Session 11: Wrath of Norsu
Intro Music - Shivering Expanse
Winter Wolves Battle Music - Norsu the Awakened
Norsu, the Awakened
Jutting up in a clearing of the tundra forest is a towering edifice built entirely of ice. The domed structure is easily three times the height and width of any building found in Ten-Towns. The lodge has three tall openings on the east side. On the southern side of the building is a tunnel left behind by a remorhaz that raided the lodge’s food stores. Characters spot this tunnel if they circle the lodge looking for other entrances. Norsu the awaken wooly mammoth remains in Garagai's lodge, guarding his body in mourning. Sephek came here and sacrificed Garagai in an identical fashion as those in Bryn Shander, due to Garagai's failure in mustering up the frost giants to attack Bryn Shander.Frost Giant Lodge
Exploration Music: Out of the North The ice lodge was where Garagai lived and entertained other frost giants. Although not a jarl, Garagai held a respected position among the frost giants of the Far North. Everything in the lodge is built for giants, which average 15 feet tall, and therefore quite large. The ceilings inside soar to a height of 30 feet.L1. Exterior
The characters approach the lodge from the east and have three entrances to choose from. These entrances lead to areas L2, L3, and L4, respectively. If the winter wolves are present, they gently nudge the characters toward the tunnel leading to area L4.L2. Flensing Chamber
A sour stench of decay fills your nostrils. Lying on the ice-packed ground is the frozen corpse of a whale, crudely butchered. Beside it is a blade in the shape of a paring knife the size of a longsword. Garagai used this room to carve up whales and harvest their oil.L3. Caged Townsfolk
A huge, slatted animal cage, with a locked gate attached to it by rusty hinges, stands against the west wall of this chamber. Garagai built the cage to hold Norsu when the mammoth was younger. The cage now holds only skeletons of dead adventures. They have a variety of armor and weapons destroyed by the frigid temperatures and wetness. If the party manages to break inside of the cage, they can find one potion of healing in the bodies.L4. Entrance Corridor
This passageway is choked with ice. Above you, icicles are densely clustered, their points sharp as daggers. A character can move through the ice-choked tunnel quietly by succeeding on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check. On a failed check, the noise alerts the mammoth in area L5.L5. Garagai’s Icy Tomb
This oval chamber with high walls of glittering ice resembles a sepulcher. Garagai the frost giant lays in front of his icy throne on a circular dais, butchered in the same fashion as those in Bryn Shander. Chiseled into the throne’s backrest is a large rune. This chamber is where Garagai would lounge with Norsu at his side and greet visiting frost giants. Cursed with sentience, the awakened neutral evil mammoth grieves for its dead master. It has an Intelligence of 10 and speaks Common. If the awakened mammoth is aware of the characters’ presence, add: The mammoth stares down at you with hate in its eyes. “I suppose he has sent you to finish the job then? I won't die so easily!” It then lowers its head and assumes a threatening posture. Battle Music: No Surrender To Norsu, the characters’ mere presence desecrates Garagai’s tomb, and the mammoth reacts by trying to gore them with its tusks and crush them underfoot. Norsu is suffering from 3 levels of exhaustion, resulting in 1/2 speed (20 ft) and disadvantage on ability checks, savings throws, and attack rolls. Any character who can act before Norsu takes its first turn in combat can use an action to attempt to calm the mammoth before it attacks. A character who claims to be Garagai’s friend can calm the mammoth with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check, while a character who vows to avenge Garagai’s death can calm the mammoth with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If calmed, Norsu allows characters to honor Garagai by performing a prayer over his frozen corpse or leaving a gift, and can be questioned to discover the following information about Sephek:- While Norsu was outside foraging, she noticed a tall man run up to the lodge. Garagai invited him in as if he were a friend. She recognized this man as having visited before, but had never spoken with him.
- He was too far away for her to see properly, but she did notice his glowing blue eyes when he removed his goggles. He smelled strongly of dog and chwinga blood.
- She remained right outside the front door, but never saw the man leave.
L6. War Room
A massive table hewn from a single block of ice stands in the middle of this cold chamber, surrounded by chairs also made of ice. Many of the chairs are chipped and cracked. Garagai and other frost giants once gathered around the table to discuss various matters.L7. Garagai’s Bedroom
The only furniture in this cavernous chamber is a big stone and ice bed with matted furred covers and a huge stone trapdoor at the foot of the bed. This door leads down into an icy cave where Garagai kept his spoils and treasure. The trapdoor can only be unlocked if an equivalent weight of the frost giant (around 2500 lbs) is placed on theL8. Whale Oil Storage
A remorhaz has burrowed a tunnel into this room. The tunnel runs underneath the southern wall, providing an alternate entrance into the lodge. A foul scent pervades the room, which contains five barrels of whale oil. An intact barrel of whale oil weighs 500 pounds and can be sold in Ten-Towns for 50 gp. Treasure. The remorhaz is long gone, but characters who explore its tunnel find a strange, frosted white residue smeared across a 5-foot section of wall—enough to fill a small bottle. This rare secretion is called thrym; remorhazes are known to exude small quantities of it shortly before they give birth. Alchemists use thrym to craft potions of resistance (cold) and other useful concoctions. A bottle of thrym sells for 250 gp. Any character who is proficient with alchemist’s supplies can examine this residue and determine its true nature with a successful DC 11 Intelligence (Arcana) check.Treasure Room
The room is filled with giant-sized gold coins, weapons, armor, gems, and valuable items. Everything in the treasure horde is giant sized, but magical items will instantly shrink down the size of anyone who interacts with them. Everything else is under the effects of a permanent Enlarging charm from a giant mage, and would require a giant mage's Dispel Magic spell to undo. The magic items in the room are as follows:- Mantle of the Pack Lord - While you wear this enchanted pelt cloak, you gain advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the wolf's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
- Arcane Grimoire - While you are holding this leather-bound book, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells, and you gain a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls and to the saving throw DCs of your wizard spells. You can use this book as a spellbook. In addition, when you use your Arcane Recovery feature, you can increase the number of spell slot levels you regain by 1.
- Sheer Cold - The blade of this battleaxe is made from a shard of the Everglacier and never melts. Attacks with the axe deal an additional 1d4 cold damage, and you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you roll a 20 or higher on an attack roll with this weapon, the ground in the direction of the target in either a 15-foot cone or line 30 feet long and 5 feet wide (your choice) is covered in a layer of slick ice for 1 minute, making it difficult terrain. When a creature enters this area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. In addition, the target of the weapon attack must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained by ice until the start of your next turn. The restrained target can use its action to make a DC 15 Strength check. On a success, the target is freed.
- Robe of Useful Items - This robe has cloth patches of various shapes and colors covering it. While wearing the robe, you can use an action to detach one of the patches, causing it to become the object or creature it represents. Once the last patch is removed, the robe becomes an ordinary garment.
- Hunter's Coat - You have a +1 bonus to AC while wearing this armor. The coat has 3 charges. When you hit a creature with an attack and that creature doesn’t have all its hit points, you can expend 1 charge to deal an extra 1d10 necrotic damage to the target. The coat regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by being boiled in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible materials.
- Horn of Silent Alarm - This horn has 4 charges. When you use an action to blow it, one creature of your choice can hear the horn’s 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.