The Forge Beneath the Frost
The Forge Beneath the Frost
Read aloud
A blue light has begun shining from the ruined mage tower beyond Phandalin, and hunters say monsters are gathering around it. Sister Garaele believes a relic inside could give the village a defense against Cryovain. She offers a share of the treasure to anyone willing to enter the ruins and bring back the forge-heart.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Explore Veyra's Spire and find the buried spell-forge.
- 2Stop the remnant from awakening the forge-heart.
- 3Secure the relic that may help Phandalin face Cryovain.
- 4Claim a useful spell-forge treasure.Optional
The clock
After each long rest inside the tower, the remnant's hold over the forge strengthens. At the start of the second long rest, blue frost spreads into the outer ruins and the final encounter gains one additional low-threat hazard or minion. This is a custom pacing rule; the GM can omit it if the party needs more recovery.
Scenes
- 0:00A Relic Against the Dragon
- 0:25The Tower on the Hill
- 1:00Scavengers in the Hall
- 1:50The Workshop That Still Works
- 2:50The Heart Beneath the Frost
Cast
- Sister GaraeleQuestgiver and ally
- Mira VossWitness and ally
- Nella ThornWildcard
- Veyra MalrecAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Read the hook aloud in Phandalin, then give the players a chance to ask Sister Garaele about the tower. She can provide a rough map, a warning that the lower levels are unstable, and Mira Voss's account of a cold voice beneath the ruins. Mira remembers a bronze door marked with three hammer-shaped runes. The tower is a half-day's travel from town; signs of monsters and blue light are visible before the party reaches it.
How Sister Garaele asks
Sister Garaele approaches the party in Phandalin after hearing they are preparing to confront Cryovain.
She explains that the tower may contain a relic capable of tempering weapons or warding against cold, and offers payment plus first claim to one lesser treasure. She asks them to bring the forge-heart to her intact if possible.
Rumours
Scenes
about 4 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Relic Against the Dragon
Sister Garaele's rooms or the common room of the Stonehill Inn in Phandalin.
The party meets Sister Garaele, hears the rumors, and can question Mira Voss or buy supplies. Mira can sketch the tower's visible layout and describe the bronze rune door.
NextOnce the party is ready, travel to the tower. A short journey montage can establish the rising cold and the blue glow above the trees.
0:25
35 min
exploration
2. The Tower on the Hill
A forested hill near Phandalin, with the tower's upper floors broken open and frost on stones despite the season.
The party reaches the tower, chooses an entrance, and navigates a broken outer stair. Track footprints, identify monster activity, or find a safer route through a collapsed service entrance.
NextThe safest approach leads through the shattered entry hall, where scavengers have claimed the entrance.
1:00
50 min
combat
3. Scavengers in the Hall
The tower's ruined entry hall, with a collapsed stair, broken balcony, and a sealed bronze door marked by three hammer-shaped runes.
The party clears or negotiates past the scavengers and searches the entry hall for a stairway downward. The broken balcony and icy rubble make the room a tactical hazard.
The Shattered Entry HallNextOpening the bronze door reveals a stairwell descending to the spell-forge. A successful search finds a service passage that bypasses the worst rubble.
1:50
60 min
skill
4. The Workshop That Still Works
A circular workshop below the tower, with rune pillars, workbenches, a chained lift, and a sealed vault arch.
The party crosses the workshop, identifies the rune pillars, and decides whether to fight the guardians or attempt to disrupt them. Searching the workbenches can reveal how the forge-heart was designed to resist cold.
The Spell-Forge GuardiansNextA successful rune check, guardian defeat, or clever bypass opens the vault arch and lets the party descend to the forge chamber.
2:50
75 min
combat
5. The Heart Beneath the Frost
The sunken forge chamber, where the forge-heart floats above a cold blue flame and narrow bridges cross a shallow pit.
Veyra's remnant confronts the party, offering a bargain before violence. The party can defeat it, disrupt the forge, or attempt to bind it long enough to recover the relic.
The Remnant at the Forge-HeartNextAfter the forge is secured or disrupted, the party can return to Phandalin with the relic. If the heart remains tainted, its faint blue pulse follows them into the night.
Behind it
What people believe
The ruined tower of Veyra's Spire once housed a spell-forge, and rumors say it still holds enchanted arms and a powerful relic.
Monsters now prowl its broken halls, while a dark magical presence haunts the lower levels. Sister Garaele believes the forge-heart could help Phandalin defend itself against Cryovain, and has asked a capable party to retrieve it.
Background
In the years when spell-forges shaped enchanted arms for kings and archmages, the tower called Veyra's Spire stood above the Neverwinter Wood.
Its master, the warlock Veyra Malrec, tried to bind a fragment of winter magic into a forge-heart. When the spell failed, the tower folded inward and buried its workshop beneath stone. Now the ruins stand several miles from Phandalin, and strange lights, monsters, and rumors of surviving enchantments have drawn treasure hunters to the site.
The stakes
If the party fails, the forge-heart may become an anchor for the remnant and the tower's unnatural cold may spread toward Phandalin.
If the party succeeds, it gains a chance to prepare useful defenses against Cryovain, but the relic's connection to the dragon's winter magic may carry further risks.
Encounters
3The Shattered Entry Hall
Combat
A ruined entry hall with broken stairs, toppled shelves, a cracked balcony, and patches of slick frost. Rubble provides cover; the balcony is dangerous but can be crossed.
Foes
2 to 4 goblins, using the appropriate D&D 5E goblin statistics
1 gray ooze, using the appropriate D&D 5E gray ooze statistics
ComplicationA cracked balcony edge gives way under heavy movement. Anyone fighting near it risks falling to the lower floor unless they move carefully or secure a line.
ScalingFor a level 3 party, use 2 goblins and omit the ooze unless the party is fresh. For a level 5 party, use 4 goblins and 1 gray ooze. The goblins are scavengers and may flee or bargain when half their number are defeated.
The Spell-Forge Guardians
Combat
A circular workshop with three rune pillars, a central anvil, and waist-high workbenches. The pillars can be used for cover or interacted with to disrupt the guardians.
Foes
2 animated armors, using the appropriate D&D 5E animated armor statistics
1 flying sword, using the appropriate D&D 5E flying sword statistics
ComplicationThe rune pillars briefly reverse the pull of gravity when struck or activated. Creatures near a pillar must hold on or be thrown against the ceiling, taking minor damage and landing prone.
ScalingFor a level 3 party, use 1 animated armor and 1 flying sword. For a level 5 party, use both armors and the sword. A character who spends an action to trace the correct rune can deactivate one guardian for one round.
The Remnant at the Forge-Heart
Combat
A sunken forge chamber with a glowing central forge-heart, narrow bridges over a shallow pit, chains, and vents that release cold. The party can disrupt the forge by pulling two marked levers or breaking the rune focus.
Foes
Veyra Malrec's remnant, represented by a custom, weakened spellcaster suitable for the party's level
2 skeletal hands, represented by appropriate low-threat undead or custom minions
ComplicationWhen the remnant takes its first serious wound, the forge vents a blast of cold. Each character must find cover or endure a brief burst of freezing air; a successful save or equivalent check avoids the harm.
ScalingFor level 3, Veyra has limited defenses and one skeletal hand. For level 4, use two hands and moderate defenses. For level 5, give Veyra one additional use of a low-damage spell or add a third hand. Do not use a full high-level warlock or lich stat block. Veyra's goal is to reach the forge-heart, not to fight to the death.
Cast
4Sister Garaele
QuestgiverQuestgiver and ally; a scholar and agent of the Harpers in Phandalin.
WantsWants the forge-heart recovered so it can be studied and used to protect Phandalin from Cryovain.
“I do not need you to bring me every bauble you find. Bring me the forge's heart, and Phandalin may have a chance against that dragon.”
Mira Voss
Witness and ally; a local trapper who escaped the tower with a frost-burned hand.
WantsWants the party to destroy the bound remnant of Veyra Malrec before it can awaken fully.
“The tower is not dead. It remembers every hand that tried to take from it.”
Nella Thorn
Wildcard; a treasure hunter who may join, bargain, or compete with the party.
WantsWants to claim the relic and sell its secrets to the highest bidder, though she will help the party if it benefits her.
“A dragon is just another beast with a weakness. Give me the forge-heart and I will show you how to use it.”
Veyra Malrec
Antagonist; a magical remnant of the tower's former master.
WantsThe warlock's remnant wants to restore the tower's forge-heart and use its power to spread the unnatural winter that sustains it.
“The forge has waited. The cold has waited. Now bring me the living spark.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Forge-heart: a custom relic that, once cleansed, can serve as the focus for one modest cold-protection or weapon-tempering effect. Its exact benefit should be agreed with the GM and kept appropriate to the party's level.
Choose one: a potion of healing, a spell scroll of a low-level spell appropriate to the campaign, or a +1 weapon available only if the GM judges it suitable for this party and campaign.
Optional vault find: a silvered dagger, a set of artisan's tools, or a potion of climbing.
On a win
With Veyra's remnant defeated or bound and the forge's runes stabilized, the party retrieves the forge-heart.
Sister Garaele can cleanse it over several days with the party's help, making it safe to use as a focus for a custom cold-resistant enhancement. If the party instead leaves it tainted, the relic still works briefly but carries the risk described in the hidden truth.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party is defeated in the forge chamber.
- The remnant escapes into the nearby woods and begins haunting the road to Phandalin. The party keeps any treasure already secured, but the forge-heart remains unavailable until the remnant is confronted again.
- The party removes the forge-heart without disabling the tower's unstable runes.
- A damaged forge-heart can still power one item, but it cannot be safely used to temper additional equipment. Sister Garaele can help stabilize it after a costly week of work.
- The party leaves Nella unattended with access to the treasure vault.
- Nella claims a minor relic and sells its location to a rival collector. The party may later recover it, but the rival has a head start.
Complications (d6)
- 1A ceiling seam opens and drops fist-sized stones. Each character in the exposed area must evade or take minor damage; the noise alerts nearby foes.
- 2A cold draft snuffs unprotected flames and frosts a metal latch shut. Opening it requires heat, tools, or a successful strength check.
- 3A whisper from the forge-heart speaks in a character's voice, offering a private bargain. The offer is false, but the voice reveals the character's location to the remnant.
- 4A hungry gray ooze slides from a cracked wall and attacks the nearest metal-bearing character, then retreats toward the lower forge if badly hurt.
- 5Nella Thorn appears at a side passage with a stolen key. She offers it in exchange for first choice of one minor treasure.
- 6The tower's ward pulses with blue light. For the next few minutes, exposed magic items glow visibly, making stealth difficult but revealing hidden runes nearby.
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