Chapter 5: Auril's Abode - Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Chapter 5: Auril's Abode. The fortress of Grimskalle, built by frost giants, now serves as the abode of Auril the Frostmaiden. Auril the Frostmaiden has retreated to a floating island of ice and snow and turned a skull-shaped fortress formerly occupied by frost giants into her abode. Her presence makes the island the most frigid place in the Far North. The cold is unbearable for many visitors, whose corpses become part of the island's frozen decor. Ideally, the characters should be 7th level when they visit the island, although there's nothing stopping them from exploring it at lower levels. They might visit the island for either of the following reasons: Vellynne Harpell, a member of the Arcane Brotherhood, invites the characters to join her on an expedition to the island (see chapter 4 for more information). The characters come to the island on their own, hoping to put an end to Icewind Dale's everlasting winter. The fortress of Grimskalle, built by frost giants, now serves as the abode of Auril the Frostmaiden Running This Chapter Be sure to review the "Auril the Frostmaiden" section in appendix C before running this chapter, since Auril is no ordinary villain. The characters can locate and obtain both The Codicil of White and Vellynne Harpell's stolen professor orb without confronting the Frostmaiden. But if the characters want to end the Everlasting Rime right here, right now, they can do so by slaying Iskra, the Frostmaiden's roc (without which Auril can't cast her nightly spell that keeps the sun at bay), or by facing Auril in battle and defeating all three of the Frostmaiden's forms sequentially. Character Advancement In this chapter, level advancement is handled as follows: The characters gain a level if they destroy all three of Auril's forms. The characters gain a level if they slay Iskra the roc. If they are 7th level or lower, the characters gain a level when they discover the "Rime of the Frostmaiden" poem in The Codicil of White. Sea of Moving Ice...