The Kobold and the Ring of Cold

Level 5 (3-5 players)

Original One-Shot played with 3 Players: Rob, Clara, and Pat.

DM: Riley G. Dion

Our story begins with your party celebrating another victorious quest in the Copper Cradle tavern on an unseasonably warm summer’s evening. You were able to track down the goblin hoard who stole the towns funds and ran them off into the Slumbering Woods where they shall remain lost in her confusing, shifting landscapes. But that is neither here nor there as your party drinks the night away, dancing and celebrating with the bottomless tab the town has agreed to bestow upon you. 

The Copper Cradle acts like a guild for adventuring groups of all levels and experiences. You see many of your fellow adventures walking around, slapping you on the back and offering to buy you a round to celebrate. (It is at this point where we will have everyone introduce their characters to each other and explain how they are celebrating their victory)

Towards the eastern wall of the tavern guild is a large board with jobs for parties to take on, ranging from slaying the largest and most evil of monsters, to missing persons cases, to simple handy work jobs like helping the elderly stone mason reconstruct older buildings. 

(Perception/Investigation check to find the interesting article by Valiant Guard)

Our Kobold in our previous adventuring party is currently missing and is in possession of an ancient and dangerous artifact. Problem is, he ate it. Please return the artifact intact and in good condition. The Kobold Skrazz can be returned dead, alive, or not at all for all we care. Meet us at the Sultry Succubus in Lotterdail for more details. Order a Basilisk stone cold and on the rocks. 1000 GP Reward for its return.

 Artifact: Ring of Winter

Lotterdail is a day’s journey north of the town you are currently in, and is fairly easy to travel. Since the town of Wickerpin is home to the many many adventuring parties and the allies each group has made during their journey, the town is rather large and considered to be one of the safest in the country. However, the roads become more dangerous at night. Since Wickerpin acts like a major city, many of the shops are open well into the evening.There is time to gather any necessary items you may need for the journey ahead. 

Lester’s Magic Quester’s - Mage shop that sells potions and spell scrolls

• Run by Lester 

• Human in his mid to late 40s with a rotund belly and large beard tied into a very thick braid

• His shop smells vaguely of fresh pastries, parchment and coffee grounds

Jinshi’s - Apothecary that sells health potions and specialty herbs and medicines

• Run by Jinshi Shaokin the Apothecary

• Stunningly beautiful elven man with tawny skin and bluish black hair

• Charisma save (DC 10) upon entering shop or be charmed by him

• Kind man, a bit lazy, knowledgeable about many plants and herbs in the world

Heaven’s Iron Blade - Blacksmith and weapons shop

• Run by Liandry Prior

• Large Orc woman with the sides of her head shaved and one long ponytail running down her back

• Prepares the armor, weapons, and standard blacksmithing needs of the people. She has a young boy secretary bird aarakocra child working as an apprentice in the back

Shady’s Discounted Goods - Dollar store equivalent that sells items that may or may not work

• Run by Shadillian Rummlesworth von Burglespith Esq. (a self appointed title)

• A wickedly smart and cunning Hadozee 

• Fronts as a prankster and a very non-serious character, however he holds some of the most valuable town secrets. He makes for an excellent ally if you’re able to befriend him, but can also be a vicious enemy if you spite him.

Party sets out to Lotterdail

Roll for encounter:

D20 to determine if encounter occurs, (DC 12)

If failed, party will encounter 2 bandit captains and 5 bandits

Party travels for a day to the town of Lotterdail (short/long rest as needed/requested)

Upon their arrival, party should look and begin finding their way around the town and to the Sultry Succubus where the adventuring party hiring people for the mission awaits in the private room in the back of the tavern. When the party locates the tavern either by their own investigation or talking with members of the town, they should locate a bartender and make a history check (DC 10) to see if they remember the pass phrase that will get them into the backroom. The bartender for this sake is a Gnoll named Howler.

Upon successfully remembering the pass phrase, the bartender will guide them to the back room where they are greeted by a black male tiefling with white freckles, a rather large male bugbear sharpening an axe, a female pixie with fire red hair and hummingbird wings sitting on a young male human with dark hair and eyes’ shoulder, and a female satyr with the legs and tail of a fox. 

Tiefling- Sonnet Contrip

Bugbear- Vorltor the Champion 

Pixie- Ramona Humms

Human- Simon Lonsoul

Satyr- Lysandra Flint

They begin to explain that they were responsible for driving off or exterminating a hostile goliath herd encampment from a small town a week’s travel east of Lotterdail. The herd had been slaughtering both merchants and travelers alike. Each victim found along the road had indications of extreme frostbite, hypothermia, and missing digits. In a few cases, the victims were returned in their entirety, but their skin was replaced by solid ice stronger than even the hardest stone. When they looted the encampment, they found an odd artifact that they believed to have been the cause, and it was entrusted to Simon the Paladin for safekeeping.

Upon completion the group began heading back to the small town for their payment. On the third or fourth night of their journey back the party got a little too intoxicated in their camp, and they started comparing strengths and weaknesses in their drunken state.They had determined that Skraz the kobold was in fact the weakest and probably the most useless member of their party. Skrazz was particularly sensitive and obscenely drunk and declared that he would make them all sorry that they ever judged him. Without hesitation he snatched the pouch with the artifact from Simon’s side, and swallowed the ring that they had just secured and ran off into the wood at the base of Peryton Tooth mountain. Skrazz has disappeared on his own little wacky adventures from time to time, but this is the longest he’s ever gone without contacting or returning to the party. 

HISTORY CHECK DC 20 to ascertain what type of ring it is.

A majority of the party doesn’t seem to care too much about what Skrazz was doing or if he was alive for that matter, however, the ring is far too dangerous for an untrained and rather deranged kobold to use. Ramona Humm seems to be the most worried and sensitive about losing Skrazz, and is worried that her “asshole friends” as she calls them may have finally scared Skrazz off for good. Simon does his best to comfort Ramona, and appears to be the only other person semi-concerned about the missing kobold. 

The party tells your group that they themselves would go looking for Skrazz, but they can’t risk splitting up or leaving town in the event that Skrazz returns of his own free will. 

The party will set out two days east towards Peryton Tooth mountain. The main portion of the mountain is separated by a thin natural stone bridge. At the thinnest, there is only room for one person to stand, at the widest portion near the mouths of the bridge three people can stand.

Encounter (DC 15) or if previous encounter avoided, automatic success. 

1 or 2 goliath warriors (Depending on party size) appear in the woods, separated from their herd but have mistaken your party as members of the ones who exterminated the herd leader. 

Once defeated, there is a short walk to the main cave system of the mountains. It has slowly started to get noticeably colder. A perception check of DC 20 at the end of the bridge will let a player feel the slightly colder temperature change, but can be marked up to being near the mountain. A DC 15 perception check about 300 ft from the mountain cave will allow the player to notice it getting unnaturally colder the closer they are to the mountain, especially considering the summer season they should be in. A DC 10 perception check at the entrance of the cave will allow a player to note the slight frost occurring on the walls, and the severe drop in temperature (about 30 degrees). An arcana, history, nature, or survival check of DC 12 will alert players that this is very unnatural given the time of year and the drastic drop in temperature, even though they are in a cave.

As they enter, further into the cave, they come across a room that magically seals them inside, behind a 12 inch thick sheet of ice as sturdy as metal. Above them large icicle spikes start descending at a rapid steady rate. There is a button on the other end of the room, about 120 feet away with a countdown that seems to correlate to the time they have before they are impaled. (Each player should be able to take 2 turns before the timer runs out. x players*12 seconds).

Roll initiative to determine the order of turns to solve the puzzle. Turns should be limited to 60 seconds for added stress. For every action a player takes, the spikes continue to move faster, appearing to crush them if they don’t hurry. However, if nothing is done for ‘2X’ turns (Match turn numbers with X party members) and the button is not pressed, the spikes will return to the ceiling and the door is opened. If the button is pressed before time runs out, the spikes return to the ceiling before slowly descending again, and the timer restarts. However, the door does not open. Players should feel stressed in that they are trapped in an endless loop where they can try to figure out how to stop the spikes from crushing them, while also working on how to open the door.

Once they move on into the next room, they once again notice the temperature dropping drastically. The floors are getting icy, and they can now see their breaths, no perception check needed. They hear low growling rumbling loudly through the cave. It sounds like a rather large beast is lurking within the caverns. 

As they come upon the cave where they hear the growling, they see what appears to be a kobold, eyes glowing an unnatural white, with skeletal wings that appear to have a webbing of frost and ice between the translucent bones. There are several ice sculpture statues (made an hour before dawn, allowing the creatures to live 24 hours, and the ring to have all 12 charges. Statues fall within the Ring of Winter creature limitations. I used Dire Wolves for the original one shot but so long as the CR is 2 or less you should be fine). 

For all intents and purposes, disregard the kobold stat block and use the red dragon wyrmling alongside the 12 charges and abilities of the ring of winter. (Avoid the breath weapon aspect of the stat block and adjust the number of charges when necessary).

Kobold's usual red skin has gone white at the limbs, with icy blue veins contrasting the white scales, and the remaining red around his eyes and snout make him appear like a demon in the night. A faint mist/fog appears whenever he steps before quickly dissipating. His talons have been replaced by razor sharp icicles, and his face has streaks of ice tattooing his snout. He’s sprouted skeletal looking wings made of ice bones and frost webbing. When Skrazz speaks, the voice is not his own, but the booming, sadistic voice of the sentient ring within his body having full control. Skrazz tries to cut in, and tell the party he’s sorry in a broken and scared voice before the ring takes over again. With a flick of his index talon, the statues come to life and begin attacking the party.