The Ice Blade
Arne is put on a mission by his benefactor. He is to retrieve a long-lost sword made of magical ice lying somewhere in the Alps. It came from one of the 8 worlds and sought by powerful beings.
Plot points/Scenes
Arne is approached by a black clad Elfin figure radiating power. She will ask him for his help as per his pact with the Shadowfell. A few miles into the Alps lies an icy sword that radiates with the power of the grave. He is to get this and return it to her. He will be rewarded with an extra two spells to cast. He has to avoid handing it over to the wrong people.
He is told to pick it up and bring it to The Eschbach Shields. There a small group of Shadar-Kai will be quietly waiting in the corner to retrieve it.
The place it rests in is an ancient set of ice caves up the side of a mountain. There they can enter through the only entrance. Cracks are here and there in the ice and can be heard cracking. Sometimes a few bits will fall hitting a player on a standard To Hit roll. It will knock them Stunned or Unconscious. The player has to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw to avoid the latter.
As for the cracks there is a 25% chance of it happening, and a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling in. If so a DC 14 Athletics roll is needed to grab the side of the crack and not fall down. If so it is a random crack depth and if fallen takes 3 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet. Random depths can be determined as 1d6 .
Deeper down there is signs of an old camp of some sort. Closer inspection reveals that it is an old Roman encampment, and a few skeletons and frozen over rotting bodies. There is signs of a struggle of some kind in the past. Some of the bodies reveal expert hits as if caused by a single powerful blow from a weapon.
Just to the back of this is an old Christian shrine that has been damaged by an attack. A cut to it shows something razor sharp went through it. When approached, they will see that lying below the shrine is a sword made of ice below it. It looks as if someone had tried to dig it out but couldn't.
The party may need to get creative to get it out from the ice.
If they do, they will find the Ice Blade, and can take it. When retrieved they will feel a gust of freezing wind & ice particles, and the moaning sound,, and find that they are not alone. Sitting on an ice carved chair behind an ice carved table is a woman. Beautiful from what they can see, she has an icy smile, and voice.
Speaking in Old Norse, and asks them to now place the Ice Blade on the table and walk away alive. She may say that she will see Arne when his time comes, or if he wants, he can sign this pact with her. She'll hold up a vellum sheet wrote in Germanic Runes, and offer him the chance to meet some of his ancestors.
This he can turn down, and is warned that he may end up as her plaything.
If turned down she will tell them that the souls of those who died here belong to her and she summons 10 2d10 skeletons and 5 1d10 zombies dressed as ancient Roman Legionaries and able to attack with spears, javelins and swords.
Fighting these off or escaping, they will see her moving away from the chair and table. Then they see her bottom half, a rotting corpse from the waist down. She will speak loudly enough to say "See you in Nifilheim".
Then it is back to Eschbach. Arne may be tempted to keep the sword and become Hel's champion, or hand it to her to be left alone and treated better in the afterlife. This may last a few days {roll:1d6+1].
When meeting the Shadar-Kai, they may ask him if he wants to keep the sword. They offer him the choice of it or to choose up to three spells no higher than 2nd Level. The latter will take effect almost immediately. The former will get him a stern talking to from his patron who causes his next three Eldritch Blasts deal half damage.
When handed over they will take their leave and he gets his spells if he is a good boy.
Comments