Introduction
If you are unfamiliar with the progress of our module, Tome of Bonescrag, please see this article, Tome of Bonescrag Episode 1: The Porcelain Moppet.
Preparing for the Adventure
Recall from Episode 1 that the Men’s Club, patroned by Damian (the father of the kidnapped girl), was mentioned though not a main feature in the episode. In this part of our story, it will be revealed that the Men’s Club is in the process of summoning a demon, the Hallow Queen.
This episode is intended to be an action-packed one-session adventure. There will be no downtime, and rest may not be afforded to the players. Allow the characters to have had a day of rest before the feast where episode 1 ended.
Please note that this adventure may be more stressful for the players than the first episode. As a Dungeon Master, it is important to at all times foster enjoyment above storytelling and mechanics. If you believe your players may be too stressed by the events in this session, please tone down a few of our ideas, like losing equipment, separating the party, gaining conditions like exhaustion, and experiencing NPC deaths.
Background
To the detriment of Bonescrag, in the last few years, crops have become increasingly poor and scanty as the ground has become less and less fertile. Most farmers in the area were baffled by this phenomenon. Their livelihoods were in jeopardy and there was simply no reason for the dearth or solution to survive—except to leave the valley.
As tight-knit as Bonescrag is, this conclusion perturbed many of the mensfolk. In the hour of their vulnerability, Kline the tanner brought the problem forward to the long-existing Men’s Club under his purview. He encouraged the men to discuss solutions, however, to no avail. A few of the men brought up that they had sensed that something unnatural was draining the land of its life.
After months of deliberation, Kline brought forward the idea of submitting to a higher being who could rid the valley of its malady and restore the land to its vitality. A few members were not keen on the idea and never returned to the club, not quite believing that the group had the capabilities or forthwith to summon a creature with such powers.
It would benefit a Dungeon Master to understand now that the famine of the land was a direct result of the increase in necromantic influence throughout Bonescrag, particularly that the Velsharoon worshippers were in the process of bringing their purposes to fruition, as will be divulged in Episode 3.
Events
Just over two months before the current adventure, while Kline the tanner was hunting on a peak above the North Forest, the sun reflected off of a partially-exhumed glass flask. Drawn in by his curiosity, Kline dug around the jar, discovering several humanoid bones and deteriorated gear. Removing the seal, Kline released a wisp of magic, liberating an ethereal being. With glacier blue skin and eyes, and a human-like form as lithe as snow, the being presented itself as Phelohr, a lesser deity under the tutelage of Ulutiu. Imprisoned by an adventurer centuries ago, the lesser god had been trapped in a magical container, unable to return to its plane of existence.
Phelohr thanked the tanner and asked about the problems it could solve for Kline as recompense. Kline detailed the curse of the land, the need for stability and a return to fruitfulness. Phelohr listened to the humble man’s problems and judged a course of action.
Instructing the man to gather three souls to bind themselves by blood, the deity instructed Kline to memorize a powerful incantation that would summon a powerful creature who could accomplish all of Kline’s desires. Starting on the first day of the first quarter and ending on the last day of the third quarter of Selune’s lunar cycles, the three summoners were to daily recite the incantation and drink a concoction of roots, beast blood, beetles, and pellets that the once-again power-filled Phelohr conjured. With his spirit renovated and focus set, Kline returned to the Men’s Club with his good news.
Intentions
Phelohr is a lawful neutral lesser deity who has every intention of fulfilling Kline’s request as he sees fit. But the perspectives and understandings of eternal gods differ significantly from that of humans, particularly, to note, their lack of valuing mortal life. By summoning the Hallow Queen, Phelohr is compelling the three summoners to sacrifice their temporal lives, and the lives of those they love, to destroy all inhabitants of Bonescrag and return it to a state prepared for vitality and prosperity.
Kline, a relatively uneducated and trusting man, assumed the thing he saved would save Bonescrag, and its good citizens, in return. All present have good intentions.
Summoning the Storm
Throughout the fortnight of summoning, heavy storm clouds accumulated to the east, indicating a powerful storm’s eminent arrival. This is very much due to the summoning of the Hallow Queen by the Men’s Club, and the group has been warning and preparing the village for extreme weather with a quite accurate countdown.
The Adventure
A feast is thrown in the adventurers’ honor. Merriment and music fill the tavern as various townsfolk join the festivities. A few Nomads share in the revelry with their own instruments and dancing.
As the drinks empty and the conviviality fades, the door of the inn flies open. Blustering whirls of snow immediately chill the room. The storm has begun.
Villagers rush to grab their things and exit the tavern, shouldering against bone-chilling gales and the growing snowbanks. Barmaids bound about the lodge to snatch forgotten dining ware and half-eaten meals as tables are jostled in the commotion. Curl the innkeeper shouts orders to the kitchen to clean up the intruding snow and secure the wind-rattling windows.
Timeline
Note: If players in Episode 1 did not save the young Kornelia and instead killed her, they may either find themselves bound and locked up in the inn as a makeshift jail, or on the run. In either scenario, a Dungeon Master may still use bits and pieces from this adventure as the players escape, are attacked, and run into the storm. However, if things went according to plan in Episode 1, please proceed to plan the adventure accordingly.
At this point, several things are going to divide the players’ attention. This adventure will start immediately in the action. The events of this episode are as follows.
Dinner to Disarray
During the honoring feast where the characters are celebrated for their heroism, a billowing snow storm strikes the valley abruptly. Each villager participating in the dinner is concerned only with returning home and securing their residence. The skirmish of townsfolk grabbing their gear and rushing out into the storm, combined with inn-workers attempting to secure the lodging and cleaning up, creates a chaotic scene.
In the kerfuffle of the sudden storm, a player (or more than one if this scenario is too stressful or not ideal for player enjoyment) is drugged and kidnapped. Choose the target of this attack to be a player who would be comfortable engaging in heavy and intriguing roleplay. This player may also need to have a smaller Strength score so that they can be overpowered and targeted by the kidnappers, though this can be overlooked as the drugs used could knock out any of the player characters.
Have each player roll a Passive Perception check with disadvantage due to all of the commotion. If each player fails a DC of 13, move on to someone shouting about the inn’s roof collapsing. On a pass, tell that player that they notice the kidnapped player(s)’ gear on the table while they are nowhere to be seen.
Simultaneously, the inn’s roof above the adventurers’ room(s) collapses. Equipment and gear not carried on the adventurers’ persons may be difficult to find. A Dungeon Master may wish to determine before the session what gear is where during the festivities. To mitigate metagaming or suspicion, decide independently as a non-partial Dungeon Master what items generally are allowed on-person during the dinner. Then, players may roll a series of dice to determine what indiscriminate gear they may salvage immediately. (Note, players should have time to recover all of their equipment at the conclusion of this episode).
At this point, the players will definitely notice the missing party members. This will sow dissonance in their next actions, as they may be torn between saving their equipment and seeking the missing player.
After a plan of action is determined, switch focus to the kidnapped player(s).
The Kidnapping
On the order of an increasingly paranoid Kline, unnamed members of the Men’s Club were tasked with kidnapping members of the adventuring party in an effort to distract them from noticing and fighting the Hallow Queen, and perhaps to incapacitate a few of them until all things are made right. For the night, these men take the player(s) to a small cave in the rocks next to the inn.
Ask the kidnapped player(s) to roll a Constitution Saving Throw (DC 13) against the fainting agent administered to them. If they pass out, no information is gained while they are transported away. If they manage to remain slightly alert, they may learn the following according to the discretion of the Dungeon Master:
- In what direction they are heading from the inn.
- Their immediate geographical surroundings (the rocks and caves near the Inn).
- How many people are with them (kidnappers and victims).
- The genders of the kidnappers (male, cluing in to the Men’s Club being responsible).
- Any pieces of conversation had by the kidnappers (which will not divulge who is responsible or for what purposes).
As the players come to, they will notice themselves bound and gearless. Two men play a game of stones on a shabby wooden table next to a small fire and some lanterns. These men are not terribly talkative about the events that will take place on the following day, but they will engage in conversation with the players. A Dungeon Master may use the stats for Commoner but increase their strength score by 2 (to a total of 12).
The men involved are not deplorable or maliced, they are average townsfolk who have a job in order to make their home safe again. They are not swayed by persuasion to release the player(s), but they will accommodate food and drink as well as conversation (though specifics about who they are and what they intend are secret).
Discovery
Throughout all of this, the kidnapped player(s) may discover any or all information through magical means. However, the main catalyst for solving what has happened will come from a familiar face.
First note that this eve is the final day of the third-quarter lunar cycle. Sometime before morning, the Hallow Queen will emerge and begin her duties. It can be assumed that the three summoners (Kline, Damian, and a non-named third) will perform their final summoning duty after the storm begins that night, after everyone clears out of the inn, though before the following events occur.
After performing his incantation with the other two summoners, Damian is drawn to the cave, where the Men’s Club has met in secret before, and discovers the kidnapped player(s), to his surprise. He was not aware that Kline had made those orders and is a bit appalled when the two men tell him (in a secretive whisper, but perhaps loud enough for the players to hear) why they were kidnapped.
Damian instructs the two men to wait by the entrance of the cave until he calls them back in. Depending on how the players handled Kornelia toward the end of Episode 1, Damian might either be sympathetic toward the player characters or enraged with them. Regardless, Damian will divulge information about what is happening in one of two ways:
- Damian might consider this kidnapping a misunderstanding and try to explain what they are doing and why it’s good for the valley, not understanding the dangers and risks of summoning a being. The way he describes the process of summoning the creature may imply to the players that it’s not going to turn out well.
- Damian might gloat that the Hallow Queen will purge the valley of killers like the party members. He could then take a few hits at the players and rough them up a bit.
At this point, Damian is reluctant to unbind the players, but he is willing to talk. Players might convince him that what he’s doing is dangerous. Players also might coerce or threaten him. Damian may react in several ways: break down crying and confess he’s uncertain that what they’re doing is right, now that his eyes have been opened to what’s important to him after he got his daughter back; realize that he and Kline really know nothing about magic and its dangers, and Kline has become somewhat of a loose cannon (evidenced by this kidnapping); become angry with the cognitive dissonance that the players are right but there is no other solution; or hateful toward the players so much so that he tries to fight them unbound.
Information gained from speaking with Damian:
- There has been an evil curse upon the valley that has been destroying the fertility of the earth.
- Damian, Kline, and another member of the Men’s Club have been summoning a creature that will restore balance, as per the promise of the benevolent lesser god Phelohr, pupil to Ulutiu (The Lord of the Ice, lawful-neutral, see below for more information). Players skilled in Arcana, History, or Religion may recall information about Ulutiu, but probably know nothing about Phelohr.
- The Hallow Queen is being summoned east of the valley before the river. She should be there soon if not now.
Before resolving this, it would be wise to return to the other players, who would be searching for their fellow adventurers now.
Ulutiu
From an Arcana/Religion/History check, any number of players can gain information about this deity. Though there are a few differing sects, the fundamental tenets that the players need to know are the beliefs that Ulutiu would someday emerge to punish all nonbelievers, that not believing was a predestined shortcoming of others, and that those who commit crimes were believed to be judged by Ulutiu himself, and if they survived the trial by ordeal, they were judged righteous.
The player(s) could also recall past (fabricated in the moment) experiences with religious members of Ulutiu and recall the possibly unkind or even immoral things they did or believed. For more information on the worshippers, please read this Forgotten Realms Fandom article.
From this information, players should determine that summoning a creature from the directions of a Ulutui pupil might not be the best or safest idea. This should compel the players to seek out the Hallow Queen and resolve the issue before she destroys everything.
Reunited
Players not involved in the kidnapping may use their skills of tracking and magic to find their friends. The snow is falling hard and fast, so tracks will require the keenest of senses to discern.
Depending on how things are going within the cave, a Dungeon Master may wish to prepare an encounter between the searching players and the two cave guards, possibly involving Damian (use the Commoner stats as well, without a Strength boost).
Damian may be convinced to release the players and speak to the guards about a peaceful resolution before the seeking players arrive. This may also result in tying up the guards. If this is the case, the party could reunite outside of the cave entrance and immediately head toward the brunt of the action, where the Hallow Queen has been summoned, as per the information gained from Damian.
East of Bonescrag
As players advance to the eastern outskirts of Bonescrag, the storm will intensify. Visibility will be reduced to 15 feet around them. The terrain becomes difficult, and players who are smaller than medium must make Strength Saving Throws at the beginning of each of their turns (DC 10) against being blown over and pushed back 10 feet. Any non-magical torch or flame is extinguished by the wind, and perception checks that rely on hearing or sight will have disadvantage.
Download our battlefield map here.
By the time the players reach the battlefield before the river, explain that foot travel within the blizzard and against the wind has dulled the players’ senses, and they will gain one level of exhaustion unless their abilities prevent this.
The battlefield will contain elements like ice puddles that may cause a player to fall prone if they fail an Athletics or Acrobatics Saving Throw (DC 13); players might be pushed into snow banks that require all of their movement to come out of; if players enter the forest near the battlefield, heavy snow from the trees may fall upon them and inflict damage (or they may cause snow to fall on their enemies).
When players arrive, ensure they have positioned themselves on the map according to their desires. Through the blizzard snow, they see Kline and the other Men’s Club member walking toward them (within 15 feet). The men fall to their knees and start convulsing as beetles crawl out of their mouths. Their skin seems to melt off, revealing a shimmering layer of crystalline ice. Whoever is nearest to Damian will see him fall to the ground and convulse in the same manner. The three former men stand, now 8 feet tall, as icy monstrosities.
Download their monster stats here.
The Hallow Queen
From the raging storm emerges a blue-skinned white-eyed woman. She glides across the snow and stops within 15 feet of the party. When the Hallow Queen speaks, her stoic voice booms like thunder. The snow whirls around her but never seems to touch her skin. A frosty layer of crystals coat her trailing cloak.
The Hallow Queen exists with the power of the winter season. In winter, life stands still. Tree-assassinating and disease-bearing insects succumb to the freeze. A heavy snowpack insulates the ground and provides healing waters for future crops. Hibernating creatures are enabled to survive, while harmful active life is forced to hunker down. This is the purpose of the Hallow Queen. However, a more severe approach is required with Bonescrag, as a large portion of the village has been tainted by Velsharoon. To rid the valley of its curse, humanoid life must be removed to allow the land to heal.
Players will have a chance to decide what to do before the Hallow Queen takes action: plead to her for a peaceful resolution or attack the creatures and defend the village.
Resolution
Should a peaceful solution emerge, the Hallow Queen will threaten the players to rid the valley of its necromantic problems, or she will return in one week’s time. She has no details on who in the village is suspected of perpetrating the plague or how the players may resolve the situation. This is particularly why she is willing to wipe the land clean.
If the players choose to fight, use the following stat blocks. Note, with all of the environmental conditions, fighting four creatures in their element will likely result in a tough battle. However, you can alter the CR of this encounter by increasing or decreasing the monsters’ attack bonuses, armor class, hit points, number of attacks per round, number of resistances, and so forth). Nevertheless, let this encounter be difficult and risky.
|
The Hallow Queen
Medium fey, lawful neutral |
|||||||
|
Armor Class: 17 (natural armor) |
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
Saving Throws: Wisdom +4 Actions Ice Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 10 (2d8+1) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) cold damage. The Hallow Queen equips a sword forged of eternal ice. When the Hallow Queen makes a successful melee attack with the Ice Sword, the target must make a Constitution Saving Throw (DC 10) or suffer a level of exhaustion. If any creature besides the Hallow Queen wields the Ice Sword, it will begin to melt in their hands as they take 4 cold damage per round they hold it, up to 8 rounds when it melts. Reactions Frozen Rebuke. When the Hallow Queen takes damage from a melee attack, she can force the creature that attacked to succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) cold damage. |
|
Ice Minions
Medium monstrosity, lawful neutral |
|||||||
|
Armor Class: 14 (natural armor) |
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
Skills: Stealth +7 Actions Multiattack. The Ice Minion makes two Piercing Fist attacks. Piercing Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) cold damage. |
When the Ice Minions drop to 0 hit points, they return to their human forms to die.
Conclusion
Whether the players decide to spare Damian and the other two turned Men’s Club members, resolve peacefully with the Ice Queen, or fight and destroy all of these monsters, the players must be clued in by the end that there is a curse upon the land, that the necromancer priests of Velsharoon will soon scour the valley, and that only darkness awaits the party.
This information may be shared by Damian as he lays dying (returned to his human form), by the Hallow Queen as she either dies or returns to her plane of existence, or by a frightened Men’s Club member who has been hiding and watching the fight from the treeline.
This will set up a hook for the third and final episode of the Tome of Bonescrag, coming next week. Thanks for reading, and as always, if you play through this adventure, please send feedback, questions, clarifications, or advice to [email protected]. Happy adventuring!
