Bitter Cold: Rime of the Frostmaiden

About the adventure

The blistering winds of the Icewind Dale are so thick this time of year that the only thing around you is the endless void of white, broken appart by the dusted masses of your adventuring party. The howling winds fill your ears and if it wasn't for your fur-lined cloak, you don't think you could stomach the walk. But then it happens; the roaring, an unnatural cry of some foul beast that has staked you as it's prey. You look around, frantic, trying to find the source of that cry. It's distracted you, and you can't help but wander, losing sight of your group. Clutching your blade, you turn to see that the mountain you had been circumventing has awoken, and a wave of powdery white death is rolling right for you. Rime of the Frostmaiden is a campaign for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons that takes place in the Icewind Dale, a particularly cold region of Faerun. Though people talk about the glorious summers here as well, the sun has not risen above the horizon in the Dale in years, a plague of perpetual winter that has further hardened the harsh climate of the region. There are many secrets buried in the ice and locked away in the mountains; why has the frostmaiden forsaken these people and this land? What could possibly be done to appease her? These, and other questions, are what draws our adventurers into the heart of danger. Like many campaign modules, Rime of the Frostmaiden is a contained adventure with a lot of heavy, specific themes. Isolation, mistrust, winter horror, and the ever-present fear of death by exposure bring this unique adventure to life in a foriegn environment. Characters can expect to face down blizzards, hunt for fish in frozen lakes, and slowly begin to unravel the mysteries around them.

Additional Details

How to prepare

As long as you have access to the player's handbook, you should be set to play. You will also require a Discord and a Roll20 account, both of which are free, as they will be the hosts for our voice chat and tabletop.

What I provide

The module! As the dungeon master I provide all of the relevant information, tokens, maps, and encounters. Not everything we will do will come directly from the book!

Gameplay details

This game contains the tense themes of an unfriendly, cold environment constantly doing its best to slow, stop, and kill the party, as well as body horror, graphic violence, and other adult themes. If there is any specific theme that you need me to avoid, please inform me ahead of time and I will without question remove it from the campaign. Additionally, I employ the full deck safety tool to ensure that everyone is having the smoothest possible experience, and that everyone can have a say on how the campaign progresses in these ways.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

(none)

How will character creation work

This campaign is open to players of all experience levels, so if we need to do a 'session 0' to help everyone create their character, we will. Otherwise, everyone will just need a level 1 character to bring to the first session! Your characters can be new arrivals to the Dale, or people who have been trying to live there for a long time. However, I will be giving out a secret to EVERY character! You will have to accept one of the secrets, though I will give limited options to select the secrets you find to be the most interesting. You do not have to reveal these secrets.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.