D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

proper cold weather gear, they are at no risk from the
cold while in the ice caves.
Visibility. The ice caves are open to the sea,
creating banks of vapor that roll constantly through
Oyaviggaton’s corridors and chambers. This fog is more
common in the low points of the caverns. In areas noted
as +10 feet on the map, visibility is unrestricted unless a
patch of random fog is encountered. In areas noted as 0
feet, visibility is limited to 75 feet. In areas noted as -10
feet or -20 feet, visibility is limited to 45 feet.
R a n d o m E n c o u n t e r s
In addition to the inhabitants noted in specific areas, the
adventurers might run into Arauthator’s minions in any
corridor or empty chamber. Whenever the characters
move from a chamber into the circular corridor, or from
the corridor into a chamber with no occupants, roll a
d6. On a roll of 1, an encounter occurs. Then roll on the
table to determine the specifics.
Ic e C a v e s E n c o u n t e r s
d10
1-2 Fog
Encounter or Event
3-5 Kobolds (3d6)
6-8 Ice toads (ld6)
9 Maccath the Crimson
10 Ice trolls (ld2)
Fog. The air is suddenly filled with roiling vapor.
Visibility is reduced to 5 feet for 2 minutes or until the
characters move 90 feet away.
Kobolds. Arauthator brought a pack of unwitting
kobolds to Oyaviggaton generations ago, and the
creatures have been serving him in the frigid cold ever
since. In the event of an encounter, a squad of 3d6
kobolds is working in or passing through the area. If
the characters are dressed as Ice Hunter villagers or are
wearing some other appropriate disguise, the kobolds
eye them warily but don’t immediately sound an alarm.
Make a single Wisdom check for the kobolds with a DC
equal to the lowest of the characters’ checks to disguise
themselves. The kobolds’ Wisdom modifier is -2, but
they have advantage on this check because of their
numbers. If the check is successful (or if the characters
aren’t disguised), the kobolds launch a single volley
of sling stones at the intruders, then flee in as many
directions as possible to report the intrusion to the ice
toads or ice trolls.
Ice Toads. A crew of ld6 ice toads (see appendix A)
is working in this area or passing along the corridor.
Disguises are ineffective against the ice toads, which
know what creatures live in Oyaviggaton at any given
time. If they see anything unexpected—even Ice Hunter
villagers entering the caves without permission—they
stop what they’re doing and observe the characters’
actions, asking questions if they can. The ice toads flee
to the ice trolls if threatened, fighting only if they must.
The ice toads speak their own language, plus enough
Draconic and U luik to communicate with Arauthator,
the kobolds, and the Ice Hunters. They work for
Arauthator but have no special devotion to the dragon.
If a fight is coming, their loyalty goes to whomever
they expect to win. That means the dragon, unless the
characters somehow impress them.
M accath the Crimson. Maccath often wanders the
ice caves, deep in thought. On meeting strangers, her
reaction is oddly subdued. See area 10 for more details
on Maccath’s situation.
Ice Trolls. Encountered singly or in small roving
gangs, ice trolls are ordinary trolls with bluish skin
and immunity to cold damage. Unless any ice toads are
nearby to intervene, the ice trolls treats any creature not
a kobold, an ice toad, Maccath, or an Ice Hunter as an
intruder. For more information on the ice trolls working
for Arauthator, see area 12.
L E n t r a n c e f r o m H u t
Inside the hut of the shaman Bonecarver, old furs
heaped atop poles are laid across an opening leading
down to the ice caves. Steps are cut into the wall of the
chute, creating steep, icy stairs that drop down 100 feet
in a tight spiral. Because this entrance is seldom used,
the steps become increasingly obscured by frost as the
characters descend. At the 40-foot mark, a character
must attempt a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to
maintain a grip on the dangerously uneven footholds.
Failure means the character loses his or her footing,
sliding and tumbling 60 feet to the bottom and taking
21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage. Characters can mitigate
this danger by roping themselves together or using a
climber’s kit. Past the 40-foot mark, the steps improve
again so that no further checks are necessary.
The chute and its icy stairs end at the ceiling. A sturdy
ladder then descends into the approximate center of a
rectangular chamber. The exit to the corridor is an icy,
15-foot-wide passageway sloping downward.
The chamber is empty except for a dozen baskets
woven from leather strips and walrus ribs, stacked in
the north corner. These contain frozen fish and a few
skin-wrapped bundles of rotting shark meat that the Ice
Hunters consider a delicacy.
2. E n t r a n c e f r o m
t h e V i l l a g e H a l l
Hidden beneath the planks in the back corner of the
village hall, this entrance to the ice caves consists of
a chute carved with icy stairs descending 100 feet
in a tight spiral. This route is used regularly to bring
supplies to Arauthator’s minions, so the steps are clear
and easy to climb. Supplies are carried down strapped
to villagers’ backs, or lowered in baskets with the pulley
and rope in the village hall.
This chamber is empty except for three bundles of
rolled-up sealskins sitting where the ladder descends
from the chute above to the approximate center of
the room. Additionally, a bed of piled furs has been
arranged in the southwest corner, from which the sound
of loud coughing can be heard when the characters
enter the chamber. Villagers who suffer disease or
injury beyond Bonecarver’s limited healing ability
are quarantined here in the relative warmth of the