D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

by the local tribes known as the Ice Hunters, because
of the many enemies Arauthator has frozen into the icy
walls of the berg’s hollowed interior.
In addition to his size, cunning, and ferocity,
Arauthator wields spellcasting power that makes him
a particularly dangerous foe. More than a century ago,
during one of the cyclical periods of draconic violence
known as the Rage of Dragons, Arauthator joined with
a dozen other dragons in attacking the Hosttower of
the Arcane in Luskan. Their assault toppled the west
arm of the tower, and Arauthator was seen scooping
up numerous items of great magical importance and
power, including at least three tomes of rare spells. The
possibility of recovering those books is part of what
drew Maccath the Crimson to the Sea of Moving Ice.
Arauthator’s iceberg lair serves primarily as a meeting
ground for him and his mate, the ancient white dragon
Arveiaturace (“the White Wyrm”). She is aware of the
cult’s activity but has been reluctant to join forces with
it, and Arauthator seeks a way to gain her commitment.
At one time, Arveiaturace served a wizard named
Meltharond, whose corpse remains strapped to a
saddle on the dragon’s back. She has never accepted
his death, and still speaks to him as if he were alive.
Arauthator hopes that if he provides Arveiaturace with
a new wizard to serve, she w ill recover from her grief
and join him in wholeheartedly supporting the Cult of
the Dragon. When the proud, ambitious Maccath the
Crimson arrived in Arauthator’s lair, the dragon enticed
her with the prospect of becoming Arveiaturace’s
master and rider.
M a c c a t h t h e C r i m s o n
The Arcane Brotherhood is a league of mages based in
the city of Luskan at the fabled Hosttower of the Arcane.
The Hosttower is an academy for the best and brightest
mages of Faerun. Only the most promising are accepted
as members in the Arcane Brotherhood, and only
members of the order can study at the Hosttower.
Maccath the Crimson was one of those best and
brightest when she journeyed to the Hosttower
seeking admission. Her knowledge of dragon lore and
draconic relics was already vast, but she wanted to
know more about the dragons’ magic. Even though she
gained access to the accumulated lore of the Arcane
Brotherhood, Maccath concluded that some questions
could be answered only by dragons—and that questions
about the magic stolen from the Hosttower during
the last Rage of Dragons could be answered only by
Arauthator. Maccath set sail on an expedition to learn
those answers three years ago and hasn’t been heard
from since.
Dala Silmerhelve provides the characters with all that
is known of Maccath’s fate.
“ Maccath reported her progress to the Hosttower by
way o f sending spells. Her last report spoke o f seeing
Ice Hunters paddling their sealskin boats toward a huge
iceberg, flattened like a plateau across its surface, but
ringed by icy peaks. She had intended to follow the Ice
Hunters and investigate the iceberg. After that, no more
reports came.
“Attempts to find Maccath using scrying and other
magical means located only her ship, adrift and heavily
damaged. Some o f the ship’s crew were seen dead, but
no sign o f the tiefling sorcerer was ever found. However,
the lair o f a dragon as powerful as Arauthator is no
doubt protected against scrying magic. If Maccath is
alive, in addition to the lore she can share regarding
the Draakhorn, the Arcane Brotherhood would be most
grateful to get her back."
Se t t i n g Sa i l
In Waterdeep, the characters are outfitted with cold
weather gear, including snowshoes suitable for
traversing deep drifts, and have passage north arranged
on a ship specially built for plying the waters of the Sea
of Moving Ice. Frostskim m r is captained by a human
male known as Lerustah Half-face. The right half of
his face was left a scarred ruin from severe frostbite
suffered years ago on the Sea of Moving Ice. He keeps
a leather hood drawn across his face most of the time,
both for warmth and so as not to frighten children.
Lerustah is a brave explorer and a skilled sailor.
Frostskim m r is a light longship with a shallow draft,
driven by a single sail or by oars when necessary.
The combination of wind and oar power is needed for
picking a course through close-packed ice. Despite the
ship’s length of nearly sixty feet, it is still light enough
to be lifted by its forty crew members if it becomes
hemmed in by ice. The ship is open to the air, but the
crew rig sailcloth shelters across the deck to keep away
the wind and sleet and hold in some warmth.
T h e Se a o f M o v i n g Ic e
The journey up the Sword Coast isn’t the focus of this
episode, so you don’t need to dwell on it in detail. With
favorable winds, Frostskim m r reaches the Sea of
Moving Ice in a few days. From that point, the ship must
slow down and proceed cautiously.
Captain Lerustah has no strong feelings one way
or the other about whether the crew should pull
Frostskim m r onto an ice floe at night or spend the
night on the water. An ice floe is more comfortable and
offers safety from certain aquatic creatures. On the
open water, the ship is safer from creatures that hunt
only on the ice, but sleeping on the deck is colder and
less comfortable than in an easily built snow shelter.
The decision of where to spend the night is up to the
characters.