now
an unmade bed stands near a cold fireplace, its mantle hung with the head of some
snarling white beast with grayhorns. On the other side of the room, a small table
strewn with dirty dishes and set with a dwarf-sized chair stands before two empty
shelves whose contents are scattered across the floor: kitchen utensils, dried
foodstuffs, adventuring gear, and a few books.
Any character who examines the mess in the cabin realizes that someone recently
trashed the place while searching it. A successful DC 12 Intelligence
(Investigation) check reveals the intruder's footprints. Tulgi Lutan was the
culprit, desperate for any clues that might help her cure the frigid woe that is
killing her. Her tracks lead outside and back to her cabin (see "Tulgi's Cabin"
below).
• Adventuring Equipment. Drumbled's adventuring equipment consists of a
silvered maul; a suit of splint armor sized for a dwarf; bulky, fur-lined clothing
sized for a dwarf; a grappling hook; and a hooded lantern.
• Mounted Head. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check
recognizes that the head mounted above the mantle belonged to a yeti, a monstrosity
found in the North. 250
• Strange Receipt. A character who searches through the books on the shelf and
succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds a folded receipt used
as a bookmark. The receipt is dated two months previous, and indicates that
Drumbled sold several Aeorian items found in local antique shop Pele's Curiosities
for 1,000 gp. The items are listed as a dagger, a scroll case, a jade statuette, a
quiver of twenty arrows, a silver ring set with a jasper, and two blue glass vials.
Characters who are residents of Amphail Village or have been there for a while know
of Pele's Curiosities and also know that the shop was robbed and vandalized two
months ago.
Tulgi's Cabin
When the characters approach Tulgi's cabin, read:
This snow-covered cabin looks peaceful and quiet from the outside. Its windows are
shuttered, and a steady stream of smoke piping out of the chimney indicates a
roaring fire within.
Tulgi Lutan's home is a one-story, one-room log cabin. Because she isn't keen on
letting the characters in, the following features might be important:
• The roof of the cabin is 12 feet high. Climbing up the outside walls requires
a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check.
• The wooden door to the cabin is locked and has AC 15, 18 hit points, and
immunity to poison and psychic damage. The lock can be picked with a successful DC
12 Dexterity check using thieves' tools, or the door can be forced open with a
successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Tulgi carries the key that unlocks the
door.
• Each of the cabin's four walls has one window, which is shuttered and latched
from the inside. A window can be unlatched from outside with a successful DC 12
Dexterity check using thieves' tools.
• The inside of the cabin is brightly lit by fires in a brazier and a
fireplace, though the smoky haze given off by both makes the interior lightly
obscured.
If the characters knock on the door, Tulgi Lutan (a neutral evil, female mountain
dwarf thug with a walking speed of 10 feet) calls from the other side, telling them
to go away. A character who shouts back through the door and succeeds on a DC 12
Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion) check convinces Tulgi to open the
door and allow the party inside. Otherwise, she ignores anything the characters
say.
If the characters aren't invited inside, they'll have to decide what other means
they're willing to use to enter. Regardless of how they do so, when the characters
enter the cabin, read:
The heat in this small cabin hits like a hammer blow. A table set with neatly
stacked dishes, tools, and utensils stands at the center of the room. The smell of
a simmering soup comes from a pot hanging inside a roaring fireplace. Another fire
burns in an iron brazier at the opposite end of the room, filling the cabin with a
smoky haze. Shivering at the end of a bed near the brazier is a dwarf wrapped in
blankets. Bulging blue veins streak her face, neck, and hands.
If the characters broke into the cabin Tulgi attacks as soon as she sees them,
fighting until reduced to 10 hit points then surrendering. She has two pet wolves,
Iro and Jira, that hide beneath her bed. If a fight breaks out, the wolves join the
fray to defend her.
Break in Tulgi (Thug) and 2 wolves
Fire Hazards. Any creature that comes into contact with the brazier or the
fireplace for the first time on its turn, or that starts its turn there, takes 2
(1d4) fire damage.
Tulgi is gruff and to the point, and tries to compensate for her illness with
bluster. If the characters entered the cabin with her permission or if she
surrenders to them, she tells them only that she has the same affliction that
killed Drumbled, and that she's looking for a cure.
Succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check convinces Tulgi to
reveal the following information:
• Tulgi came to Amphail Village a few years back from Shadycreek Run with her
sister, Hulil. Both work for the Uttolot family.
• The Uttolots sent them and others to the village to keep an eye on treasures
coming back from Dessarin Valley -with the intent of stealing them.
• When Drumbled Wenth returned to Amphail Village with treasures from Dessarin
Valley, Tulgi saw her chance. She waited for Drumbled to sell his finds to Pele's
Curiosities, then stole them all.
• Tulgi gave most of Drumbled's relics to Hulil, but kept one for herself-an
ornate dagger. She grudgingly gives this weapon to the characters if asked. Hulil
has the other items in a site north of the village known as Croaker Cave.
• Tulgi was the one who searched Drumbled's cabin, convinced that the dead
dwarf must have had magic or other secrets stored away there.
Location Treasure Contents
Tulgi +1 dagger ** if not offered to characters, any character with a passive
Wisdom (Perception) score of 11 or higher notices the ornate blade in a gilded
sheath.
Successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or History) check reveals that the dagger is
a relic of the fallen flying city of Aeor.
Development. The characters have no trouble finding either Croaker Cave or Pele's
Curiosities if either of those locations is their next destination. If things went
bad with Tulgi and she died before revealing any information, the characters might
find notes or instructions from Hulil revealing some of the information above.
Pelc’s Curiosities
Pelc's Curiosities is an antique shop run by an introverted elf named Verla Pelc.
Verla keeps to herself, opening her shop only when the mood strikes her. She trades
any and all objects that interest her, shipping them far and wide across the
Dessarin region. Characters who are residents of Amphail Village or have been there
for a while know of Pelc's Curiosities-and also know that the shop was robbed and
vandalized two months ago. If the characters are recent arrivals to the village,
anyone they ask about the shop mentions the robbery.
Pelc's Curiosities is a one-story, two-room log cabin. The windows are shuttered
and locked from inside, leaving the interior dark. The only entrance is the front
door, but characters can force open one of the shutters around the back with a
successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check, granting access to Verla's quarters
(see that section below).
When the characters approach the cabin, read:
The dark cabin before you has a sign over its door which reads, " Pelc's
Curiosities," with the image of a curving dragon used to make the letter P. Though
the shop appears closed, the front door is slightly ajar.
Any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 11 or higher hears
whispered voices and footsteps coming from inside the cabin. If the characters
succeed on a group DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check, they can surprise the bandits
currently in the shop.
Front Shop Area. The antique shop occupies the large front room of the cabin. When
the characters can see into this area, read:
Five cloaked elves appear to have ransacked the shop and are searching through the
broken debris on the floor. The furniture, shelves, and front counter have been
smashed, and the shop's wares now litter the floor.
Encounter 5 Bandits
This area is difficult terrain thanks to the debris covering it as the elves are
bandits with darkvision, advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and
immunity to magic that would put them to sleep.
The bandits attack as soon as they notice the characters, fighting until only one
remains. That survivor then surrenders and is questioned, a character who succeeds
on a DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check can learn the following information:
• The bandits work for Hulil Lutan, a dwarf priestess of Tiamat. Hulil works
for the Uttolot family of Shadycreek Run.
• Hulil's sister, Tulgi, robbed Pele's Curiosities two months ago.
• Hulil is sick or cursed with some affliction that causes her to move slowly
and is turning her veins blue.
• Hulil ordered the bandits to trash Pele's Curiosities in search of potions,
scrolls, or other items that might help cure her. Despite their thorough search,
the bandits found nothing useful. Hulil is hiding out with more bandits in Croaker
Cave.
Verla 's Quarters. Verla's quarters are at the back of the cabin. When the
characters gain access to this area, read:
What appears to be an ice statue of an elf is bundled beneath the blankets of a bed
along the east wall of the room. A small table loaded with dirty teacups and a
kettle stands next to the bed.
The figure in the bed is the unfortunate Verla Pelc, who was infected with frigid
woe by Drumbled Wenth's Aeorian relics. Her symptoms appeared a few weeks after the
shop was robbed, but the reclusive elf never told anyone about them.
Croaker Cave
Characters local to Amphail Village or who have spent some time there know Croaker
Cave. If all the characters are new arrivals to the village, any of the villagers
can tell them about the cave and how to get there. Knowing that the residents of
Amphail Village avoid the cave and its dangerous frogs, Hulil Lutan has made the
place her base of operations. She and the Uttolot bandits she commands have
domesticated the giant ice frogs that make the cave their home, using them as guard
animals.
A plume of smoke rises from the ground beyond the cave entrance, venting through a
narrow natural chimney from area C6. The chimney is too small to be climbed,
however, and the main cave entrance is the only entry point. The party have been
made aware that there are no lights to be seen in the caverns, with pools of murky,
frigid water within the caverns are created by ground water from above dripping
down through the ceiling. Each pool is 10 feet deep.

A creature completely submerged in a pool must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution

saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity
to cold damage automatically succeed on this saving throw. For each minute the
creature spends submerged in a pool, it must repeat this saving throw, gaining
another level of exhaustion on a failure.
The blue-skinned frogs attack any creatures in the cave complex not escorted by
bandits they recognize, until reduced to half its hit points or fewer then flees. A
character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check as an action
convinces one frog to not attack or to stop attacking. If the character or any of
their allies attacks or harms the frog, it resumes combat.
ENTRANCE POOL
This area of the cave is close enough to the entrance that it is dimly lit by day
and on clear moonlit nights. When the characters can see into this area, read:
The slow dripping of water sounds out where it falls from stalactites down into a
murky pool that fills the rough tunnel ahead. Every few moments, a loud croaking
sounds out from somewhere in the darkness beyond.
With darkvision or an appropriate light source, the characters can see a 25-foot-
long heavy wooden beam lying against the west wall of the cave at the south end the
pool. The Uttolot bandits use the beam to cross the pool, and pull it back to the
far side when they are in the cave. Two giant ice frogs hide in the murky pool. If
combat breaks out in this area, the bandits in area C2 quickly come to investigate.
TRAINING POOL
The slow dripping of water from the ceiling flows to a pool in the southwest corner
of this cavern. A large wooden bucket with a lid sits near the edge of the pool.
Three Uttolot bandits and two giant ice frogs normally occupy this cavern. If the
bandits have not yet been alerted to disturbances, they are training the frogs. Add
the following:
A dwarf and two elves bundled in layers of winter clothing are throwing dead bats
into the air. Two giant blueskinned frogs leap up to snatch the bats in midair,
seemingly as part of some sort of training session.
If the bandits went to investigate disturbances in adjacent areas, the frogs are
hiding in the pool.
Bucket. The bucket holds six dead bats used as training treats. A character who
offers a dead bat to a frog has advantage on their next Wisdom (Animal Handling)
check made to control that frog's behavior.
Encounter 3 bandits & 2 giant ice frogs
BAT CAVERN
This cavern reeks, and its floor is covered in bat guano.
A swarm of bats sleeps among the stalactites in this cavern. If anything disturbs
the bats (including a light source or a loud noise in the cavern), the swarm
attacks the source of the disturbance. The swarm fights until reduced to half its
hit points or fewer, then flees out of the cave complex. If combat breaks out in
this area, the bandits in area C2 come to investigate.
Encounter 2 Swarm of Bats
Treacherous Floor. The floor of this area is covered in slippery bat guano.
Whenever a creature standing on the floor takes damage, it must succeed on a DC 10
Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or fall prone.
BANDIT CAMP
Ten empty bedrolls arranged in a circle around a disused firepit at the center of
this cavern. Chicken bones, empty wine and spirits bottles, and other food waste
litters the floor.
Trap: opening of a 10-foot-deep pit trap under bedroll, DC 10 Wisdom (Perception)
check fails taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. A creature that
falls into the pit makes enough noise that the bandits in area C2 investigate.
Location Treasure Contents
Bedrolls Bald Dwarf Whisky (worth 25 gp)
Uthodurn Elven wine (worth 35 gp)
OLD CROAKER'S POOL
Water dripping down from stalactites in the ceiling fills a dark pool that
completely covers the floor of this cavern.
Croaker Cave's largest denizen-named Old Croaker by the Uttolot bandits-has claimed
this pool. It hides in the water and attacks as other giant ice frogs. Old Croaker
is a giant toad with no immunity to cold damage.
Old Croaker has been trained to ferry Hulil and visitors to her cavern (area C6)
across the pool. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check
to convince Old Croaker to not attack the party can also convince the frog to ferry
all the characters across the pool one at a time.
Encounter Old Croaker
HUUL's CAVERN
When the characters can see into this area, read:
A warm rush of heat comes from a massive fire burning in the center of this cavern,
its smoke venting up through an arrow stone chimney. The flames illuminate a rough
painting of a five-headed dragon that dominates the north wall. A bedroll is spread
out beneath the mural. Near the crackling blaze, a dwarf bundled in a heavy cloak
sits on a stone chest beside an elf whose face is covered in dragon tattoos. The
dwarf's face is streaked with pulsing blue veins.
Hulil Lutan (a neutral evil, female mountain dwarf cult fanatic with a walking
speed of 15 feet, darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, resistance to poison
damage, and advantage on saving throws against poison) and her apprentice, Raegrin
Mau (a neutral evil, male wood elf cultist with darkvision out to a range of 60
feet, advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and immunity to magic that
would put him to sleep).
Hulil is so desperate for a cure for the ailment that is slowly killing her that
she doesn't attack the characters when she first sees them, as long as she isn't
attacked first. Initially in meditative state looking for a cure from Tiamat, with
Raegrin following every order from Hulil. Instead, she orders them to stand down
and demands to know why they came to the cave. A quick-thinking character can claim
to have come to help Hulil (at the direction of her sister, after receiving a
message from Tiamat, or with another appropriate rationale).
With a successful Charisma (Deception) check opposed by Hulil's Wisdom (Insight)
check, the character convinces the dwarf that all the characters are her allies. On
a failed check, or if the characters challenge her, Hulil and Raegrin attack.
Encounter Hulil, Raegrin and 1 bandit
If the characters convince Hulil that they are her allies, or if they capture her
or Raegrin and succeed on a DC 14 Charisma (Intimidation) check, they can learn the
following information:
• Hulil believes she has a disease called frigid woe. Only knows its symptoms
and rumors of explorers in Dessarin Valley sometimes succumb to it.
• Hulil thinks affliction was caused by blue vials Tulgi stole from Pele's
Curiosities, originally sold by Drumbled Wenth. The vial was cracked, revealing
that its lovely color was the result of a dark blue dust clinging to the interior.
• She is desperate to get to Shadycreek Run before the malady runs its course,
hoping that she can trade the goods stolen by Tulgi for a cure.
Stone Chest. The stone chest's outer lid is carved with the face of a dragon. A
character who examines the chest and succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check
finds pin-sized openings in the dragon's mouth that contain a blue powder. The
powder can be removed with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools.
A character who fails this check must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw
or contract frigid woe.
A detect magic spell reveals that the chest radiates an aura of evocation magic.
When a creature touches the chest without speaking a prayer to Tiamat, a gust of
wind escapes the dragon's mouth. If the blue powder is still in the dragon's mouth,
it forms a cloud that fills a 15-foot cube in front of the chest. Each creature
within the area must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or contract
frigid woe.
Location Treasure Contents
Chest rest of the treasure found by Drumbled Wenth
gilded scroll case covered in a cosmological map of the multiverse (worth 15 gp)
a jade statuette of a storm giant (25 gp)
a quiver containing six +l arrows
receipt indicating blue glass vial sold to Irven Lie! for 100 gp.
silver ring set with a jasper stone (50 gp)
Hulil's wealth-415 cp, 234 sp, and 129 gp
BACK TO THE INN
Taking the findings back to the village inn Elro comes to the characters with
sombre news. Other members of the village have become afflicted the same disease,
seeing the blue powder in the vial has allowed Elro to consult old lore and learn a
few things about the disease. (If the characters didn't learn the name of the
affliction from Hulil, Elro is the source of that disease name frigid woe as well.)
Elro knows that frigid woe is said to have only one cure-a milky liquid the
Aeorians stored in gold vials. He hopes that the cure might be found in the same
place Drumbled found the vials of frigid woe in Dessarin Valley, making the party
aware of an old acquaintance called Orvo Mustave. Villagers can point out Orvo
Mustave's tent to the characters. When the characters approach the tent, read:
A campfire burns in front of this small tent, whose flaps are open. Inside the tent
sits a young dwarf whose face is scarred as though scratched by a large claw. A
shortsword is casually laid across his lap as he warms his outstretched hands.
Orvo Mustave (a chaotic good, male Wood Elf scout) is a curious and soft-spoken
explorer, uncovering the Dessarin Valley secrets and treasures is his goal.
Genuinely interested in the characters' lives and asking them lots of questions
after inviting them to share his fire, being stricken of hearing about the demise
of his friend Drumbled Wenth. If the characters ask Orvo about the blue vials that
brought disease to Amphail Village, Orvo shares the following information:
• Orvo and Drumbled found the blue vials in Sumaritik, an Aeorian ruin
partially submerged in the river, believing the ruin’s well-preserved.
• Sumaritik is 18 miles SouthEast of Amphail village. Ice mephits are drawn to
the magic of something at that location. Orvo and Drumbled found the ruin after
following one of the creatures.
• Explored only three of its chambers before being chased away by animated
suits of armor, buildings may house hazardous materials or secret projects.
• The dwarves didn't know what the vials contained, Orvo sold his share while
Drumbled decided to hang onto his share until he returned home to Amphail Village.