At the foot of the world
Background and GM's Notes
Chapter 1 - The Icy Seas
Chapter 2 - The Barrens
Chapter 3 - The Ice Castle
Chapter 4 - The Necropolis
Appendix A
Appendix B
Background and GM's notes
This adventure takes place in the World of Neyathis on the continent of Sagaris, but can be in any world with an isolated arctic region with Ice-Age flora and fauna. The adventure takes place in the dead of winter, so the sparse land is even more hostile.
One of the largest of the continents of Neyathis , it sites astride the planet's southern pole. Not quite as cold as Earth's Antarctica, this land is more akin to the North American Arctic region. Life is similar to Earth's last ice age with a notably large population of mega-fauna. There are some intelligent races present, including numerous human tribes and isolated mining colonies from other continents.
It is a land mostly shunned by the peoples of the warmer clime, for the sea voyage to come here is long and very dangerous. The teeming seas are home to many large predators, some which will occasionally attack ships, and ferocious storms that can strike with little warning. None would come if it were not for the gold. It is not known exactly how the gold was first found - there were no explorers interested in these cold, dangerous lands, though sorcerous investigation is suspected. A consortium of powerful merchants out of Stoneholt, the largest nearby port, banded together to form the Sagaris Mining company, and set up a mine to harvest the richest deposit in memory. To defend their mine against possible rivals and hostile natives, the Ice Castle was built. A massive structure, it was partly built by magic, and partly built of countless gallons of water frozen into clear ice by the relentless cold.
The mine was fantastically rich in nature - the gold required little more then breaking up of the 'ore' to release solid nuggets of gold!
And so, even half a world away from civilization, the mine was very profitable. Even with gold laden ships occasionally succumbing to the elements, sea-beasts and pirates, enough treasure made it to Stoneholt to allow for major transformations in that vast city. Its growing wealth led to more and more immigrants settling there. And then the first ship came back empty...
The Truth:
There is no Mine. The source of the immense wealth is a massive necropolis covered by hundreds of feet of ice directly beneath the Ice Castle. Here are interred the remains of huge, 18' tall reptilian humanoids - the Giants of Stoneholt! The location was found after a Temple of Stoneholt was successfully breached and an inscribed map found and partially translated.
But the reason why the ships are retuning empty handed is more mundane. Not all of the merchants in Stoneholt were part of the consortium, and a second group arose, largely Eastward merchants, who sent out a group of adventures and mercenaries to seize the mines. The Company suspects this but has no proof. Once the truth is known, possibly through the efforts of the PCs, the Mercantile Wars of Stoneholt will start, though in truth the strike against Ice Castle was the initial salvo.
The Eastward Merchants mercenaries were successful, but the battle was hardly one sided, and the battled awakened something... that then fell upon the victorious but weakened mercenaries and destroyed most of them. There where a few survivors who scattered into the icy landscape, and may be found later by the PCs.
Enter the PCs
The PCs have joined an expedition put on by the Sagaris Mining Company to retake the mines. The company has put out a call for mercenaries and 'trouble-shooters' and have offered high pay, free transport and supplies. Many have answered the call, including PCs, and now an expedition of three large merchantmen, armed to naval standards, and carrying supplies and powerful armed warriors is leaving port.
Terms of payment are up to the GM, but will be unusually high for such work. It is possible that even items of magic may be part of the deal, but this should be unlikely unless your world is very high magic. The company will prefer to pay with gold. Terms will be for up to 50% of the fee payable at the start, once the PCs have boarded ship. Virtually any reasonable equipment request will be provided, though no dog-sleds are currently available in Stoneholt. It seems any have already been purchased, though the sellers will keep mum on who has purchased what.
The PCs will be informed that the company has lost contact with their mine and that they are paying for the expedition to reestablish contact, even it if it requires besieging an invader. They have a theory that a rival Merchant union may be behind it, but currently have no proof. The last ship to return found that no caravans had come to the port when expected, and was more then a week overdue. A party sent to make contact similarly never returned.
The Departure
Three ships are scheduled to leave Stoneholt to undergo the dangerous passage - the Cormorant, Marhy's Mettle and the Frothrider, the PCs ship.