TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
  FOREWORD 
   
  ONE COMPANION TO RULE THEM ALL 
  No campaign is easy for a Dungeon Master to run but the 
  Rime of the Frostmaiden Companion ("Companion" for 
  short) is devoted to making it easier and more satisfying 
  for you to run. By providing new hooks, variants, flavor 
  text, as well as any referential information for creature 
  statistics or magic items, this supplement should make for 
  a faithful companion to keep at your side.  
   
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
  Wyatt Trull—that's me—is an American nerd avoiding all 
  his responsibilities by teaching English abroad. He's 
  currently languishing in the South Korean countryside. 
  You can check out more of his—my—work on his 
  website (wyatttrull.com) or his DMs Guild page, or his 
  Twitter (@Wyatt_Trull).  
   
  ART CREDITS 
  All hail our glorious artists: 
  Cover: Daniel Comerci – danielcomerci.com 
  Interior: Dean Spencer (© Dean Spencer) 
   
  LEGAL STUFF 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten 
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  Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all 
  other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos 
  are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other 
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  of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the 
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  unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is 
  prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the 
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  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-
  0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 
  2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, 
  Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
   
  USING THIS SUPPLEMENT 
  The Companion is quite formulaic; every chapter is 
  designed to be easily digestible, whether you're a veteran 
  reader or just diving into it mid-campaign.  
  Shorthand. 
  This 
  supplement 
  is 
  massive. 
  The 
  abbreviations below must be implemented to reduce the 
  strain on your printer or the scroll wheel of your poor, 
  poor mouse: 
  RoFM refers to Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.  
  Ch. refers to a chapter of the module (e.g. "Ch. 1"). 
  Appx refers to an Appendix of the Companion  
  MM refers to the Monster Manual  
  VGM refers to Volo's Guide to Monsters, the monsters of 
  which are featured in this guide.  
  MToF refers to Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, the 
  monsters of which are sometimes featured in this guide. 
  XGE refers to Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the spells 
  and magic items of which are sometimes featured in this 
  guide's chapters.  
   
  APPENDICES 
  The Companion is devoted to maximizing your playtime 
  and minimizing interruptions at your table.  
  Appendix A provides the descriptions and locations of 
  magic items found throughout the chapter.  
  Appendix B provides the statistics of all monsters 
  featured throughout the chapter.  
  Appendix C provides details for spells, traps, diseases, 
  and other effects that might be featured in the chapter. A 
  qualifying effect is underlined in this supplement. 
   
   
   
  
   
  1 
  CHAPTER 7: OVERVIEW  
   
  RUNNING CHAPTER 7 
  Chapter 7 is vast; it's easy to get lost in its many details. 
  Consider divvying it up into three acts and breaking up 
  the monotony of exploration through some well-timed 
  events. See Into the Necropolis for details on adding a 
  more nuanced narrative to the chapter. This storyline also 
  includes the final showdown with the Frostmaiden.   
  Advancement. The adventurers should be 9th-level by 
  now and can expect to level up rapidly in this chapter: 
  • The adventurers level-up after delving into all eight of 
  the towers of magic (Y4, Y7, Y11, Y18, Y20, Y22, Y24 
  and Y26).  
  • The adventurers level-up when they reach Y19Q. 
  • The adventurers gain a level for accomplishing an extra-
  ordinary task, such as slaying Iriolarthas, Auril's three 
  forms, or activating the obelisk in Y21.  
   
  Timeline. Ythryn is too large for the party to explore in 
  a single day. Their time in the city should span 12 to 48 
  hours. Staying for more than 12 hours exposes the party 
  to the Arcane Blight.  
   
  ADDITIONS AND VARIANTS 
  The Companion suggests the changes below for Chapter 
  7. Implement them at your leisure.  
   
  KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK SWORD 
  If you ran the Avarice's Ploy event in Chapter 6, in which 
  the wizard attempts to steal The Codicil of White from the 
  party, she and the Knights of the Black Sword may be in 
  Ythryn already. Additionally, if the simulacrum was 
  made real in Chapter 2, Dzaan is also present, having 
  thrown his lot in with Avarice. See Chapter 2, Lost Spire 
  of Netheril for more information on Dzaan.   
  Under this variant, Avarice has already set up shop in 
  Y28, Skydock Spire, and her twenty cult fanatics can be 
  encountered in Random Encounters from the start.  
   
  EXPANDED YTHRYN TREASURES 
  Rime of the Frostmaiden has been largely devoid of magic 
  items, namely weapons. Ythryn is stocked with foes that 
  are resistant, or outright immune, to the damage of non-
  magical weapon attacks, and yet none are present in the 
  city (let alone the adventure). Therefore, some have been 
  added by the Companion. For details, see the Ythryn 
  Treasures (Revised) table in the following pages.  
   
  ADDITIONAL LOOT 
  Additional items have been added: 
  • A tome of clear thought has been added to Y19O.  
  • A weapon of warning was added to Y11.  
  • A set of white dragon scale mail was added to Y29.  
  PARTY ALLIES IN CHAPTER 7 
  As mentioned in previous Companion chapters, the party 
  may have gained an ally. So far in the campaign, the only 
  options are Hlin Trollbane, Trovus, and Vellynne Harpell. 
  Avarice, Speaker Naerth Maxildanarr, and Yselm will 
  have severed ties with the adventurers already.  
  Vellynne is already assumed to accompany the party in 
  this chapter, whereas Hlin Trollbane and Trovus will have 
  had to been picked up by the adventurers on their way to 
  the Reghed Glacier. If they weren't present in Chapter 6, 
  it's too late to include them now.   
   
  HLIN TROLLBANE 
  Hlin Trollbane's goals are limited to reversing the Ever-
  lasting Rime, but her chief concerns may be much more 
  personal, as described below:  
  Fate. If she traveled through Area H12 in the Caves of 
  Hunger, Hlin succumbed to the Curse of Hunger. Her fate 
  is still undetermined, but, as the adventurers explore the 
  city, Hlin's hunger deepens. With scant food to be found 
  in the city, Hlin's only hope is to find an abracadabrus—
  a magical box that can conjure food.  
   
  TROVUS 
  Of all NPCs in the campaign, Trovus has the most room 
  for character development. He was met as a drunk hungry 
  to relive better days. Who is by now is determined chiefly 
  by whether Caer-Konig survived the dragon's attack. If 
  his people were slain, he is a shell of his former self—and, 
  secretly, may have accompanied the adventurers on this 
  quest to find an honorable death. Should the party end the 
  Everlasting Rime, Trovus instead finds redemption—a 
  development that causes him to fall to his knees and sob 
  for what he's lost and what could have been.  
  Fate. If Trovus gained Vlagomir's Spark (see Ch. 6, 
  H30), he grows to 21 feet in height. After this adventure, 
  he seeks out a greater restoration spell to be turned back 
  into his normal stature.  
   
  VELLYNNE HARPELL 
  It's already assumed that Vellynne will be with the party 
  in Chapter 7. While in the city, she is astounded; if you'd 
  like to contrast the grim tone of the city, she geeks out 
  while the adventurers contend with nothics and magen.   
  Fate. Vellynne Harpell is fated to contract the Arcane 
  Blight. Ultimately, her search for knowledge, power, and 
  respect proves to be her undoing. Barring any intervention 
  on behalf of the party, Vellynne becomes a nothic.  
   
   
   
  
   
  2 
  QUICK NOTES 
  There's so much to digest in this chapter that several sub-
  sections of quick notes are necessary:  
   
  COMPANION CHANGES AND ADDITIONS 
  • The Knights of the Black Sword may already be in the 
  city if you ran Avarice's Ploy in Chapter 6.  
  • Additional loot has been added to the Ythryn Treasures 
  table to better fulfill the expectations of a vast, magical 
  city inhabited by wizards.  
  • The "Basin of Augmentation" has been added to the 
  Tower of Transmutation (Y26). A weapon quenched in 
  this basin's magical water becomes a magic weapon for 
  the next 24 hours. This change was made to help combat 
  the campaign's dearth of magic weapons.  
  • Various sources of poison were added so that characters 
  could complete the last step of the Rite of the Arcane 
  Octad. See Areas Y5, Y10 and Y13. 
   
  EXPLORATION & NOTABLE CITY FEATURES 
  • The adventurers are assumed to explore at a cautious rate 
  of 200 feet per 5 minutes.  
  • After every hour the adventurers explore the city, roll a 
  d100 to determine if a random encounter occurs. On a 
  roll of 1-50, no encounter occurs.  
  • The city's streets and buildings are lit by continual flame 
  spells. Unless noted otherwise, an area is brightly lit.   
  • Y4, the Tower of Abjuration, contains a magical anvil 
  that can destroy any magic item that isn't an artifact.  
   
  RITE OF THE ARCANE OCTAD 
  • To infiltrate the Spire of Iriolarthas, or access the Ythryn 
  mythallar (Areas Y19 & Y23, respectively) a character 
  must complete the Rite of the Arcane Octad. 
  • To accomplish step 1, the party must visit Y10 and take 
  wood from the Nether Oak, a Ne treant. To take wood 
  from the tree without waking it requires a DC 20 Dex. 
  (Stealth) check; to persuade it requires a DC 15 Cha. 
  (Persuasion check).    
  • The sixth step is found in the Tower of Illusion; the spirit 
  of the High Illusionist masks the inscription with an 
  illusory script spell, making it read, "Show your face to 
  the sky." If the adventurers fall for his trick, consider 
  allowing a Wisdom (Insight) check so they may later 
  realize they've been duped.  
  • The seventh step requires burning a corpse; corpses are 
  easy to come by, but the means to burn them are not. A 
  fireball spell is likely the only way to fully burn a 
  corpse. Luckily, a necklace of fireballs can be found 
  under the rubble of the Tower of Necromancy (Y18).   
  • The final step requires the consumption of poison; the 
  only source of poison in Ythryn included by RoFM is 
  the bag of beans found in Y26.   
  RITE OF THE ARCANE OCTAD 
  Step Instruction 
  Inscription 
  Location 
  1 
  Hold a wand crafted from the Nether 
  Oak over your heart. 
  Y4 
  2 
  Summon a flame in your palm. 
  Y7 
  3 
  Speak a secret about yourself aloud. 
  Y15 
  4 
  Compel another to share a secret with 
  you. 
  Y24 
  5 
  Quench the flame in ice. 
  Y20 
  6 
  Mask your appearance. 
  Y22 
  7 
  Draw a circle on the ground using the 
  ashes of a corpse. 
  Y18 
  8 
  Stand inside the circle and consume 
  poison. 
  Y26 
   
  YTHRYN DENIZENS 
  When dealing with Ythryn denizens, consider the points 
  below. Remember, Loross is written in the Draconic 
  script and can be spoken by a character fluent in Elvish. 
  Professor Skant can also translate.  
  Iriolarthas. When featuring the demilich, consider: 
  • The demilich cannot open doors or perform similar acts. 
  He relies on three nothics to achieve such tasks. 
  • The demilich cannot speak, and RoFM mentions that he 
  cannot be contacted telepathically. Therefore, he is 
  nothing more than a mute voyeur.  
  • Iriolarthas has truesight out to a range of 120 feet; he can 
  see through magical and mundane darkness, as well as 
  illusions. However, he only has a passive Perception of 
  13, making it easy to hide from him.  
  • The Spire of Iriolarthas, Y19, counts as the demilich's 
  lair, allowing him to take Lair Actions. However, the 
  city is not affected by any regional effects.  
  • Iriolarthas has resistance to magical weapon attacks and 
  outright immunity to nonmagical weapon attacks.  
  • A conflict is inevitable with Iriolarthas; he will not allow 
  other creatures to attune to the Ythryn mythallar. If the 
  party wishes to end the Everlasting Rime, they must 
  first destroy the demilich.  
   
  Magen. When featuring these constructs, remember: 
  • Magen understand Loross but cannot speak. However, 
  hypnos magen have telepathy to a range of 30 feet.  
  • Magen bleed a substance similar to both the color and 
  consistency of mercury. Remark on that whenever one 
  is cut.   
  • Galvan magen can hover and fly at a speed of 30 feet. 
  • When a magen dies, it disintegrates into a harmless burst 
  of fire and smoke.   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  3 
  AREAS IN SUMMARY 
  The city's various areas have been summarized below: 
   
  Y1. Causeway – Petrified remains of a dead tomb tapper. 
  Y2. Spires – Twelve spires, of the same nature of the Lost Spire 
  of Netheril point of interest (see Ch. 2), each with a 20% 
  chance that 1d3+1 gargoyles stand among the other statues.  
  Y3. Stadium – Entering the arena causes a lightning barrier to 
  enclose the area (9d8 lightning dmg whenever a creature 
  touches it). 6 or more galvan magen are conjured to fill out 
  the teams. The trophy awarded for the game has the same 
  properties as a stone of good luck.  
  Y4. Tower of Abjuration – The exterior is carved with runes, 
  one of which contains a symbol (insanity) spell (save DC 18). 
  Inside, 6 demos magen guard an anvil that can destroy magic 
  items. Contains the first step of the Arcane Octad: "First, 
  shield thy heart with a wand from the Nether Oak." 
  Y5. Prison – Cells contain frozen corpses; every door is shut 
  with an arcane lock spell. Inside the infirmary lies an 
  invisible doppelganger named Xerophon, who is under the 
  effects of a sequester spell.   
  Y6. Spire Entrance – Leads to the Spire of Iriolarthas; can only 
  be entered by those who complete the Rite of the Arcane 
  Octad at its doorstep. Teleportation fails to penetrate the force 
  field.  
  Y7. Tower of Conjuration – 4 living Bigby's hands guard the 
  a miniature tower that, if touched, conjures a door-way to a 
  demiplanar den of night hags upon the wall of which is the 
  second step of the Arcane Octad: "Second, summon a flame 
  in the palm of your hand."  
  Y8. Academy – Ruined wizard academy containing a magic 
  goblet that, if drank from, bestows a cantrip and other 
  magical effect.  
  Y9. Library – An arcanaloth, Scrivenscry, & Kingsport, its 
  awakened penguin slave, searches for the Books of Keeping, 
  tomes that contain the names of all yugoloths ever created. 
  Scrivenscry carries spell scrolls of plane shift, Leomund's tiny 
  hut, and wall of ice, as well as a chime of opening.  
  Y10. Arboretum – A slumbering NE treant whose wood is 
  required for the Rite of the Arcane Octad. Gathering wood 
  without waking it requires a DC 20 Dex. (Stealth) check. 
  Convincing it to part with wood requires a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check.  
  Y11. Tower of Divination – A shattered tower that once bore 
  the inscription for the third step of the Rite of the Arcane 
  Octad (found in Y15). Contains a magical orb of divination 
  filled with floating eyeballs. Characters that use it must make 
  a DC 20 Con. save. On a failure, they take 3d6 piercing dmg 
  as their eye is plucked from their skull and magically 
  teleported into the orb.  
  Y12. Abomination – A telepathic monstrosity (a hydra with a 
  climbing speed of 30 feet) languishes in a well. It can be used 
  to divine secrets—at the risk of waking it.  
  Y13. Bazaar – A decapitated, blinded, deafened iron golem has 
  destroyed all the stalls and attacks anything it detects.  
  Y14. Silk Shop – 6 demos magen guard 5 galvan magen and 4 
  phase spiders in the store. Ten silk robes (250 gp each) can 
  be stolen, but doing so causes the demos magen to attack.  
  Y15. Observatory – 3 galvan magen, 3 demos magen, and 1 
  hypnos magen guard the exterior. To gain access, the iron 
  door must be destroyed (AC 19, 30 HP). Within lurks a blue 
  slaad that turned the Arch-Astronomer into a green slaad. 
  Contains the third step of the Arcane Octad: "Third, a burnt 
  palm loosens the tongue. Shed a secret about yourself for all 
  to hear." 
  Y16. Menagerie – Contains chimeric creator, which can fashion 
  pets with abnormal qualities. Requires 80 hit points of blood 
  to operate.  
  Y17. Theater – Contains five cursed manuscripts; a character 
  that spends an hour reading a manuscript must make a DC 18 
  Wisdom saving throw or be cursed.  
  Y18. Tower of Necromancy – The tower collapsed; over 200 
  crawling claws are attempting to excavate the rubble while a 
  harmless ghost looks on. The ghost's corpse lies under the 
  rubble and wears a necklace of fireballs. Beneath the rubble 
  lies the seventh step of the Arcane Octad: "Seventh, trace a 
  circle with the ashes of the dead." 
  Y19. Spire of Iriolarthas – A shimmering force field encloses 
  the area, as well as Y23, and can be accessed only through 
  Y6. It counts as the lair of the demilich Iriolarthas. See Y19 
  in Areas of Note for a summary on subareas. 
  • Treasure: abracadabrus, staff of power, scroll of the comet, 
  scroll of the tarrasque,  
  • Foes: 1 hypnos magen, 4 brains in a jar, a helmed horror, 
  2 living blades of disaster, up to 8 barbed devils, a living 
  demiplane, Iriolarthas, and 3 nothics, plus 3 galvan magen 
  and 2 flesh golems inside the living demiplane. 
  Y20. Tower of Evocation – 8 gelatinous cubes and a step of the 
  Arcane Octad: "Fifth, quench the flame in thy palm with ice." 
  Y21. Obelisk – If touched with a staff of power, time is reversed 
  (see Year of Chilled Marrow in the Epilogue) 
  Y22. Tower of Illusion – 8th-level phantasmal killer spell (save 
  DC 17) and a false inscription of the sixth Arcane Octad step.  
  Y23. Mythallar – See Ythryn Mythallar in Appendix A.  
  Y24. Tower of Enchantment – Contains a cursed, memory-
  draining crown and the fourth step of the Arcane Octad: 
  "Fourth, coax a secret from another." 
  Y25. Hall of Weightless Wonder – Meditation here allows a 
  character to cast project image.  
  Y26. Tower of Transmutation – Contains a bag of beans and the 
  eighth step of the Arcane Octad: "Eighth, stand firm in thy 
  circle of death and consume –" The last word, poison, is 
  missing, but can be pieced together from rubble.  
  Y27. Music Hall – A ghostly audience can be put to rest through 
  a well-played concert.  
  Y28. Skydock Spire – A floating glass chamber laired in by 
  Avarice once she enters the city. 
  Y29. Museum – 6 nothics plundering the museum for relics and 
  4 spitting mimics that guard the display of a phaerimm.  
   
   
  
   
  4 
  YTHRYN LORE 
  d20 
  Lore 
  1 
  Ythryn was under the command of a lich named 
  Iriolarthas. He was obsessed with finding relics and 
  magic from Faerûn's ancient past. 
  2 
  Ythryn was governed by a group of eight arcanists 
  known as the Wizards of the Ebon Star. Their names 
  and faces are immortalized in the city's museum. 
  3 
  The city's creators used giant mimics as construction 
  tools and beasts of burden. 
  4 
  Apprentice mages would graduate from the House of 
  the Arcane and join one of eight arcane towers, each 
  one dedicated to a different school of magic. 
  5 
  The wizards of Ythryn were entertained by a 
  competitive sport called Chain Lightning. 
  6 
  Every wizard in the enclave was obliged to carve their 
  own wand from the Nether Oak at the heart of the 
  arboretum. 
  7 
  Ythryn was held aloft by the magic of an arcane 
  sphere known as a mythallar. The mythallar also had 
  the power to recharge magic items and control the 
  weather. 
  8 
  Ythryn's mages could extend their lives indefinitely 
  by preserving their brains inside jars. 
  9 
  Wonders from across the world of Toril were sold at 
  the enclave's Bazaar of the Bizarre. 
  10 
  The city's elite wore robes of silk that displayed 
  shifting, illusory patterns. 
  11 
  Many of the city's residents owned strange chimeric 
  pets, with winged hares and venomous baboons being 
  particularly popular. 
  12 
  The members of Ythryn's orchestra were known 
  across the world of Toril as masters of their art. 
  13 
  By law, every mage was taught the prestidigitation 
  cantrip and was obliged to use it to keep the city clean. 
  14 
  The wizards used humanlike constructs called magen 
  as guards, workers, and valets. These constructs were 
  created using a powerful spell. 
  15 
  The wizards imbued certain spells with their own life 
  force, turning them into living entities. 
  16 
  The wizards of Ythryn were on a mission to find relics 
  and ruins of Ostoria, a 40,000-year-old empire of 
  spellcasting giants. 
  17 
  In times of trouble, the wizards raised a force field 
  around the enclave's central spire that only they could 
  pass through. 
  18 
  An abracadabrus is a magic box that can create food 
  and drink, among other things. 
  19 
  Meditation in the Hall of Weightless Wonder was an 
  invaluable pursuit for the city's elite. 
  20 
  An ancient obelisk stands in the shadow of the Spire 
  of Iriolarthas. Using this obelisk and a staff of power, 
  one can turn back time. 
   
  YTHRYN ENCOUNTERS 
  d100 Encounters 
  1-50 No encounter 
  51-55 A tomb tapper 
  56-60 1d3 living Bigby's hands, or 2d4 cult fanatics 
  (Knights of the Black Sword) if Avarice is in Ythryn 
  61-65 1d3 spitting mimics, or 1d3 coldlight walkers if 
  Auril is in Ythryn 
  66-70 1d4 + 1 gargoyles, or a frost giant skeleton with 1d3 
  winter wolves if Auril is in Ythryn 
  71-75 1d4 + 1 demos magen and 1d4 galvan magen  
  76-80 1d4 + 1 demos magen and 1d4 hypnos magen  
  81-90 1d6 nothics (former Netherese wizards)  
  91-00 Iriolarthas the demilich, with 1d3 nothics 
   
  YTHRYN TREASURES 
  d20 
  Lore 
  1-10 No treasure 
  11 
  1d4 Netherese art objects (250 gp each) 
  12-14 1d4 pieces of jewelry (100 gp each) 
  15 
  A driftglobe (or another common magic item of your 
  choice) 
  16-20 
  A frieze that reveals one piece of Ythryn lore 
  (determined by rolling a d20 and consulting the 
  Ythryn Lore table above) 
   
  YTHRYN TREASURED (REVISED) 
  d100 Lore 
  1-30 No treasure 
  31-55 
  A frieze that reveals one piece of Ythryn lore 
  (determined by rolling a d20 and consulting the 
  Ythryn Lore table above) 
  56-65 1d4 pieces of jewelry (100 gp each) 
  65-70 1d4 Netherese art objects (250 gp each) 
  71-72 A bead of nourishment 
  73-75 A bead of refreshment 
  76-80 A thermal cube 
  81-82 A ruby of the war mage 
  83-86 A driftglobe 
  87-92 A hat of wizardry 
  93-95 A moon-touched sword (any variant) 
  96-00 1d4 potions of healing 
   
   
   
  
   
  5 
  INTO THE NECROPOLIS 
  When you run this chapter, you can divide it into three 
  separate acts, each with their own special events. While 
  the city is detailed, it lacks a clearly-defined narrative, 
  which you can implement from these events.  
   
  ACT I: CITY OF THE DEAD 
  Act I revolves around exploring the necropolis, just as it's 
  written in Rime of the Frostmaiden. You can break up the 
  monotony by running any of the events below.  
   
  NOTHIC ELSE MATTERS  
  This event assumes that Professor Skant is with the party. 
  Once while the adventurers are exploring the necropolis, 
  a group of five nothics steal the professor orb. These vile 
  creatures seek relics that can free them from Ythryn and 
  have mistaken the professor orb as one. This event should 
  occur after the adventurers have learned of the Rite of the 
  Arcane Octad and begun to search the city for the secret 
  steps necessary to complete it. In other words, the event 
  occurs once the adventurers realize how desperately they 
  need Professor Skant.  
  The nothics spot the adventurers (and Professor Skant) 
  from afar ten minutes before they stage their ambush. A 
  character with a passive Perception score of 15 or higher 
  notices shadows flitting by—the nothics running along 
  rooftops or leaping from window to window. When the 
  nothics ambush the party, it's from the side of a four-story 
  apartment building crowned with a flat terrace. When the 
  adventurers pass by below, the nothics drop in from above 
  (with one landing directly on Professor Skant). On that 
  nothic's first turn, it snatches Professor Skant and climbs 
  upward and into a window on the second floor, out of the 
  adventurers' line of sight.  
  In three rounds, the nothic will reach the terrace above 
  and leap to the next rooftop; from the street, an adventurer 
  must cover a total of 90 feet to climb the stairs and reach 
  the terrace above. The terrace is also 40 feet above the 
  street; the damaged exterior provides enough handholds 
  that a character can climb it with a successful DC 13 
  Strength (Athletics) check.  
  The nothics fight until their companion has escaped 
  with Professor Skant. A nothic also flees when it's been 
  reduced to 30 hit points or fewer.   
  Escape. Once Skant has been secured, the nothics flee. 
  Through a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Survival) check, 
  the nothics can be tracked. With Professor Skant shouting 
  the entire way, the party can gain advantage on this check 
  while the professor orb is within 300 feet.  
  Lair. The nothics lair in one of the locations below; 
  choose the location closest to the adventurers.  
  • The nothics lair in one of the twelve spires that ring the 
  city (Area Y2). See the Lost Spire of Netheril map for 
  insight on the tower's interior.  
  • The nothics live in a partially collapsed sewer tunnel. 
  Although the city's sewers were crushed when it fell 
  from the sky, a few warrens still remain. The lair can be 
  accessed from a manhole in the ceiling; a ladder leads 
  twenty feet below to the tunnel, which is 30-feet-wide 
  and 20-feet-tall. This section of the tunnel is 400-feet-
  long. The nothics lair at one end of the tunnel. Thanks 
  to the acoustics, characters have advantage on all Wis. 
  (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. The nothics 
  can be heard from afar, fussing over Professor Skant, 
  who has decided to use this as a learning opportunity.  
   
  SKULL SOVEREIGN 
  Once while the party is exploring or resting, Iriolarthas 
  flits by. The adventurers must succeed on a group DC 14 
  Dexterity (Stealth) check to avoid his gaze. On a failure, 
  the demilich begins to observe the adventurers, judging 
  whether they're here to rescue Ythryn or plunder it. As 
  described in RoFM, Iriolarthas can be fooled through a 
  successful DC 13 Charisma (Deception) group check.  
  When Vellynne spots Iriolarthas from afar, she gasps, 
  "A demilich! Cover your gods-damned ears and hide!" 
  Professor Skant remarks, "Of course. Most Netherese 
  sovereigns pursued lichdom. Without souls, however—" 
  Vellynne then whacks the orb, silencing it momentarily.  
  Saviors. If Iriolarthas is fooled, read the following: 
  By all laws of nature, a skull should not be able to squint, 
  but that is precisely what this one does. Its amethyst-eyes 
  seem to squint and its brow furrows. The skull watches 
  you, unable to speak. You watch as the miasma clinging 
  to its sides wafts off and forms arcane sigils reminiscent 
  of the schools of magic.  
  The seconds become years, but eventually the skull 
  leaves, seemingly satisfied. Off it darts into the air, lit by 
  the ghastly firelight from below. You watch as it flies to 
  the megalithic citadel that towers over the city.  
  Raiders. If Iriolarthas realizes the adventurers are not 
  here to save the city, it unleashes its lethal Howl ability. 
  Read the following: 
  Miasma wafts off the floating skull, curling into arcane 
  symbols reminiscent to the schools of magic. It has no 
  eyes and no lips and yet you can read its emotions plainly. 
  Its eye sockets widen, as if in shock, and its mouth parts 
  to begin a dreadful wail that saps at your very soul! 
  If Trovus or Hlin Trollbane are present, one of them 
  bravely decides to tackle the skull, smothering it in their 
  jackets just as the demilich begins to howl. This sacrifice 
  buys the party enough time to escape Iriolarthas.   
  If no ally is present (not including Vellynne), then roll 
  for initiative. Iriolarthas doesn't pursue the adventurers if 
  they decide to flee.   
   
   
  
   
  6 
  KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK SWORD 
  If you did not run Avarice's Ploy in Chapter 6, the Knights 
  of the Black Sword arrive in Ythryn twelve hours into the 
  adventurers' exploration of the city. Unless the party has 
  a commanding view of Area Y1, such as from a spire (Y2) 
  or Y4, this event occurs off-screen. If the adventurers are 
  in the Tower of Divination at the time, you can grace them 
  with a vision (provided by the Orb of Divination) of the 
  knights' arrival (who consist of twenty cult fanatics).  
  After an hour of exploration, Avarice sets up shop in 
  Area Y28, where she can look out across the city. She is 
  joined by her two gargoyles, perched upon nearby roof-
  tops, and twelve cult fanatics, who are divided into four 
  groups of three; the other eight are already out combing 
  the city for secrets and treasure. Using a Rary's telepathic 
  bond spell cast as a ritual, Avarice links her mind with 
  five cultists and her two gargoyles, allowing telepathic 
  communication for the next hour. All are instructed to 
  return after an hour so she may cast the spell again. See 
  Y28 under Areas of Note for further details on interacting 
  with Avarice in Skydock Spire.  
  An Invitation. As described in RoFM, Avarice has her 
  raven familiar deliver a letter addressed to Vellynne that 
  bids the wizard to join her in Skydock Spire.  
   
  HOWL OF THE SKULL SOVEREIGN 
  The Knights of the Black Sword are soon discovered by 
  Iriolarthas. After carefully observing three cult fanatics, 
  he deems them raiders worthy of a quick death. This 
  occurs while the adventurers are nearby; the demilich 
  unleashes its Howl, instantly slaying the cultists. The 
  party is close enough to hear this blood-curdling howl but 
  far enough to not be included in its area effect.  
  When this occurs, read the following: 
  As you rummage through the debris of what may have 
  been a wand merchant's emporium, you hear a terrified 
  cry from the street over yonder: 
  "It's here! It's here!" a man shouts in Common. "Arm 
  yourself! May Levistus save—" 
  The man's shouts are cut off by the most horrendous 
  wail you have ever heard, a howl that curdles the very 
  blood and gnaws upon the soul. In the silence that follows, 
  you hear three bodies crash onto the pavement.  
  Iriolarthas, satisfied, flits up into the air to continue his 
  search for more invaders. He can be seen in the distance.  
  If the adventurers inspect the corpses, read: 
  Three men clad in furs lay supine upon the pavement, 
  chardalyn amulets untucked from their collars. One man 
  was brandishing it as a… weapon? A shield? A comfort?  
  You find no wounds but for the trauma inflicted on 
  one's skull when he fell over. No cuts, no necrosis. It's as 
  if his soul was merely ripped from its body.   
  Immediately after the adventurers finish inspecting the 
  corpses, their Icy Doom trait takes affect; their corpses are 
  coated in a thick block of rime.  
  If Professor Skant is present, it remarks, "The Netherese 
  considered undeath just another chapter of life; most city 
  sovereigns, great wizards that they were, would pursue 
  lichdom rather than face the dismal end. Yet when a lich 
  has no souls to feed to its phylactery, it is reduced to a 
  floating, mute skull whose howl can snuff out lives as if 
  they were candlelight." 
  Treasure. The cultists each wore explorers' packs with 
  1d4+4 rations left, chardalyn amulets (see Chardalyn in 
  RoFM), and 1d6+10 gp. The tallest cultist has a potion of 
  healing hanging on his belt as well as a rolled up sketch 
  of Ythryn (drawn by one of Avarice's gargoyles) tucked 
  into his pocket. Four of the Towers of Magic are circled: 
  Areas Y15, Y20, Y24, and Y26.  
   
  ACT II: SHADOWS OF YESTERYEAR 
  Act II involves infiltrating the Spire of Iriolarthas at the 
  behest of Vellynne or drawing Iriolarthas's attention by 
  attuning to the mythallar in Y23. By this act's end, both 
  Iriolarthas and Avarice should be dead.   
  Vellynne suggests waiting for Iriolarthas to leave his 
  lair or drawing him away. If the party doesn't devise their 
  own plan, serendipity comes in the form of three Knights 
  of the Black Sword cultists triggering a game of Chain 
  Lightning in Area Y3. As the lightning cage goes up, 
  Iriolarthas watches from his balcony. After a moment of 
  indecision, he decides to go investigate the disturbance. 
  Therefore, when the adventurers enter Area Y19Q, the 
  demilich's study, Iriolarthas isn't present, although the 
  living demiplane is and it ambushes the adventurers.  
   
  SHOWDOWN IN THE SPIRE 
  If Avarice is still alive, she follows the adventurers into 
  the spire, accompanied by her two gargoyles and Dzaan, 
  who also performed the Rite of the Arcane Octad. Ideally, 
  Avarice flies through the balcony (if it's unlocked) or 
  meets with Veneranda in Y19E, who informs them that 
  the party has already passed by. Avarice then proceeds to 
  Area Y19Q. This can occur either on the third round of 
  combat against the living demiplane or half an hour into 
  the adventurers' search of the study (your choice). When 
  she arrives, read the following:  
  The same magical doorway that delivered you here roars 
  open again and out soars twin gargoyles whose presence 
  can mean only one thing: Avarice has arrived. Sure 
  enough, the albino tiefling steps through the doorway, 
  wreathed in thin and wispy flames.  
  "It seems," she demurs, "I'm not too late to join in on 
  the revelries."  
  A deal may be brokered with Avarice if the adventurers 
  succeed on a DC 15 Cha. (Persuasion or Intimidation) 
  check. If Vellynne is present, Avarice demands that she 
  be banished. If the adventurers refuse, Avarice decides to 
  break Arcane Brotherhood protocol (which forbids open 
  conflict with other members) and attacks. 
   
   
  
   
  7 
  Roleplaying Avarice. You can voice Avarice through 
  the sample dialogue below: 
  • "There is no reason we all can't emerge from this ordeal 
  together richer and wiser."  
  • "I will not tolerate this late-bloomer—I've worked for 
  everything in my life! What has she worked for that her 
  family's fame and fortune did not already buy? And you 
  would let her take the world's greatest arcane secrets? 
  Her, this blue-blooded crone?" 
  • "Cast her out or lay down your lives in her defense—but 
  remember, death is never the end with Harpell."   
   
  Tactics. Avarice and her two gargoyles use the tactics 
  below in battle; remember, Avarice's arrival causes the 
  magical doorway to Y19M to open back up, allowing her 
  and the adventurers to escape the study if they wish.  
  • Provided Avarice is aware of the adventurers, she casts 
  fire shield and mage armor on herself beforehand. 
  Guessing that the adventurers are inured against the 
  cold, she chooses to deal fire damage with the spell. 
  Thus, whenever she is struck by a melee attack, the 
  attacker takes 2d8 fire damage.  
  • On her first turn, Avarice casts Bigby's hand, choosing 
  its Interposing Hand ability at first. On her second turn, 
  she uses its Grasping Hand ability. 
  • Avarice is loathe to damage the study and refrains from 
  casting fireball while in Area Y19Q. She instead casts 
  scorching ray at 4th level (creating five rays).   
  • The first foe to damage Avarice provokes her Banishing 
  Rebuke reaction. Thereafter, she reserves her reaction 
  for counterspells.  
  • Avarice casts wall of ice to seal off her escape, should 
  she have to retreat from the adventurers. If chased, she 
  flees to Area Y19N and threatens to cast a 5th-level 
  fireball at the spindle, which would wreak havoc across 
  Ythryn.  
  • The gargoyles each attempt to grapple a foe that would 
  otherwise charge Avarice. Thereafter, they rend these 
  creatures with their stony fangs and claws.  
   
  THE SKULL SOVEREIGN RETURNS 
  Iriolarthas returns while Avarice and the adventurers are 
  here, either on the fifth round of combat or twenty minutes 
  into their search of the study. The demilich's arrival 
  forces Avarice to throw her lot in with the adventurers.  
  Tactics. See Area Y19Q for Iriolarthas's tactics, which 
  remain the same whether Avarice and her minions are 
  present or not.  
  Iriolarthas: Slain. When the sovereign is slain, read: 
  A deep fissure appears across the skull, out from which 
  leaks gray miasma and dust. The skull looks left, then 
  right, then turns to the window slits facing Ythryn, as if 
  all it wanted was one final glimpse at the city it devoted 
  its life too—but alas, some last requests are never granted 
  and the skull crumbles into dust half way to the window. 
  Ythryn's sovereign has finally been put to rest—by force. 
  ACT III: WRATH OF THE FROSTMAIDEN 
  Act III opens with Auril's invasion of the city. Therefore, 
  it incorporates the Final Showdown section in RoFM. She 
  arrives in 1d4+5 hours, giving the adventurers the chance 
  to take a rest.  
  The Frostmaiden's Hello. Auril is heralded by a sudden 
  shift in Ythryn's climate: the temperature drops sharply, 
  and winds begin to howl in the otherwise still and silent 
  city. All creatures, from the dimmest nothic to the most 
  acute adventurer, can sense the ominous change. 
  The Frostmaiden marches in with a force of six snow 
  golems, a pack of six winter wolves and three frost giant 
  skeletons. Without so much as a word, these minions 
  disperse to search the ruins for mortals audacious enough 
  to excavate what their master buried. Auril, for her part, 
  proceeds to the Spire of Iriolarthas and coats its force field 
  with rime. By squeezing her claws into a fist, the entire 
  field shatters. Read the following:  
  Thunder echoes out across the necropolis—but not any 
  thunder you've ever heard. It is more akin to the crackling 
  of a fire or the… the cracking of frost. As the wind howls 
  in what was once a silent city, you look to the Spire of 
  Iriolarthas—and see that its shimmering force field is 
  being coated with rime. Like mold, the frost climbs up the 
  hemisphere until at last all of it is encased—and then the 
  thunder screams! It screams with such ferocity that you 
  must clasp your hands to your ears or risk going deaf! 
  The rime explodes in a storm of icy shrapnel! Even as 
  far away as you are, daggers of frost are hurled at your 
  feet, shattering against the stone nearby or missing you by 
  a hair!  
  In the frigid aftermath, you hear a new bout of crackling 
  frost—a pillar of ice grows outward from the city streets, 
  reaching towards the balcony roosting on Iriolarthas's 
  spire. Standing upon it is the only creature capable of such 
  power: the Frostmaiden. The Frostmaiden has come to 
  seal the icy sepulcher as she did long ago.  
  The pillar of ice reaches the balcony; you watch as the 
  deity steps off her pillar of ice to survey the city below. 
  Magic amplifies her murmur so that all my hear her 
  decree: "What was buried must eternal lie. It was never 
  meant for mortal eyes. Leave now, lest you join its dead. 
  Upon the hour, your lives are forfeit."  
  At your discretion, one random adventurer is targeted by 
  an ice knife spell (save DC 13) when the rime explodes. 
  The attack roll has disadvantage.  
   
   
   
  
   
  8 
  FIRST CAPTIVES 
  Nine minutes after the Frostmaiden's ultimatum, a frost 
  giant skeleton clambers up the pillar of ice to deliver four 
  Knights of the Black Sword, whom Auril turns into cold-
  light walkers. Read the following: 
  An amplified cry thunders out across the city, a cry that 
  pleads for mercy and forgiveness—but the Frostmaiden 
  demurs, "You have made your choices." 
  An alabaster light shines out from the spire's balcony, a 
  light that, for a moment, dwarfs all of Ythryn's ghastly 
  firelight.  
  Another voice cries out, "No! No!" as they are brought 
  before the Frostmaiden, who murmurs, "You will find 
  now a higher purpose." The screams echo out until yet 
  another ivory light flashes over the necropolis. 
  There comes a pregnant pause before a woman shouts, 
  her voice amplified, "Levistus take me!" You can see her 
  diminutive form leap out from the balcony, but from 
  below materializes a frozen palm that snatches and 
  delivers her back to the Frostmaiden—and soon she too 
  becomes yet another of the deity's lights.  
   
  I. THE FROSTMAIDEN MONSTROUS 
  The adventurers can meet Auril at the Spire of Iriolarthas 
  or encounter her in the ghastly-lit streets. When they do, 
  read the following: 
  Fate has delivered you to this moment—the moment in 
  which you face a god, this one as cold and merciless as 
  the winter she embodies. The Frostmaiden is a cloven-
  hooved, owl-faced monstrosity whose dull eyes bear both 
  disappointment and contempt.  
  When she speaks, your heart shudders and your blood 
  runs cold. Reaching out with a clawed hand, she murmurs, 
  "In the end, the ice preserves. You have had your time." 
  There is no reasoning with the Frostmaiden; she will see 
  them dead or twisted into coldlight walkers. 
  Roleplaying Auril. During this phase, Auril is cold and 
  detached. You can voice her with the dialogue below:   
  • When she uses her Touch of Frost, Auril murmurs, 
  "Yours will be a cold and bitter end."  
  • When a foe provokes an opportunity attack from Auril, 
  she murmurs, "Winter is inevitable."  
  • If Auril reduces a character to 0 hit points, she promises, 
  "Your legacy will be preserved forevermore." 
  • When she casts ice storm, Auril murmurs, "It shall be a 
  remorseless winter, indeed…" 
   
  Tactics. While in her first form, Auril employs these 
  tactics ("LA" refers to her Legendary Actions): 
  • Auril is single-minded; she prefers to focus on one foe 
  at a time unless that tactic proves foolish. She targets 
  unarmored foes, such as spellcasters, and eviscerates 
  them with her talons.  
  • Auril uses misty step every round to close or widen the 
  gap between her and the party. This is usually paired 
  with a Talons or Touch of Frost attack.  
  • With her first LA, Auril teleports to the weakest foe. If 
  they move, they provoke an opportunity attack. At the 
  next opportunity, she uses a Touch of Frost LA on the 
  creature.   
  • On her third turn, Auril rises into the air and unleashes 
  an ice storm spell on the adventurers. She remains aloft, 
  hurling Chromatic Orbs from above. If she is being 
  fought in the streets, an adventurer can climb rubble to 
  reach a rooftop where they might be able to leap onto 
  the Frostmaiden.  
   
  II. THE FROSTMAIDEN FURIOUS 
  When Auril is reborn into her second form, read: 
  You've done the impossible. You've struck down a deity. 
  They will call you godslayers! Heroes! Heroes of Icewind 
  Dale, for with the Frostmaiden dead, the land can at last 
  heal from the Everlasting— 
  The slush shudders into the form of a jagged, glacial 
  maiden armed with a morningstar. "You have made a 
  grave mistake!" thunders the Frostmaiden, all detachment 
  gone, all frigid indifference melted and boiled into a rage 
  that causes the very ice above to tremble! 
  Auril appears in her second form within 60 feet of where 
  her first form was slain; she uses this to place herself 
  advantageously near the weaker adventurers.  
  Roleplaying Auril. Auril sheds her detached, frosty 
  demeanor after being reduced to her second form. All her 
  fury and resentment—towards mortals, her rival deities, 
  and fate itself—boils out now.   
  In this form, Auril may say any of the following: 
  • "This ends here!" 
  • "The gods will rue their treachery! The seas will freeze! 
  The sky will weep with hail! The beasts of this land are 
  forfeit, as are the lives of those who dare worship the 
  Great Betrayers!"  
  • When Auril creates an ice mephit for the first time, she 
  remarks, "I give you life so that you may take it!" 
  • When Auril uses her Cone of Cold, she remarks, "Fear 
  the Winds of the Far North!"  
  • When Auril uses her Ice Stasis ability, she remarks, 
  "There is no better tomb for a mortal as insolent as 
  yourself!"   
   
  Tactics. While in her second form, Auril employs these 
  tactics ("LA" refers to her Legendary Actions): 
  • Auril notably loses her flying speed in this form. Thus, 
  she is grounded.  
  • Auril's first turn and first LA is devoted to creating two 
  ice mephits.  
  • Auril uses her Cone of Cold on her second turn or when 
  three or more foes are bunched up. She then uses her 
  Splinter LA to destroy an ice mephit.  
  • On her third turn, Auril uses Ice Stasis. Her next three 
  LAs are used on Ice Flurry, if she is surrounded, or Ice 
  Darts if her foes are far away.  
   
   
   
  
   
  9 
  III. THE FROSTMAIDEN BRITTLE 
  When Auril is reborn into her third form, read: 
  Deep fissures appear along the Frostmaiden's jagged, icy 
  form. One by one, glacial sheets fall off, shattering below, 
  until at last there is nothing left of the deity but a floating 
  diamond that gleams with a divine spark.  
  Roleplaying Auril. Auril is finally frightened after she's 
  reduced to her third form. If the adventurers are not on the 
  brink of death, she now begins to plot her exit strategy. 
  Her pride has already been bruised by Umberlee, Talos, 
  and Malar; any further humiliation is no concern of hers. 
  There's no guarantee that she'll have enough followers by 
  the next winter solstice to ensure her rebirth, and so the 
  Frostmaiden believes she stands at the brink of oblivion. 
  When she is reduced to 30 hit points or fewer, she begins 
  to float away from the adventurers.   
  In this form, Auril may use any of the following sample 
  dialogue; a character that succeeds on a DC 19 Wisdom 
  (Insight) check hears a hint of fear in the deity's voice. 
  • "You vermin have ruined this world." 
  • "For what crimes did I deserve to be cast down so low? 
  To muck around with mortals?"  
  • "Do you truly believe I wish to languish with your lot? 
  All I have ever wanted was to be alone!" 
  • When she uses her Blizzard Veil, Auril demands, "Leave 
  me! Leave me to shiver like they all did!"  
  • When she uses her Intensify Aura ability, Auril shouts, 
  "Join me in oblivion!"  
   
  Tactics. While in her third form, Auril employs these 
  tactics ("LA" refers to her Legendary Actions): 
  • At the first opportunity, Auril uses her Blinding Gleam 
  LA to blind her foes. She follows up with a Polar Ray 
  LA.  
  • If Auril has blinded any foes, she uses all remaining LAs 
  on Polar Rays against these targets. 
  • If Auril comes under heavy fire, she uses Blizzard Veil 
  to disadvantage attack rolls against her.  
  • If her foes rely heavily on melee attacks, Auril hovers at 
  a height of 10 feet, so that she may avoid their attacks 
  but still subject them to her Frigid Aura.  
   
  DEATH OF A DEITY 
  When Auril's third form is slain, read the following: 
  The final blow rings out against the diamond, weaving 
  deep fissures into its facets out from which shines divine 
  light so fierce so you must shield your eyes or risk being 
  blinded—or worse.  
  "I am winter," the Frostmaiden whispers, her voice 
  shuddering. "I am inevitable… I am eter—" 
  The diamond shatters into a storm of icy shrapnel that 
  rends your flesh! A cataclysmic light bursts as if it were a 
  bubble, hurling out a shockwave that knocks you to your 
  knees! In the distance, glass and frost shatter from the 
  otherworldly force of the Frostmaiden's death!   
   
   
  
   
  10 
  AREAS OF NOTE 
  The following areas of Ythryn are of note. An area that 
  does not appear in this section warrants no changes or 
  won't benefit from further details. 
   
  ENTERING YTHRYN 
  To strike a grimmer tone, consider reading the following 
  text instead of what's presented in RoFM when the party 
  enters Ythryn for the first time: 
  It is a corpse like no other—a city whose last breath was 
  taken eons ago. Its monuments and streets are little more 
  than silent reminders of what once was, and what could 
  have been. Its black bricks are lit by green and violet fire-
  light, the colors locked in a war started when the world 
  was a younger, humbler place.  
  There is but one way into the necropolis and it is 
  forward—there is no turning back here. The Caves of 
  Hunger still lie open, yes, but this is the brink, the breach. 
  Dare you enter it? 
  If Professor Skant is present, it remarks, "It is just as the 
  histories say… A Netherese city, carved by spell-masons 
  in stone as black as night." 
  If Vellynne Harpell is present, she remarks, "If the 
  Brotherhood could see me now… the 'Little Animator of 
  Longsaddle' has at last come out on top. Hurry. There is 
  no telling what creatures still lurk here, preserved by the 
  very magics once propagated by the wizards of yore."  
   
  Y4. TOWER OF ABJURATION 
  The save DC for the symbol spell hidden here is 18, as 
  denoted by the DC of the Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check to discern it.  
  Changing Gear. Consider changing the magen's gear to 
  vary up your gameplay and to facilitate the tactics they 
  take below. Four magen wield shields (raising their AC to 
  18) and longswords (+4 to hit, 1d8+2 slashing damage). 
  Two continue to wield light crossbows.  
  Roleplaying the Magen. The magen cannot speak, so 
  focus on their body language. When the party appears, a 
  magen raises its green fist; the others silently move into 
  formation. Four shield-bearers stand shoulder-to-shoulder 
  to guard the crossbowmen, who enjoy an extra +2 bonus 
  to their AC thanks to interposing creatures.  
  The lead magen, the one who raised its fist, points at the 
  party and makes a shooing gesture, as if to warn them off 
  from the Anvil of Disjunction.  
   
  Y5. PRISON 
   
  XEROPHON  
  When the doppelganger is awakened, it mutters, "What 
  now, Malhatta? Another round?" in Loross ("Malhatta 
  being the name of the prison warden that sequestered 
  Xerophon here). Judging the room's state of disrepair and 
  the party's attire, it quickly realizes that something dire 
  has happened.  
  Xerophon proves useful when the party reaches Area 
  Y19L, when they must name one of Iriolarthas's eight 
  apprentices to safely pass through one of the chamber's 
  trapped doors.  
  Previously On… The Companion added a journal of 
  Xerophon's to the iron safe in Area H2 of Chapter 6 that 
  crumbles to dust upon exposure to air, but not before 
  Professor Skant glimpsed , "It seems one must not be a 
  mage to complete the Rite of the Arcane Octad—perfect. 
  I will require a mask and some oil if I am to infiltrate 
  Iriolarthas's spire." This precaution was made to ensure 
  that the adventurers don't hit a dead-end if they believe 
  the inscription in the Tower of Illusion, which falsely 
  reads "Sixth, show thy face to the sky."  
    
  THE MERCY ROOM  
  The eighth step of the Rite of the Arcane Octad requires a 
  character to consume poison; however, only one source of 
  poison is included in Rime of the Frostmaiden. To combat 
  this dearth, the following room has been added to the 
  prison—and it is, admittedly, a dark but apropos feature 
  of the Netherese, who regularly encouraged lichdom and 
  necromancy. This addition is the Mercy Room. 
  In Ythryn's heyday, prisoners serving life sentences 
  could elect to visit the Mercy Room, where they would 
  consume deadly nightshade. Their corpses would then be 
  offered to the city's necromancers; after all, the prisoners 
  must still pay their debt to society, no? 
  The Mercy Room is still intact. It is empty but for a 
  magical chest that preserves all perishable items placed 
  within. Inside the chest are 1d6+4 clumps of deadly 
  nightshade. A creature that eats a clump must succeed on 
  a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 3d6 poison 
  damage, or half as much on a success.  
  SYMBOL (INSANITY EFFECT) 
  The glyph is nearly invisible, requiring an Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to find it. 
  Once triggered, the glyph glows, filling a 60-foot-radius 
  sphere with dim light for 10 minutes, after which time the 
  spell ends. Each creature in the sphere when the glyph 
  activates is targeted by its effect, as is a creature that enters 
  the sphere for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. 
  Insanity. Each target must make an Intelligence saving 
  throw. On a failed save, the target is driven insane for 1 
  minute. An insane creature can't take actions, can't understand 
  what other creatures say, can't read, and speaks only in 
  gibberish. The DM controls its movement, which is erratic. 
  
   
  11 
  Y7. TOWER OF CONJURATION 
   
  THE HAGS' DEN 
  When the adventurers touch the miniature tower, causing 
  the demiplane's entrance to open, read the following: 
  You lay your hand upon the tower—and a rift roars into 
  existence with such ferocity that you must plant your feet 
  or be drawn further by the force of it! The dust is riled up 
  into a thick cloud and sucked into another realm! 
  If the adventurers enter the demiplanar doorway, read the 
  following: 
  You arrive in another realm, equally as silent as the city 
  you've left behind. Standing before you is a mottled tower 
  that has somehow not yet fallen over. The door swings 
  open, revealing three gnarled women crowned with 
  horns—hags, if you ever saw one. The one nearest to you 
  wears a trio of skulls on her belt, and, with a scowl, asks 
  a question in a language you do not understand. After a 
  moment, she asks again, in Common, "Has it been so long 
  you forgot your native tongue, wizard?"  
  Auntie Pinch first asked in Loross, "It has been a while. 
  Have you come for further charms?" 
  Roleplaying the Hags. The hags are unaware of the fate 
  of Ythryn, or even the Netheril Empire itself. They soon 
  realize the adventurers are not Netherese citizens and, 
  with a word of Infernal ("Betray"), decide to turn on the 
  adventurers. They allow the party into their den so as to 
  better entrap them. As described in RoFM, the hags are 
  content to let the adventurers leave for a price (a plucked 
  memory from each person). 
  Plucked Memories. If the adventurers acquiesce to the 
  hags' price, it's up to you to determine which memory they 
  each lose. It should be something dear. For example, if the 
  adventurer has a lover, they forget their name, face, or 
  even existence. Assume that memories that are built upon 
  other memories are stolen too (so, if the lover is forgotten, 
  all subsequent memories together are also lost).  
  As for any NPCs accompanying the players, these are 
  the respective memories randomly plucked by the hags: 
  • Avarice forgets she has bonded with her gargoyles and 
  treats them as foes next time she sees them.  
  • Hlin forgets the existence of her estranged son (Hlin has 
  no son by default; the Companion concocted this).   
  • Trovus either forgets the secret tragedy that drove him 
  to alcoholism or the motivation he had to quit drinking 
  (your choice).  
  • Vellynne forgets that her family bought her way into the 
  Arcane Brotherhood and becomes much less insecure.  
   
  Tactics. The night hags employ the following tactics in 
  battle; remember, they share spell slots.  
  • At your discretion, the hags can magically slam the door 
  shut at initiative count 20 (losing ties) as if by an arcane 
  lock spell. The door then requires a DC 18 Strength 
  (Athletics) check to force open, made as an action. The 
  door can also be destroyed; it has AC 10, 20 HP, and 
  immunity to psychic and poison damage.  
  • The first hag to act casts hold person as a 5th-level spell, 
  targeting four foes. The second hag casts phantasmal 
  killer and the third casts polymorph.  
  • The hags counterspell the first two spells cast by the 
  party. A third hag uses the last 3rd-level spell slot for a 
  lightning bolt spell.  
  • If a hag is near death, one coven member casts eyebite, 
  choosing to put foes asleep.  
  • When a hag dies, the survivors cast plane shift to escape 
  to the Nine Hells, where they stay until they're sure that 
  the adventurers have left their demiplane.  
   
  Y8. HOUSE OF THE ARCANE 
  If Vellynne is present, she drinks greedily from the goblet, 
  eager to undergo the same rites the ancient Netherese did. 
  Unsurprisingly, she gains the Charm of the Necromancer, 
  which wards her with a death ward spell 24 hours after 
  drinking from the goblet.  
  When Vellynne goes to drink from the goblet, read the 
  following text, which assumes Professor Skant is present: 
  Floating at your side, Professor Skant inspects the goblet 
  with its eyeless sight and remarks, "The fabled Goblet of 
  Graduates. Every House of the Arcane held one. Reserved 
  for only the graduating class, it would bestow magic upon 
  those worthy of its water." 
  Vellynne comes forward, cusping the goblet in her 
  hands. "It must be mine… It must be my honor. 'Little 
  Animator of Longsaddle,' they called me… See if they 
  still will after I bear the Netherese legacy. May all my 
  detractors eat their hearts out." 
  Vellynne lifts the goblet to her lips and drinks heartily, 
  curls of steam rising from the rim. Wiping her mouth, she 
  smiles as the magic courses through her—until a look of 
  utter disgust and disappointment grips her features. With 
  an arcane word, she conjures a skeletal hand. "I already 
  knew this spell!" she snarls, lifting the goblet again to her 
  lips—but there is no water for Vellynne Harpell this time.  
  "Why isn't this working?" she barks. 
  "I'm afraid," says Professor Skant, "one may only drink 
  once from the goblet." 
  Gritting her teeth, Vellynne mutters, "Figures." She 
  tosses you the goblet, clearly done with it.  
   
   
   
  
   
  12 
  Y9. LIBRARY 
  The library is an opportunity to learn more about Ythryn, 
  but it doesn't provide enough lore and information for the 
  adventurers. At the least, it should include a map labeled 
  with the city's most important locales; if the adventurers 
  find the map (which they do after 2d6 x 10 minutes of 
  searching the library), show them the DM's copy of the 
  Necropolis map—there's no harm in it, as it doesn't reveal 
  anything a citizen of Ythryn wouldn't already know. With 
  the map, the adventurers can more easily seek out the 
  towers of magic. Additionally, for every hour the party 
  spends studying, they find one of the following tomes: 
  • Treatise on the Thaluud, which describes the creation of 
  the "thaluud" or "faceless" (tomb tappers), who were 
  forged from a fusion of magic and elemental earth. 
  These giant constructs "cannot be harmed by fire or 
  frost, and are only inconvenienced by lightning." They 
  consider magic, especially magic items, sacred, and can 
  tunnel by devouring stones. A diagram in the tome 
  reveals that the giant statue in Y1 is a dead tomb tapper.  
  • Emerald Rebels, a dramatic retelling of a failed magen 
  rebellion. The protagonist and architect of the rebellion, 
  a hypnos magen, is captured and experimented upon 
  until the Netherese can fashion a new breed of magen 
  bereft of any desires to be free. Although the tale is 
  dramatized, its elements are true: the first generation of 
  magen almost overthrew a Netherese city of yore before 
  being exterminated. Ambition and resentment were 
  then bred out of future generations of magen.  
  • Binding the Tarrasque, an autobiographical tale of one 
  of the wizards who set forth to attune the legendary 
  scroll of tarrasque summoning to the tarrasque.  
   
  Y10. ARBORETUM 
  That the treant speaks Common makes no sense, as the 
  Netherese spoke Loross. Additionally, even if it did know 
  Common, the language would have evolved in the two 
  thousand years since Ythryn fell.  
  Roleplaying the Treant. When the treant awakens, it 
  grumbles, "Who dares to interrupt the rest of the mighty 
  Nether Oak. Who—" It then takes one look at the icy 
  ceiling above and sighs with disappointment. "What has 
  the High Arcanist done this time?" 
  You can voice the treant through the dialogue below: 
  • "You stand before the mighty Nether Oak, and for but 
  one reason: it is my flesh you require. Tell me, small 
  one, what is it you intend to do with a wand fashioned 
  from my body?" 
  • "Do not speak to me of good intentions; I have no desire 
  to entreat good magi. Good magi have ruined the world. 
  It's the foul ones that don't rock the bough. If you intend 
  to wield a wand of my flesh for good, you may as well 
  leave now and take your naivety with you."  
  • "I do not understand your reasoning. Then again, you are 
  very small…"  
  Tactics. The treant and its four needle blights use the 
  following tactics in battle: 
  • The treant lowers its limb so that the four needle blights 
  can clamber up into its canopy, where they are lightly 
  obscured from attackers and can take the Hide action to 
  become hidden. From a height of 1d4 x 5 feet, they rain 
  needles down on foes below.  
  • The treant refrains from using its Animate Trees, as it 
  detests the company of others. When reduced to 70 hit 
  points or fewer, it uses that ability to add two more 
  treants to the fray, as described in its ability. 
  • When reduced to 30 hit points, the treant grumbles, 
  "Fine! Fine! Take your bough and begone from my 
  sight! You have bested the mighty Nether Oak today!" 
   
  POISONOUS BERRIES 
  The Rite of the Arcane Octad's final step requires the 
  consumption of poison, but poison is hard to come by in 
  the necropolis. To fill this gap, add several poisonous 
  bushes to the arboretum. A sign in Draconic-Loross reads 
  "Warning: Consume at Thy Own Risk!" A character that 
  succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check can 
  confirm the berries are poisonous; through a Survival 
  check of the same DC, a character can identify traits that 
  are common to modern poisonous berries.  
   
  KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK SWORD 
  If Avarice has already infiltrated the city, the adventurers 
  may find 1d4+2 cult fanatics here, if not Avarice as well. 
  The cultists are attempting to gather wood for Avarice's 
  Nether Oak wand. Desperate to avoid waking the treant, 
  one is standing on the shoulders of another cultist. While 
  in this state, they both have disadvantage on Dexterity 
  saving throws. If one takes damage, they both fall prone.   
  If a battle breaks out here, the treant is awoken on the 
  third turn of combat. It shouts, in Loross, "Who dares 
  bring war to my woods?" A character that speaks Loross 
  can attempt to placate the treant with a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check; otherwise, the treant flattens a cultist 
  and attacks the survivors. The four needle blights spring 
  up from the ground to join the fray.  
  If Avarice is present, she is also joined by her two 
  gargoyles, provided they haven't already been destroyed. 
  Should defeat look likely, a gargoyle carries her from the 
  grove while the other breaks off a small branch from the 
  Nether Oak (and earning a swat for the audacity).  
   
   
   
  
   
  13 
  Y11. TOWER OF DIVINATION 
  A character that loses their eye gains a lingering injury 
  that can be remedied through a regenerate spell or similar 
  magic. A creature with one eye has disadvantage on any 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and on 
  ranged attack rolls. A creature with no eyes is blinded.  
  Additional Loot. The Companion adds a weapon of 
  warning to this area to help combat the dearth of magic 
  weapons in RoFM. Choose whichever weapon your party 
  prefers, such as a rapier for a rogue. If all martial party 
  members already have a magic weapon, do not include 
  this magic item.  
  The weapon is displayed on an intact stretch of wall on 
  the tower's uppermost floor, lit by the silvery light cast by 
  the orb of divination.  
   
  Y12. WELLSPRING OF ANSWERS 
  If the Telepathic Pentacle is disturbed through wayward 
  thoughts, read the following; if it was disturbed because 
  light was shone into the well, skip to the last paragraph.  
  Sitting upon the bench, your mind begins to drift, much 
  like a raft at sea. A vision swamps your mind, a vision that 
  sheds warmth into your very brain and bestows upon you 
  unimpeachable tranquility... but as your thoughts ripple 
  out across this calm sea, the waters begin to churn and 
  darken. The sun continues to shed light, but not warmth, 
  and soon even that is gone too as clouds drift in across the 
  sky. The waters have grown black and pregnant; you feel 
  doom coming up below but are unable to act.  
  Whatever's down there is getting closer now! It's body 
  glows an ivory light! You can hear it now, the mad 
  gibbering of some thing that was better left alone! You 
  hear it: five voices not melded together but conjoined like 
  some sort of abomination! Just as the beast's five heads 
  burst from below, your eyes are hurled open!  
  The first of the abomination's heads peers out from the 
  well—and when it turns its head, you realize that there are 
  more faces to face, all fused together into one blasphemy. 
  Its many thoughts crowd your mind, sharing with you the 
  madness it is plagued with! 
  As an added difficulty, any person that disturbed the Tele-
  pathic Pentacle through wayward thoughts must make a 
  DC 14 Intelligence saving throw or succumb to a form of 
  Short-Term Madness. 
   
  Y13. BAZAAR OF THE BIZARRE 
  With the golem blinded and deafened, the adventurers can 
  easily scurry past it. They have advantage on all Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks to remain hidden from the golem, who 
  has a passive Perception score of 10.  
   
  POISONS OF THE WORLD 
  The Rite of the Arcane Octad can't be completed without 
  consuming poison, but there's only one source of poison 
  in RoFM: the bag of beans in Y26. To combat this dearth, 
  a stall entitled "Poisons of the World" has been added to 
  the bazaar. This wheeled stall is enchanted so that its 
  contents—vials and the like—remain firmly affixed to the 
  shelves within the stall. Therefore, the poisons survived 
  Ythryn's crashed. By sheer luck, the iron golem has not 
  yet destroyed this stall.  
  The stall contains eight vials of assassin's blood, or 
  "Kingsbane" as the Netherese once called it. A creature 
  subjected to this poison must make a DC 10 Constitution 
  saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 6 (1d12) poison 
  damage and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful 
  save, the creature takes half damage and isn't poisoned. 
   
  Y15. OBSERVATORY 
  When the hypnos magen sees the adventurers, read: 
  Standing before the observatory is a platoon of men, all 
  green, but human nonetheless. They number seven in all: 
  three warriors, three floating sages that crackle with 
  electricity, and one abbot whose eyes lack pupils. Those 
  very eyes lock onto you, projecting a firm voice into your 
  mind that tells you, "Leave this place at once. The creature 
  has been contained. This does not concern you. Leave this 
  place at once or die."  
  If the party refuses to vacate the area, the magen attack. 
  Tactics. The magen employ the following tactics. It is 
  suggested that you break up their initiative into three 
  groups (demos-, galvan- and hypnos magen).  
  • The three galvan magen float upwards to an altitude of 
  30 feet.  
  • The three demos magen open ranks to allow each of the 
  galvan magen to step forward; each unleashes a Static 
  Discharge attack, then float upwards to a height of 20 
  feet. They take the Dodge action until Static Recharge 
  is available again.  
  • The demos magen surround the hypnos magen, firing 
  crossbows until the adventurers close the gap. On the 
  third round, the hypnos magen orders them to charge 
  the adventurers.  
   
  If the battle goes south for the adventurers, and you're 
  feeling merciful, you can have the blue slaad break out 
  from the observatory and maul at the hypnos magen. It 
  then leaps upward and snatches onto the feet of a galvan 
  magen, plunging its claws into the magen's back as it 
  clambers upward.  
  It's suggested that the slaad attempts to leave Ythryn 
  altogether; a character with the Slaad Host secret may take 
  matters into their own hands to prevent the aberration 
  from infecting more innocents.  
   
  
   
  14 
  THE ARCH-ASTRONOMER 
  The Arch-Astronomer has been reduced to a green slaad. 
  RoFM seems to forget the slaadi have telepathy. Although 
  two millennia of isolation must surely take a toll on the 
  mind, the Arch-Astronomer should still attempt to speak 
  (telepathically) to the adventurers.  
  Roleplaying the Slaad. The Arch-Astronomer has been 
  here so long that she has forgotten her name—little use it 
  has when her form has been forever changed into a slaad. 
  She still retains her memories and personality; however, 
  isolation and transfiguration have left scars upon her soul 
  and mind that she will never heal from. The astronomer 
  longs only for freedom at this point; if the adventurers tell 
  her that a way out from Ythryn has been secured, she 
  leaves the city (although Iriolarthas might find and end 
  her before she does).  
  You can voice the slaad through the sample dialogue 
  below; all conversation is conducted telepathically.  
  • "How have you made it into Ythryn? Is there a way out? 
  Tell me! Is there a way out?" 
  • "I was once human… Now, I don't know what I am." 
  • "Ythryn is nothing more than a corpse; I could be one 
  too, but why should I waste my destiny?"  
   
  Y18. TOWER OF NECROMANCY 
  When Cadavix's spirit appears, read the following: 
  A blue glow is cast upon the rubble; the undead hands 
  pause, turning to point their palms down the street. From 
  around the corner floats a luminous spirit—an older man 
  clad in robes adorned with necromantic symbols. The 
  spirit takes one look at the toppled tower and heaves a 
  heavy sigh.  
  Roleplaying Cadavix. The arcanist is a melodramatic 
  spirit that has languished in a self-thrown pity party for 
  the last two thousand years. He complains to passersby 
  (mainly nothics who have learned to avoid this area lest 
  they be accosted by his ceaseless groans). Cadavix also 
  uses sighs as punctuation.   
  You can voice Cadavix with the dialogue below: 
  • "Oh, dearest Ythryn. What glory you once had! Why, 
  why would the gods be so unkind?" 
  • "Oh, the tapestries I could share of what a wonderful life 
  we once had… The pursuit of good wine and greater 
  knowledge, the surety that nothing could topple us, the 
  warmth of the sun on our skin…"  
  • "If only we could turn back the sundial! If only…" 
  • "Put your back into it! My corpse has languished for 
  long enough!" 
   
  Y19. SPIRE OF IRIOLARTHAS 
  If you use this Into the Necropolis storyline proposed by 
  the Companion, entering the Spire of Iriolarthas marks the 
  transition into Act II. By now, the Knights of the Black 
  Sword, with Avarice at the helm, should have entered the 
  city. Additionally, the adventurers should have glimpsed 
  Iriolarthas from afar. For further details, see the storyline. 
  Area Summary. The subareas are summarized below:  
  • A. 1 hypnos magen politely turns away visitors from the over-
  looking window in Area Y19D. 
  • B. Illusory courtiers are in the midst of a perpetual ball. They 
  can share Ythryn lore. Also contains 3 brains in a jar.  
  • C. Messy office with a document mentioning the spindle. 
  • D. 1 hypnos magen (see Y19A). 
  • E. A brain in a jar named Veneranda bolted upon the body 
  of a helmed horror that can transfer brains into jars.  
  • F. Collection of staves 
  • G. Illusory courtiers surrounding an abracadabrus.  
  • H. Illusory courtiers milling about at a bar with aged wine. 
  • I. Invisible, 5-foot-wide bridge of force connecting to Y19J. 
  • J. Living spell known as Everlast & a secret hatch to Y19K. 
  • K. A hemispherical wall of force that ends if a nearby green 
  crystal is removed from its socket. 2 living blades of disaster 
  guard the chamber. 
  • L. A flesh to stone trap (save DC 17) that triggers when a 
  creature that isn't undead or a construct steps over it for the 
  first time. The trap can only be triggered thrice and 1 creature 
  can't set it off for than once. Eight doors swathed in magical 
  darkness lead to the next chamber; if one does not name an 
  apprentice of Iriolarthas, a barbed devil is conjured.  
  • M. DC 20 Int. save against perpetual dread. Contains locked 
  door to Y19P (DC 18). Magical entrance to Y19Q.  
  • N. Contains the spindle artifact that caused Ythryn to crash. It 
  can't be moved from this location. If targeted with a spell of 
  5th-level or higher, all magic items and magical effects in a 
  3-mile-radius are suppressed for 24 hours.  
  • O. The library contains the key to Y19P, info on how to reach 
  Y19Q, and the scroll of the comet.  
  • P. Magical balcony that amplifies the voice of anyone who 
  stands upon it.  
  • Q. Contains Iriolarthas's spellbook and staff of power, plus the 
  scroll of the tarrasque summoning. Laired in by Iriolarthas 
  (demilich), 3 nothics, and a living demiplane that contains 
  3 galvan magen and 2 flesh golems.  
   
  Areas of Note. The following areas are of note: 
   
  Y19A. MAIN ENTRANCE 
  When the hypnos magen of Area Y19D peers through the 
  overlooking window, read the following: 
  A green face appears in the window overlooking the 
  entrance. A voice slips into your mind, its psychic words 
  polite and delicate.  
  "The High Arcanist is not accepting guests at this time," 
  the voice tells you. It is by the green face's furrowed brow 
  that you know he's the source of the psychic warning. 
  "Please return next year, should his mood improve."  
  If the magen must resort to a suggestion spell, it suggests, 
  "You should visit the Museum of the Arcane." The save 
  DC for this spell is 12.  
   
  
   
  15 
  Y19B. BALLROOM 
  The courtiers can namedrop Iriolarthas's apprentices; this 
  gives the adventurers a better chance to triumph over 
  Y19L without conjuring barbed devils. See the following 
  sample dialogue: 
  • "This wonderful time has been brought to you by High 
  Illusionist Ajamar."  
  • "Have you heard? High Evoker Zadalus has burned yet 
  another of his brides. Lady Meltajar's family seeks 
  justice but Zadalus's tongue is quite popular among the 
  Grand Judiciary…"   
  • "You didn't hear it from me, but High Abjurer Taruth 
  uses discount platinum dust and pockets the difference. 
  How else do you think he affords those robes?"  
  • "If I must endure High Necromancer Cadavix's sigh just 
  one more time, I might scream." 
  • "High Conjurer Damorith has been known to summon 
  herself some fiendish company on cold nights…"  
  • "It seems the one secret Apius could not divine was his 
  wife's infidelity. I hear Iriolarthas is seeking to pass the 
  office of High Diviner onto Litvius Melacruze." 
  • "The last person to spurn High Transmuter Metaltra's 
  advances, I heard, was polymorphed into a hare."  
  • "You can't trust High Enchanter Ivira; she'll modify your 
  memory. Keep clear from that one."  
   
  Y19E. LIQUEFACTION CHAMBER 
  Thanks to her Detect Sentience trait, Veneranda cannot be 
  surprised by the adventurers. She is already waiting for 
  them when they arrive, greeting them in Loross: "Well, 
  it's about time someone new showed up. Tell me… have 
  you ever wished you could turn back time?" 
  Veneranda is wholly devoted to restoring Ythryn to its 
  former glory. She sees the adventurers as useful tools. She 
  is familiar with the spire's every chamber up until Area 
  Y19K; Iriolarthas has never invited her beyond that point 
  and she does not know how to breach its wall of force. 
  "Were I not a brain in a jar," she admits, "and instead the 
  wizard I once was, I could easily bring down the wall."   
  Into the Necropolis. As part of the storyline proposed 
  by the Companion, Avarice and her forces invade the 
  spire after the party does. Veneranda offers the same 
  proposition: bust into Iriolarthas's study and reverse time 
  to restore Ythryn to its former glory. She mentions that 
  the adventurers have already passed by.  
   
  Y19I. FORCE BRIDGE 
  The invisible bridge would make for an incredibly iconic 
  battle. If you can pit Vellynne and Avarice against each 
  other here, do so. If you want to risk a cease-and-desist 
  letter from a certain corporation, have both wizards cast 
  flame blade and duel it out.  
   
  Y19K. DOME 
  This area is a graveyard waiting to be filled. The living 
  blades of disaster score critical hits on rolls of 18-20, 
  which deal a whopping 78 (12d12) force damage. If you 
  need to soak one or two blows for the adventurers, have a 
  blade mistakenly target Professor Skant, destroying him 
  at your discretion.  
   
  Y19L. TESTING CHAMBER 
  See the Flesh to Stone sidebar for details on the spell. If 
  Xerophon the doppelganger (see Y5) is present, it can 
  prove itself useful hear; it knows the names of Iriolarthas's 
  eight apprentices, just as any citizen of Ythryn would.  
   
  Y19N. STASIS CHAMBER 
  If any characters have been informed of the spindle's role 
  in the doom of Ythryn, they might offer some remarks: 
  • Vellynne remarks, "No doubt this is the cause of all 
  Ythryn's woes… and our day of triumph. Cast no magic 
  here, friends. There's no telling what could happen."  
  • If Xerophon the doppelganger is present, it remarks, "I 
  had heard the news shortly before being sequestered 
  into that vile prison… Master Iriolarthas and his magi 
  dredged this up from the Frigid Sea. All the city was 
  abuzz with delight. Oh, the parades…" 
   
  Into the Necropolis. If Avarice enters the spire after the 
  adventurers, she might threaten to hurl a 5th-level spell at 
  the spindle. "Stay back!" she shouts, a spell-wreathed 
  hand pointed at the artifact.   
   
  Y19O. LIBRARY 
  If Vellynne is present, she insists on rooting through the 
  shelves in search of spellbooks.  
  Additional Loot. The Companion has added a tome of 
  clear thought to this library, which can be found after 1d6 
  x 5 minutes of combing through books. A character under 
  the effects of a detect magic spell immediately detects the 
  tome.  
   
  FLESH TO STONE 
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute 
  You attempt to turn one creature that you can see within range 
  into stone. If the target's body is made of flesh, the creature 
  must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it is 
  restrained as its flesh begins to harden. On a successful save, 
  the creature isn't affected. 
  A creature restrained by this spell must make another 
  Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If it 
  successfully saves against this spell three times, the spell 
  ends. If it fails its saves three times, it is turned to stone and 
  subjected to the petrified condition for the duration. The 
  successes and failures don't need to be consecutive; keep 
  track of both until the target collects three of a kind. 
  If the creature is physically broken while petrified, it suffers 
  from similar deformities if it reverts to its original state. 
  If you maintain your concentration on this spell for the 
  entire possible duration, the creature is turned to stone until 
  the effect is removed. 
  
   
  16 
  Y19Q. IRIOLARTHAS'S STUDY 
  The events of this chamber are described in Act II of the 
  Into the Necropolis storyline proposed by the Companion. 
  In short, Iriolarthas is not yet present (although the living 
  demiplane is); instead, Avarice, Dzaan and her two 
  gargoyles arrive on the heels of the adventurers and battle 
  it out against the party and Vellynne. During the fracas, 
  Iriolarthas appears and the battle shifts. If Avarice is dead 
  or unable to show up here, run the battle with Iriolarthas 
  as it's written in Rime of the Frostmaiden.  
  Tactics. Iriolarthas and his three nothics use the 
  following tactics in battle ("LA" refers to Iriolarthas's 
  Legendary Actions): 
  • Iriolarthas uses his first Lair Action to violently shake 
  the chamber.  
  • Iriolarthas cannot afford to use his Howl unless all his 
  minions are dead or near death, or if they're more than 
  30 feet away from him. Although he is resistant or even 
  immune to most attacks, Iriolarthas is still frail; he won't 
  expend his minions so quickly. Therefore, he uses his 
  Life Drain action.  
  • Iriolarthas's first LA is spent on Cloud of Dust, blinding 
  foes nearby. Until his minions are dead or distant, he 
  must refrain from using Energy Drain. After his second 
  turn, he unleashes a Vile Curse on whichever warrior is 
  attacking him.  
  • The nothics interpose themselves between Iriolarthas 
  and his foes, using their Rotting Gazes until the gap is 
  closed. Unfortunately, Iriolarthas cannot tell them to 
  disperse so it can unleash its Howl or other area-effects, 
  and the aberrations follow him around.  
   
  Y23. YTHRYN MYTHALLAR 
  Upon seeing the mythallar in person, the characters 
  below, if present, remark: 
  • Vellynne Harpell remarks, "It is as I promised you—the 
  mythallar. An engine capable of lifting cities into the 
  sky and altering the weather. I am a wizard of my word. 
  Here is the engine of Icewind Dale's salvation."  
  • If Hlin Trollbane is aware of the mythallar's function, 
  she remarks, "Icewind Dale's liberation is at hand. We 
  can at last be free of the Frostmaiden!" She then turns 
  to the party's resident spellcaster and insists that they 
  "do their stuff."  
  • If Trovus is aware of what the mythallar can do, he 
  reveals, "Gods above… When we set out, I never truly 
  believed we could save Icewind Dale—only that I 
  would find peace in the frozen wastes. Never did I truly 
  believe I might find redemption."  
  • If present, Avarice remarks, "Here is your deliverance. 
  Aid me now and I will free Icewind Dale of its icy doom 
  once the spire is looted." 
  IRIOLARTHAS 
  As described in RoFM, if Iriolarthas is still alive, he can 
  sense when others attempt to attune to the mythallar and 
  counters their efforts. Rather than becoming alarmed, 
  Iriolarthas takes the time to gather his three nothics and 
  visits the area 1d6+4 minutes later. If the adventurers are 
  still there, he attacks.   
   
  Y25. HALL OF WEIGHTLESS WONDER 
  The project image spell has been described in the sidebar. 
  Thanks to this spell, the caster can technically infiltrate 
  the Spire of Iriolarthas. If Vellynne encounters a frieze 
  that depicts the Hall of Weightless Wonder (see Ythryn 
  Lore), or otherwise learns of the project image spell it can 
  provide, she insists they head straight there to gain insight 
  into the Spire's interior.  
   
   
   
  PROJECT IMAGE 
  Range: 500 miles 
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 day 
  You create an illusory copy of yourself that lasts for the 
  duration. The copy can appear at any location within range 
  that you have seen before, regardless of intervening obstacles. 
  The illusion looks and sounds like you but is intangible. If the 
  illusion takes any damage, it disappears, and the spell ends. 
  You can use your action to move this illusion up to twice 
  your speed, and make it gesture, speak, and behave in 
  whatever way you choose. It mimics your mannerisms 
  perfectly. 
  You can see through its eyes and hear through its ears as if 
  you were in its space. On your turn as a bonus action, you can 
  switch from using its senses to using your own, or back again. 
  While you are using its senses, you are blinded and deafened 
  in regard to your own surroundings. 
  Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an 
  illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature that 
  uses its action to examine the image can determine that it is 
  an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check against your spell save DC. If a creature discerns the 
  illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, 
  and any noise it makes sounds hollow to the creature. 
  
   
  17 
  Y26. TOWER OF TRANSMUTATION 
   
  THE BASIN OF AUGMENTATION  
  Rime of the Frostmaiden has a serious dearth of magic 
  weapons, which martial characters will need to wound 
  Ythryn's many denizens, like the iron golem of Y13 or 
  Iriolarthas, the demilich. To shorten this gap, consider 
  this variant: 
  As a counterpart to the Anvil of Disruption in the Tower 
  of Abjuration, the Tower of Transmutation has the Basin 
  of Augmentation. This magical, mithral basin is affixed to 
  the floor and cannot be moved. A detect magic spell 
  reveals an aura of transmutation magic. Dazzling, magical 
  water is stored in the basin. When a weapon is dipped into 
  the water, it becomes a magical weapon for the next 24 
  hours. When this occurs, much of the water evaporates. A 
  weapon that is dipped into the basin thrice permanently 
  becomes a magical weapon. A weapon does not need to 
  be fully submerged to be enchanted.  
  The water loses this property if removed from the basin. 
  There is only enough magical water left to enchant 1d4+1 
  weapons or pieces of ammunition. Thereafter, the Basin 
  of Augmentation becomes yet another corpse in Ythryn.  
  When the adventurers see the Basin of Augmentation 
  (in the same chamber with the statue of High Transmuter 
  Metaltra, read the following text: 
  At the heart of the chamber sits a mithral-wrought basin, 
  the kind you would expect near a blacksmith's forge. 
  Some water remains inside, dazzling with all the colors of 
  a rainbow. An inscription stretches across the basin's rim.  
  The inscription reads, "Warriors, quench your steel in 
  magic and watch as all the world's foes bleed before you."  
   
  Y28. SKYDOCK SPIRE 
  Once Avarice enters the city, she takes Skydock Spire as 
  her lair. If the Knights of the Black Sword are already in 
  Ythryn, she can be encountered here. How she treats the 
  adventurers is determined by whether Vellynne Harpell is 
  with the party; Avarice tolerates no competition with her 
  other Arcane Brotherhood magi.  
  Dzaan. If the simulacrum was made real in Chapter 2, 
  Dzaan is present as well; he has set aside his (creator's) 
  pride and thrown his lot in with Avarice, who knows that 
  he is but a meeker shadow of the true Dzaan. She tolerates 
  him as a useful tool.  
  Gargoyles. One, if not both, of Avarice's gargoyles is 
  always perched on a rooftop nearby to warn its master if 
  intruders are approaching the spire. Thanks to her Rary's 
  telepathic bond spell, Avarice can summon her minions 
  at a moment's notice.  
  Meeting Avarice. If Avarice is present, read: 
  "And so, we meet again," murmurs Avarice, as you climb 
  up into the rotating chamber. Supplies are piled around 
  her—the provisions for her expedition. The albino tiefling 
  has fresh scars upon her cheeks and her staff has been 
  scorched by fire. "It seems our fates are entwined."  
  NEGOTIATIONS 
  As described in RoFM, Avarice is willing to strike up an 
  alliance with the adventurers, but she won't tolerate 
  Vellynne's presence. If the adventurers refuse to cast out 
  Vellynne, she remarks, "Then you leave me no choice. 
  Ythryn is mine, by rights, and I will tolerate no thieves in 
  my dig site." She then readies her staff for battle.  
  Tactics. Should a battle break out here, Avarice and her 
  minions employ the following tactics: 
  • On her first turn, Avarice casts wall of ice to separate the 
  adventurers. She aims the spell so that she and Dzaan 
  are in the same section. She relies on her staff of frost in 
  this battle, for she must reserve her spell slots for her 
  foray into the Spire of Iriolarthas.  
  • On his first turn, Dzaan casts slow on the adventurers. 
  He then follows up with a fireball spell; with Avarice 
  resistant to fire damage, he can afford to include her in 
  the blast if it will make the difference between victory 
  or death.  
  • If Dzaan must flee, he casts confusion and makes a break 
  for it, his allegiance to Avarice evaporated. Once he has 
  left Skydock Spire, he cloaks himself with a spell of 
  invisibility.  
  • On the third round of combat, 1d2 gargoyles enter the 
  spire to defend Avarice. The gargoyles carry Avarice to 
  safety if she's severely wounded.   
   
  Y29. MUSEUM 
   
  THE WHITE DRAGON 
  The Companion adds another display to the museum: the 
  first white dragon slain by the Netherese when they came 
  to Icewind Dale. The dragon's display case was warded 
  with a permanent gentle repose spell, but the spindle's 
  surge of magic destroyed the spell. Although the signs 
  read that the dragon is perfectly preserved, and will be 
  forevermore, it is nothing more than a skeleton now.   
  Disturbing the skeleton causes the same four spitting 
  mimics that guard the other displays to attack.  
  Additional Loot. Rime of the Frostmaiden has a dearth 
  of magic items. At your discretion, you can add a set of 
  white dragon scale mail to the museum; it is in a glass 
  display next to the dragon skeleton. The sign reads that 
  the armor was fashioned from the consort of the dragon 
  displayed nearby.  
  Should the adventurers ever worry about encountering 
  Arveiaturace, this armor allows them to sense the distance 
  and direction to her so long as she's within 30 miles.  
   
   
  
   
  18 
  APPENDIX A: MAGIC ITEMS 
  The following magic items are found on this level: 
   
  ABRACADABRUS 
  Wondrous item, very rare 
  An abracadabrus is an ornate, gemstone-studded wooden 
  chest that weighs 25 pounds while empty. Its interior 
  compartment is a cube measuring 1½ feet on a side. 
  The chest has 20 charges. A creature can use an action 
  to touch the closed lid of the chest and expend 1 of the 
  chest's charges while naming one or more nonmagical 
  objects (including raw materials, foodstuffs, and liquids) 
  worth a total of 1 gp or less. The named objects magically 
  appear in the chest, provided they can all fit inside it and 
  the chest doesn't contain anything else. For example, the 
  chest can conjure a plate of strawberries, a bowl of hot 
  soup, a flagon of water, a stuffed animal, or a bag of 
  twenty caltrops. Food and drink conjured by the chest are 
  delicious, and they spoil if not consumed after 24 hours. 
  Gems and precious metals created by the chest disappear 
  after 1 minute. 
  The chest regains 1d20 expended charges daily at dawn. 
  If the item's last charge is expended, roll a d20. On a 1, 
  the chest loses its magic (becoming an ordinary chest), 
  and its gemstones turn to dust. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y19G.  
   
  BAG OF BEANS 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  Inside this heavy cloth bag are 3d4 dry beans. The bag 
  weighs ½ pound plus ¼ pound for each bean it contains. 
  If you dump the bag's contents out on the ground, they 
  explode in a 10-foot radius, extending from the beans. 
  Each creature in the area, including you, must make a DC 
  15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d4 fire damage on a 
  failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. 
  The fire ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't 
  being worn or carried. 
  If you remove a bean from the bag, plant it in dirt or 
  sand, and then water it, the bean produces an effect 1 
  minute later from the ground where it was planted. The 
  DM can choose an effect from the following table, 
  determine it randomly, or create an effect. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y26.  
   
  BAG OF BEANS 
  d100 Effect 
  1 
  5d4 toadstools sprout. If a creature eats a toadstool, 
  roll any die. On an odd roll, the eater must succeed on 
  a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5d6 poison 
  damage and become poisoned for 1 hour. On an even 
  roll, the eater gains 5d6 temporary hit points for 1 
  hour. 
  2-10 
  A geyser erupts and spouts water, beer, berry juice, 
  tea, vinegar, wine, or oil (DM's choice) 30 feet into 
  the air for 1d12 rounds. 
  11-20 A treant sprouts. There's a 50 percent chance that the 
  treant is chaotic evil and attacks. 
  21-30 
  An animate, immobile stone statue in your likeness 
  rises. It makes verbal threats against you. If you leave 
  it and others come near, it describes you as the most 
  heinous of villains and directs the newcomers to find 
  and attack you. If you are on the same plane of 
  existence as the statue, it knows where you are. The 
  statue becomes inanimate after 24 hours. 
  31-40 A campfire with blue flames springs forth and burns 
  for 24 hours (or until it is extinguished). 
  41-50 1d6 + 6 shriekers sprout. 
  51-60 
  1d4 + 8 bright pink toads crawl forth. Whenever a 
  toad is touched, it transforms into a Large or smaller 
  monster of the DM's choice. The monster remains for 
  1 minute, then disappears in a puff of bright pink 
  smoke. 
  61-70 A hungry bulette burrows up and attacks. 
  71-80 
  A fruit tree grows. It has 1d10 + 20 fruit, 1d8 of which 
  act as randomly determined magic potions, while one 
  acts as an ingested poison of the DM's choice. The 
  tree vanishes after 1 hour. Picked fruit remains, 
  retaining any magic for 30 days. 
  81-90 
  A nest of 1d4 + 3 eggs springs up. Any creature that 
  eats an egg must make a DC 20 Constitution saving 
  throw. On a successful save, a creature permanently 
  increases its lowest ability score by 1, randomly 
  choosing among equally low scores. On a failed save, 
  the creature takes 10d6 force damage from an internal 
  magical explosion. 
  91-99 
  A pyramid with a 60-foot-square base bursts upward. 
  Inside is a sarcophagus containing a mummy lord. 
  The pyramid is treated as the mummy lord's lair, and 
  its sarcophagus contains treasure of the DM's choice. 
  100 
  A giant beanstalk sprouts, growing to a height of the 
  DM's choice. The top leads where the DM chooses, 
  such as to a great view, a cloud giant's castle, or a 
  different plane of existence. 
   
   
   
  
   
  19 
  BEAD OF NOURISHMENT 
  Wondrous item, common 
  This spongy, flavorless, gelatinous bead dissolves on your 
  tongue and provides as much nourishment as 1 day of 
  rations. 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised). 
   
  BEAD OF REFRESHMENT 
  Wondrous item, common 
  This spongy, flavorless, gelatinous bead dissolves in 
  liquid, transforming up to a pint of the liquid into fresh, 
  cold drinking water. The bead has no effect on magical 
  liquids or harmful substances such as poison. 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).   
   
  CHIME OF OPENING 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This hollow metal tube measures about 1 foot long and 
  weighs 1 pound. You can strike it as an action, pointing it 
  at an object within 120 feet of you that can be opened, 
  such as a door, lid, or lock. The chime issues a clear tone, 
  and one lock or latch on the object opens unless the sound 
  can't reach the object. If no locks or latches remain, the 
  object itself opens. 
  The chime can be used ten times. After the tenth time it 
  cracks and becomes useless. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Y9, Ythryn; the item is carried by 
  Scrivenscry.  
   
  THE CODICIL OF WHITE 
  Wondrous item, legendary 
  The Codicil of White is a tall, thin volume bound in white 
  ermine fur over seasoned boards of white pine and sealed 
  with a clasp and lock of tarnished silver. The book is cold 
  to the touch, and the fur is worn about the edges from use. 
  The twenty-seven pages within are of vellum painted with 
  silver gilt on the outer edges. The whole is sewn to a 
  leather binding with strips of sinews, making it quite 
  durable. 
  A creature with the codicil in its possession has 
  resistance to cold damage. 
  The codicil was written by followers of Auril as a 
  primer on her worship. The first page is a title page with 
  the snowflake symbol of Auril on it. The remaining pages 
  describe various priestly rituals and ceremonies in 
  chilling detail. Nestled among these descriptions is a spell 
  that wizards can learn (frost fingers, and a poem called 
  "Rime of the Frostmaiden" (see appendix E)). The poem 
  is an incantation, the power of which can be used to split 
  a glacier (see chapter 6, RoFM). The poem might have 
  other capabilities, at your discretion. 
  Location. See Ch. 5, Grimskalle, G22.  
   
  DRIFTGLOBE 
  Wondrous item, uncommon 
  This small sphere of thick glass weighs 1 pound. If you 
  are within 60 feet of it, you can speak its command word 
  and cause it to emanate the light or daylight spell. Once 
  used, the daylight effect can't be used again until the next 
  dawn. 
  You can speak another command word as an action to 
  make the illuminated globe rise into the air and float no 
  more than 5 feet off the ground. The globe hovers in this 
  way until you or another creature grasps it. If you move 
  more than 60 feet from the hovering globe, it follows you 
  until it is within 60 feet of you. It takes the shortest route 
  to do so. If prevented from moving, the globe sinks gently 
  to the ground and becomes inactive, and its light winks 
  out. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Ythryn Treasures table. 
   
  HAT OF WIZARDRY 
  Wondrous item, common (attunement by a wizard) 
  This antiquated, cone—shaped hat is adorned with gold 
  crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you 
  gain the following benefits: 
  • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your 
  wizard spells. 
  • You can try to cast a cantrip that you don't know. The 
  cantrip must be on the wizard spell list, and you must 
  make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the check 
  succeeds, you cast the spell. If the check fails, so does 
  the spell, and the action used to cast the spell is wasted. 
  In either case, you can't use this property again until you 
  finish a long rest. 
   
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).  
    
  HORN OF SILENT ALARM 
  Wondrous item, common 
  This horn has 4 charges. When you use an action to blow 
  it, one creature of your choice can hear the horns blare, 
  provided the creature is within 600 feet of the horn and 
  not deafened. No other creature hears sound coming from 
  the horn. The horn regains 1d4 expended charges daily at 
  dawn. 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).   
   
  MOON-TOUCHED SWORD 
  Generic variant (sword), common 
  In darkness, the unsheathed blade of this sword sheds 
  moonlight, creating bright light in a 15-foot radius and 
  dim light for an additional 15 feet. 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).   
   
   
  
   
  20 
  NECKLACE OF FIREBALLS 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This necklace has 1d6 + 3 beads hanging from it. You can 
  use an action to detach a bead and throw it up to 60 feet 
  away. When it reaches the end of its trajectory, the bead 
  detonates as a 3rd-level fireball spell (save DC 15). 
  You can hurl multiple beads, or even the whole 
  necklace, as one action. When you do so, increase the 
  level of the fireball by 1 for each bead beyond the first. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y18.  
   
  POTION OF HEALING 
  Potion, common 
  You regain 2d4 + 2 hit points when you drink this potion. 
  The potion's red liquid glimmers when agitated. 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).   
   
  POTION OF INVISIBILITY 
  Potion, very rare 
  This potion's container looks empty but feels as though it 
  holds liquid. When you drink it, you become invisible for 
  1 hour. Anything you wear or carry is invisible with you. 
  The effect ends early if you attack or cast a spell. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y7. The item is found in 
  the night hags' demiplanar lair.  
   
  POTION OF LONGEVITY 
  Potion, very rare 
  When you drink this potion, your physical age is reduced 
  by 1d6 + 6 years, to a minimum of 13 years. Each time 
  you subsequently drink a potion of longevity, there is 10 
  percent cumulative chance that you instead age by 1d6 + 
  6 years. Suspended in this amber liquid are a scorpion's 
  tail, an adder's fang, a dead spider, and a tiny heart that, 
  against all reason, is still beating. These ingredients 
  vanish when the potion is opened. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y7. The item is found in 
  the night hags' demiplanar lair.  
   
  PROFESSOR ORB (PROFESSOR SKANT) 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  Each professor orb takes the form of a smooth, solid, 5-
  pound sphere of smoky gray quartz about the size of a 
  grapefruit. Close examination reveals two or more 
  pinpricks of silver light deep inside the sphere. 
  A professor orb is sentient. This one, Professor Skant, 
  is lawful good, and has an Intelligence of 18, a Wisdom 
  of 11, and a Charisma of 9. The orb can see and hear 
  normally out to a range of 60 feet. It speaks and reads 
  Common, Draconic, Elvish, and Loross (the dead 
  language of the Empire of Netheril). Professor Skant is a 
  chatterbox and assumes all humanoids are dunderheads. 
  When it is elaborating on its areas of expertise, it adopts 
  an unintentionally patronizing tone. It has the following 
  four areas of expertise: 
  • The history of Netheril 
  • Vampirism and the traits of vampires 
  • Rituals surrounding the making, bottling, and drinking 
  of Elverquisst (a rare, ruby-colored elven liquor 
  distilled from sunshine and rare summer fruits) 
  • The tarrasque 
   
  When making an Intelligence check to recall lore from 
  any of its areas of expertise, the orb has a +9 bonus to its 
  roll (including its Intelligence modifier).  
  In addition to the knowledge it possesses, a professor 
  orb can cast the mage hand cantrip at will. It uses the spell 
  only to transport itself. Intelligence is its spellcasting 
  ability for this spell. 
  Location. See Ch. 5., Island of Solstice, I3.  
   
  RUBY OF THE WAR MAGE 
  Wondrous item, common (attunement by a spellcaster) 
  Etched with eldritch runes, this 1-inch-diameter ruby 
  allows you to use a simple or martial weapon as a 
  spellcasting focus for your spells. For this property to 
  work, you must attach the ruby to the weapon by pressing 
  the ruby against it for at least 10 minutes. Thereafter, the 
  ruby can't be removed unless you detach it as an action or 
  the weapon is destroyed. Not even an antimagic field 
  causes it to fall off. The ruby does fall off the weapon if 
  your attunement to the ruby ends. 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).   
   
  SCROLL OF TARRASQUE SUMMONING 
  Scroll, legendary 
  Using an action to read the scroll causes the tarrasque 
  (see the creature's entry in the Monster Manual) to appear 
  in an unoccupied space you can see within 1 mile of you. 
  The tarrasque disappears when it drops to 0 hit points and 
  is hostile toward all creatures other than itself. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y19Q.   
   
  SCROLL OF THE COMET 
  Scroll, legendary 
  By using an action to read the scroll, you cause a comet 
  to fall from the sky and crash to the ground at a point you 
  can see up to 1 mile away from you. You must be outdoors 
  when you use the scroll, or nothing happens and the scroll 
  is wasted. 
  The comet creates a 50-foot-deep, 500-foot-radius 
  crater on impact. Any creature in that radius must make a 
  DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 30d10 force 
  damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much damage 
  on a successful one. All structures in the crater are 
  destroyed, as are all nonmagical objects that aren't being 
  worn or held. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y19O.   
   
   
   
  
   
  21 
  SPELL SCROLL 
  A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written as 
  a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your class's spell list, 
  you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing 
  any material components. Otherwise, the scroll is 
  unintelligible. Casting the spell by reading the scroll 
  requires the spell's normal casting time. Once the spell is 
  cast, the words on the scroll fade, and it crumbles to dust. 
  If the casting is interrupted, the scroll is not lost. 
  If the spell is on your class's spell list but of a higher 
  level than you can normally cast, you must make an 
  ability check using your spellcasting ability to determine 
  whether you cast it successfully. The DC is determined by 
  the scroll's level. On a failed check, the spell disappears 
  from the scroll with no other effect. 
  Once the spell is cast, the words on the scroll fade, and 
  the scroll itself crumbles to dust. 
  Leomund's Tiny Hut. To cast this spell, the caster must 
  succeed on a DC 13 ability check using their spellcasting 
  ability. This spell scroll is carried by Scrivenscry in Area 
  Y9 (see Ch. 7).  
  Plane Shift. To cast this spell, the caster must succeed 
  on a DC 17 ability check using their spellcasting ability. 
  The spell cast from this scroll has a save DC of 18. This 
  spell scroll is carried by Scrivenscry in Y9 (see Ch. 7). 
  Wall of Ice. To cast this spell, the caster must succeed 
  on a DC 16 ability check using their spellcasting ability. 
  The spell cast from this scroll has a save DC of 17. This 
  spell scroll is carried by Scrivenscry in Y9 (see Ch. 7). 
   
  STAFF OF POWER 
  Staff, very Rare (attunement by a sorcerer, warlock, or 
  wizard) 
  This staff can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that 
  grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with 
  it. While holding it, you gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class, 
  saving throws, and spell attack rolls. 
  The staff has 20 charges for the following properties. It 
  regains 2d8+4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you 
  expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff retains 
  its +2 bonus to attack and damage roll but loses all other 
  properties. On a 20, the staff regain 1d8+2 charges. 
  Power Strike. When you hit with a melee attack using 
  the staff, you can expend 1 charge to deal an extra 1d6 
  force damage to the target. 
  Spells. While holding this staff, you can use an action 
  to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the 
  following spells from it, using your spell save DC and 
  spell attack bonus: cone of cold (5 charges), fireball (5th-
  level version, 5 charges), globe of invulnerability (6 
  charges), hold monster (5 charges), levitate (2 charges), 
  lightning bolt (5th-level version, 5 charges), magic 
  missile (1 charge), ray of enfeeblement (1 charge), or wall 
  of force (5 charges). 
   
  STAFF OF POWER: RETRIBUTIVE STRIKE 
  Distance from Origin 
  Effect 
  10 ft. or closer 
  8 x the number of charges in the staff 
  11-20 ft. away 
  6 x the number of charges in the staff 
  21-30 ft. away 
  4 x the number of charges in the staff 
   
  Retributive Strike. You can use an action to break the 
  staff over your knee or against a solid surface, performing 
  a retributive strike. The staff is destroyed and releases its 
  remaining magic in an explosion that expands to fill a 30-
  foot-radius sphere centered on it. 
  You have a 50 percent chance to instantly travel to a 
  random plane of existence, avoiding the explosion. If you 
  fail to avoid the effect, you take force damage equal to 16 
  × the number of charges in the staff. Every other creature 
  in the area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. 
  On a failed save, a creature takes an amount of damage 
  based on how far away it is from the point of origin, as 
  shown in the following table. On a successful save, a 
  creature takes half as much damage. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y19Q.  
   
  STONE OF GOOD LUCK 
  Wondrous item, uncommon (attunement) 
  While this polished agate is on your person, you gain a +1 
  bonus to ability checks and saving throws. 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y3.  
   
  THERMAL CUBE 
  Wondrous item, common 
  This 3-inch cube of solid brimstone generates enough dry 
  heat to keep the temperature within 15 feet of it at 95 
  degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). 
  Location. See Companion, Ch. 7, Ythryn Treasures 
  (Revised).   
   
  TOME OF CLEAR THOUGHT 
  Wondrous item, very rare 
  This book contains memory and logic exercises, and its 
  words are charged with magic. If you spend 48 hours over 
  a period of 6 days or fewer studying the book's contents 
  and practicing its guidelines, your Intelligence score 
  increases by 2, as does your maximum for that score. The 
  manual then loses its magic, but regains it in a century. 
  Location. Added by the Companion to Ch. 7, Y19O.  
   
   
  
   
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  WEAPON OF WARNING 
  Generic variant (weapon), uncommon (attunement) 
  This magic weapon warns you of danger. While the 
  weapon is on your person, you have advantage on 
  initiative rolls. In addition, you and any of your 
  companions within 30 feet of you can't be surprised, 
  except when incapacitated by something other than 
  nonmagical sleep. The weapon magically awakens you 
  and your companions within range if any of you are 
  sleeping naturally when combat begins. 
  Location. Added by the Companion to Ch. 7, Y11.  
   
  WHITE DRAGON SCALE MAIL 
  Medium armor (scale mail), very rare (attunement)  
  Dragon scale mail is made of the scales of one kind of 
  dragon. Sometimes dragons collect their cast-off scales 
  and gift them to humanoids. Other times, hunters 
  carefully skin and preserve the hide of a dead dragon. In 
  either case, dragon scale mail is highly valued. While 
  wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC, you have 
  advantage on saving throws against the Frightful Presence 
  and breath weapons of dragons, and you have resistance 
  to cold damage. 
  Additionally, you can focus your senses as an action to 
  magically discern the distance and direction to the closest 
  white dragon within 30 miles of you. This special action 
  can't be used again until the next dawn. 
  Location. Added by the Companion to Ch. 7, Y29. 
   
   
  YTHRYN MYTHALLAR 
  Wondrous item, legendary (attunement by a spellcaster) 
  A mythallar looks like an enormous crystal ball held in an 
  ornate cradle. The globe sheds bright light in a 300-foot 
  radius and dim light for an additional 300 feet. The globe 
  draws magic from the Weave that can be harnessed for 
  various purposes. For example, Netherese mages used 
  mythallars to keep their cities aloft and empower their 
  magic items. The bigger the mythallar, the more magic it 
  can hold. The largest mythallars are 150 feet in diameter. 
  The Ythryn mythallar is a relatively small device—a 
  mere 50 feet in diameter. To attune to this mythallar, a 
  creature must finish a short rest within 30 feet of it, 
  meditating on the mythallar. Up to eight creatures can be 
  attuned to it at one time; otherwise, the Ythryn mythallar 
  follows the attunement rules in the Dungeon Master's 
  Guide. If a ninth creature tries to attune to the mythallar, 
  nothing happens. 
  All creatures attuned to the Ythryn mythallar can sense 
  when the device is being used. A creature attuned to the 
  device can use any of its properties, but only if all other 
  creatures attuned to the device agree to allow it. The 
  Ythryn mythallar's properties are as follows: 
  • While you're on the same plane of existence as the 
  Ythryn mythallar, you can use an action to cause it to 
  fly in any direction you choose at a speed of 30 feet. All 
  matter within 500 feet of the device moves with it. The 
  Ythryn mythallar and all structures held aloft by it hover 
  in place when not in motion. 
  • As an action, you can cause one magic item you are 
  holding within 30 feet of the Ythryn mythallar to 
  immediately regain all its expended charges or uses. A 
  magic item recharged in this manner can't be recharged 
  by the Ythryn mythallar again until after the item 
  regains expended charges or uses on its own. 
  • You can use the Ythryn mythallar to cast the control 
  weather spell without requiring any components and 
  without the need for you to be outdoors. This casting of 
  the spell has a 50-mile radius. For the duration of the 
  spell's casting time, you must be within 30 feet of the 
  Ythryn mythallar or the spell fails. 
   
  Touching the Mythallar. Any creature that touches the 
  globe of the mythallar must make a DC 22 Constitution 
  saving throw, taking 180 (20d10 + 70) radiant damage on 
  a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. 
  Undead have disadvantage on this saving throw. Any 
  object that touches the globe, other than an artifact or the 
  mythallar's cradle, is disintegrated instantly (no save). 
  Location. See Ch. 7, Ythryn, Y23.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  APPENDIX B: BESTIARY 
  The following creatures are present in this chapter. 
  Due to DMs Guild's licensing policy, the statistics of 
  Rime of the Frostmaiden-exclusive creatures cannot be 
  replicated in this supplement. We apologize for this 
  inconvenience; this directive was handed down after this 
  series was already begun. The following RoFM-exclusive 
  creatures appear in this chapter; their page numbers are: 
  • Auril  ...................................................... RoFM 275-278 
  • Avarice .......................................................... RoFM 269 
  • Brain in a Jar .................................................. RoFM 278 
  • Coldlight Walker ........................................... RoFM 284 
  • Demos Magen ................................................ RoFM 300 
  • Dzaan ............................................................. RoFM 270 
  • Frost Giant Skeleton ...................................... RoFM 288 
  • Galvan Magen................................................ RoFM 301 
  • Hypnos Magen ............................................... RoFM 301 
  • Kingsport ....................................................... RoFM 243 
  • Living Bigby's hand ....................................... RoFM 298 
  • Living Blade of Disaster ................................ RoFM 299 
  • Living Demiplane .......................................... RoFM 299 
  • Mountain Goat ............................................... RoFM 304 
  • Snow Golem .................................................. RoFM 308 
  • Spitting Mimic ............................................... RoFM 302 
  • Tomb Tapper ................................................. RoFM 310 
  • Vellynne Harpell............................................ RoFM 273 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  DEMILICH 
   
  LEGENDARY ACTIONS 
  The demilich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the 
  options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time 
  and only at the end of another creature's turn. The demilich 
  regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. 
  Flight. The demilich flies up to half its flying speed. 
  Cloud of Dust. The demilich magically swirls its dusty 
  remains. Each creature within 10 feet of it, including around 
  a corner, must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw 
  or be blinded until the end of the demilich's next turn. A 
  creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to this 
  effect until the end of the demilich's next turn. 
  Energy Drain (Costs 2 Actions). Each creature within 30 feet 
  of the demilich must make a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw. On a failed save, the creature's hit point maximum is 
  magically reduced by 10 (3d6). If a creature's hit point 
  maximum is reduced to 0 by this effect, the creature dies. A 
  creature's hit point maximum can be restored with the greater 
  restoration spell or similar magic. 
  Vile Curse (Costs 3 Actions). The demilich targets one 
  creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must 
  succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically 
  cursed. Until the curse ends, the target has disadvantage on 
  attack rolls and saving throws. The target can repeat the 
  saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the curse 
  on a success. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LAIR ACTIONS 
  On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the demilich rolls 
  a d20. On a result of 11 or higher, the demilich takes a lair action 
  to cause one of the following effects. It can't use the same effect 
  two rounds in a row. 
  • The tomb trembles violently for a moment. Each creature on 
  the floor of the tomb must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity 
  saving throw or be knocked prone. 
  • The demilich targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of 
  it. An antimagic field fills the space of the target, moving with 
  it until initiative count 20 on the next round. 
  • The demilich targets any number of creatures it can see within 
  30 feet of it. No target can regain hit points until initiative 
  count 20 on the next round. 
   
   
  
   
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  TARRASQUE 
   
  LEGENDARY ACTIONS 
  The tarrasque can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the 
  options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time 
  and only at the end of another creature's turn. The tarrasque 
  regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. 
  Attack. The tarrasque makes one claw attack or tail attack. 
  Move. The tarrasque moves up to half its speed. 
  Chomp (Costs 2 Actions). The tarrasque makes one bite attack 
  or uses its Swallow. 
   
   
  
   
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  33 
  APPENDIX C: EFFECTS 
  The following effects are present in this chapter: 
   
  ARCANE BLIGHT 
  Any humanoid that spends 12 hours in the necropolis 
  must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or 
  contract an arcane blight. This magical disease transforms 
  the humanoid into a nothic, but only after the victim 
  experiences hallucinations and feelings of isolation and 
  paranoia. Other symptoms include clammy skin, hair loss, 
  and myopia (nearsightedness). 
  A player character infected with the arcane blight gains 
  the following flaw: "I don't trust anyone." This flaw, 
  which supersedes any conflicting flaw, is fed by delusions 
  that are difficult for the character to distinguish from 
  reality. Common delusions include the belief that that 
  allies are conspiring to steal the victim's riches or 
  otherwise turn against the victim. 
  Whenever it finishes a long rest, an infected humanoid 
  must repeat the saving throw. On a successful save, the 
  DC for future saves against the arcane blight drops by 
  1d6. If the saving throw DC drops to 0, the creature 
  overcomes the arcane blight and becomes immune to the 
  effect of further exposure. A creature that fails three of 
  these saving throws transforms into a nothic under the 
  DM's control. Only a wish spell or divine intervention can 
  undo this transformation. 
  A greater restoration spell or similar magic ends the 
  infection on the target, removing the flaw and all other 
  symptoms, but this magic doesn't protect the target 
  against further exposure. 
   
  EXTREME COLD 
  Weather 
  Whenever the temperature is at or below 0 degrees 
  Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the cold must succeed 
  on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each 
  hour or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with 
  resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically 
  succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold 
  weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and 
  creatures naturally adapted to cold climates. 
   
  INJURY: LOST EYE  
  Lingering Injury 
  You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on sight and on ranged attack rolls. Magic such 
  as the regenerate spell can restore the lost eye. If you have 
  no eyes left after sustaining this injury, you're blinded. 
   
   
  SHORT-TERM MADNESS 
  d100 Effects (lasts 1d10 minutes) 
  1-20 
  The character retreats into his or her mind and 
  becomes paralyzed. The effect ends if the character 
  takes any damage. 
  21-30 The character becomes incapacitated and spends the 
  duration screaming, laughing, or weeping. 
  31-40 
  The character becomes frightened and must use his or 
  her action and movement each round to flee from the 
  source of the fear. 
  41-50 The character begins babbling and is incapable of 
  normal speech or spellcasting. 
  51-60 The character must use his or her action each round to 
  attack the nearest creature. 
  61-70 The character experiences vivid hallucinations and 
  has disadvantage on ability checks. 
  71-75 The character does whatever anyone tells him or her 
  to do that isn't obviously self-destructive. 
  76-80 The character experiences an overpowering urge to 
  eat something strange such as dirt, slime, or offal. 
  81-90 The character is stunned. 
  91-
  100 
  The character falls unconscious. 
   
  MADNESS 
  Madness can occur in one of three forms: 
  • A character afflicted with short-term madness is 
  subjected to an effect from the Short-Term Madness 
  table for 1d10 minutes. 
  • A character afflicted with long-term madness is 
  subjected to an effect from the Long-Term Madness 
  table for 1d10 × 10 hours. 
  • A character afflicted with indefinite madness gains a 
  new character flaw from the Indefinite Madness table 
  that lasts until cured. 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Rime of the Frostmaiden Companion 7 - Doom of Ythryn.pdf