The Disappearance at Frostholm
The Disappearance at Frostholm
A mining settlement in the frozen wastes has gone silent. The party arrives in Frostholm to investigate the disappearance of the town council and strange tracks leading into a cavern system below the town. As they uncover clues about a cursed relic and a sect worshipping something ancient in the depths, they must decide whether to rescue the missing council or stop a dark ritual before it completes.
Read Aloud
You crest the final ridge of white-crusted stone, and the mining settlement of Frostholm materializes from the swirling snow below. Smoke rises from chimneys, but it curls thin and stale. Closer inspection reveals something more sinister: the main gates hang ajar, ice crusted along their edges as if they have stood open for days. You see no guards, no workers, no movement in the streets beyond. The only sound is the hollow moan of wind threading between snow-laden timber buildings. A light flickers in the Miner's Hall at the center of town, but the rest of the settlement lies shrouded in an oppressive silence that prickles your skin like needles of ice.
Description
Frostholm is a mining settlement of approximately two hundred souls built around a series of tunnels that burrow deep into the mountainside, extracting iron ore and semi-precious gems. The town proper consists of a timber-frame community hall, a modest shrine to Talos (now showing signs of defacement), a trading post, a tavern called The Frostbite, and roughly twenty residential structures. Smoke curls from chimneys, yet the streets are empty. The party's arrival goes unnoticed by any living soul. Key environmental detail: Near the northern gate, the party will notice ice-covered claw marks deeply gouged into wood and stone—fresh enough that ice is still crystallizing within them. These marks are too large to be natural animal prints and show signs of deliberate, purposeful dragging. A body would be dragged this way.
DM Notes
The party should feel the weight of abandonment. Use this opening to seed mystery and tension. Allow them to explore freely. If they approach the Miner's Hall, they will find Aldous Frostheim inside (see NPC card). Perception checks (DC 12) reveal the claw marks. A Survival check (DC 13) suggests the marks are 2-3 days old, and something large was dragged toward the mine entrance. Do not immediately reveal what happened—let the party investigate and discover the truth themselves. If they ask locals directly, emphasize that nobody is around to ask, building dread.
Read Aloud
The Miner's Hall is warmer than the frozen air outside, heated by a struggling hearth. Inside, you find the large common room empty save for tables laden with half-eaten meals, tankards of ale gone sour and cold. Behind a weathered wooden counter, a single figure sits hunched over a leather ledger, quill in trembling hand. The old man doesn't look up at your entrance, though his hand stutters to a halt. When he finally speaks, his voice comes as barely a whisper: "They're g-gone. All of them. Took the council three n-nights past, and Eldrich... Eldrich wouldn't stop scr-screaming."
Description
This scene establishes exposition through the interaction with Aldous Frostheim, the town's acting administrator. The Miner's Hall serves as an information hub. Aldous has been documenting the disappearances in his ledger, which records the names and dates of missing persons: Council Leader Gareth Stonepeak, Medic Ilsa Wintergrip, and Merchant Kastor Vale disappeared three nights ago. Miner Eldrich Coldborn was taken two nights ago and has not been seen since. Five other workers vanished over the preceding week. The ledger is filled with increasingly frantic notes. The most recent entry reads: "The hum from below grows louder. The carved stones in the deep mines glow with pale light. I see them sometimes in my dreams—shapes that should not bend that way. One more night and the ritual will be complete. They won't let me leave." Environmental detail: A carved stone token lies broken on the ledger's corner—half of what appears to be an obsidian disc inscribed with runes that hurt to look at.
DM Notes
Insight check (DC 13) reveals Aldous knows more than he initially admits and is terrified. Arcana check (DC 14) identifies the runes as belonging to no known language, though they resonate with a sense of wrongness. If pressed, Aldous admits he saw the council members walk toward the mine entrance of their own volition, moving in unison like marionettes. He believes they are still alive below, and that the ritual will "summon something that feeds on flesh." He doesn't know what the ritual is for, but he overheard mentions of "the Sleeper" and "the old hunger beneath." The stone token is indestructible but radiates faint necrotic energy. This can be identified with Arcana (DC 15) as a corruption component, likely part of a larger magical focus.
Read Aloud
The mine entrance gapes before you like a mouth frozen in a silent scream. Wooden supports creak under the weight of accumulated ice. As you pass the threshold, the temperature drops further still, but not from the exterior cold—this is a deeper chill, emanating from the stone itself. Your breath mists in pale clouds. The main shaft descends steadily into darkness, marked by iron sconces holding long-burned-out torches. After perhaps two hundred feet, the shaft opens into a vast natural cavern. This is where the settlement extracted its wealth. But now, carved into the cavern's far wall, you see something else: a perfectly geometric arch of black stone, its surface inlaid with pale runes that seem to absorb light rather than reflect it. In its center stands a doorway of absolute darkness. The air around it throbs with an audible hum—a sound you feel in your teeth and bones. Below the arch, crude figures kneel in the darkness, their forms still and silent.
Description
The mine system extends for approximately three hundred feet from the entrance before opening into a natural cavern approximately ninety feet across and sixty feet tall. The cavern shows signs of systematic mining: narrow-gauge ore carts sit on rails, tool marks scar the stone, and ore piles remain in ordered stacks. However, the southern wall has been heavily modified. A ten-foot-tall arch of obsidian-black stone has been constructed, its surface covered in eldritch runes. The doorway within radiates palpable wrongness. Six figures kneel before the arch in absolute stillness: these are Gareth Stonepeak, Ilsa Wintergrip, Kastor Vale, and three other miners. They are alive but entranced, their eyes open but unseeing, a faint purple glow emanating from their pupils. Environmental detail: Carved into the living stone beside the arch, a historical record has been defaced and overwritten. The original inscription speaks of "the Sleeper's tomb, sealed by the Forgemaster's covenant," while fresh carvings read "When the stones sing, the seal breaks, and the hunger wakes." Scattered around the base of the arch are the remains of several carved stone tokens, identical to the one Aldous possessed, arranged in a ritual circle. Some are complete; others are fractured.
DM Notes
Allow time for investigation before combat. Perception checks (DC 13) notice the entranced individuals still breathe and their hearts still beat. Religion or Arcana checks (DC 14) suggest these people are under a magical compulsion, not mindless. The hum intensifies if the party approaches the arch itself—a Concentration save (DC 12) is required for casters or anyone touching the black stone to resist the compulsion to kneel and join the ritual. The knelt figures will not attack unless the party tries to break the ritual circle or take the stone tokens; doing so triggers the combat encounter (Scene 4). Arcana (DC 15) determines that the ritual is incomplete—the tokens serve as a battery for magical energy, and six of the nine required tokens remain. The ritual will complete in approximately two hours if uninterrupted, which will "break the seal" on whatever lies beyond the dark doorway.
Read Aloud
Movement in the shadows. A robed figure emerges from the darkness beyond the arch, and in the pale glow of the runes you recognize the face beneath the hood: Miner Eldrich Coldborn, but changed. His skin has taken on a peculiar pallor, and dark veins web across his neck and face like a map of forgotten rivers. When he speaks, his voice carries an undertone, as if something speaks through him: "The Sleeper has chosen. The hunger has called. You cannot stop what has already begun." Behind him, two more figures step forward, similarly marked and bearing crude weapons. They do not seem entirely human anymore. Their movements are jerky, unnatural, and their eyes burn with that same purple fire as the kneeling figures.
Description
Eldrich Coldborn has been transformed by proximity to the ritual and whatever lies beyond the arch. He serves as the high priest of a nascent cult of eldritch worshippers who have recently discovered ancient ruins beneath Frostholm. The cult comprises Eldrich and two corrupted miners (Grim and Volta), along with the entranced council members who serve as living batteries for the ritual. Eldrich is the most articulate of the group and is the only one capable of negotiation. The party learns the following through exploration or interrogation: The settlement accidentally broke through into a buried temple thirty years ago. The council sealed it with a magical focus at the time, but three months ago, a traveling scholar named Vess Blacktongue arrived with knowledge of how to reverse the seal. She convinced Eldrich that awakening "the Sleeper"—an ancient entity of eldritch power—would grant the miners strength and prosperity. The sect has been working in secret ever since, collecting the stone tokens and preparing the ritual.
DM Notes
This scene presents a roleplay opportunity. Eldrich is intelligent and will attempt to negotiate if the party doesn't immediately attack. He genuinely believes in the awakening and will try to convince them of the futility of resistance. Insight checks (DC 13) reveal that Eldrich is being compelled by something beyond him—he speaks with conviction, but fear flickers behind his eyes. If the party subdues or kills Eldrich and his two corrupted minions, the entranced council members return to normal consciousness after 1d4 rounds, confused and horrified at what they have done. This leads to the final encounter (Scene 5).
Read Aloud
With the cultists fallen and the ritual circle disrupted, the humming from the arch fades to a low drone. The purple glow in the eyes of the kneeling figures flickers and dies. They collapse, gasping for breath like drowning victims pulled from water. Around you, the carved stones begin to crack and crumble. But then—a sound from beyond the arch. A scratching, a shifting, as if something massive is stirring in the darkness. The doorway of absolute black ripples like water, and a single eye—vast, luminous, and filled with an intelligence both ancient and utterly alien—opens in the void. It sees you. It knows you. In that moment, you understand that whatever lies beyond is not yet fully awake. The seal is weakened but not broken. If you do nothing, it will wake completely in moments. The arch itself is defaced, its runes partially broken by your disruption. But you notice something else: a stone alcove to the side of the arch contains three intact stone tokens and what appears to be an old blueprint etched in metal depicting the arch's construction.
Description
The climactic scene presents the party with a meaningful choice rather than a simple "fight or flee" decision. The arch is a seal, originally constructed by ancient architects to contain the Sleeper. The stone tokens are keys to reinforcing the seal. The party discovers through investigation (Arcana DC 15) that placing all nine tokens in the ritual circle in reverse order and speaking a counter-ritual (provided by the recovered blueprint) will re-seal the doorway completely. However, doing so requires careful work while something is actively stirring beyond, and the entity is beginning to reach through. Environmental detail: The chamber itself is cracking and shifting as magical forces destabilize the seal from within. Loose stone occasionally falls. The three council members (Stonepeak, Wintergrip, Vale) are slowly coming to consciousness and can provide valuable assistance if guided. The other three miners are dead, their bodies used as additional anchors for the ritual.
DM Notes
This is not a boss fight but a time-pressure skill challenge. The party must gather the tokens (located around the ritual circle), decipher the counter-ritual from the blueprint (Arcana DC 14), and perform it while the entity in the doorway attempts to fully emerge. Each round, the doorway widens slightly, and shadowy tendrils reach through. The party can attempt to seal the arch through Arcana checks (DC 15 for each token placed correctly), and a final ritual performance check (DC 15). Failure doesn't mean TPK—it means the entity fully manifests. If it does, it becomes the true boss encounter (Encounter 3: The Sleeper's Emergence). Success allows the party to seal the doorway, collapse the chamber, and escape with the surviving townspeople. This provides narrative closure and a sense of earned victory.
Read Aloud
The arch collapses with a sound like reality tearing. Black stone crumbles to dust that dissipates like smoke. The cavern shudders once, then falls silent. The oppressive hum vanishes, leaving only the normal sounds of settling stone and human breathing. The six entranced individuals are free, consciousness returning to their eyes. Some weep. Some rage. All of them are shaken by fragmented memories of their time in thrall. Above, in the settlement, lamps are being lit as people emerge from their homes—those who remained free emerge cautiously into the night. Aldous Frostheim stands in the doorway of the Miner's Hall, tears streaming down his weathered face. The worst is over, but questions remain: Where did Vess Blacktongue go? And what were the other stone tokens hidden by the cult, if any still exist beyond Frostholm?
Description
With the immediate crisis resolved, the party can interact with the townspeople and learn the full scope of what occurred. The cult was small but well-organized, and there are hints that Vess Blacktongue had other sites of interest marked on a map found in Eldrich's quarters. The party can choose to stay and celebrate their victory, aid in the burial of the dead, or pursue the map's leads into greater mysteries. The campaign presents several hooks: Vess Blacktongue has vanished (she was never physically present in Frostholm, communicating only through letters and notes), the map suggests similar corrupted sites exist in other settlements, and the true nature of the Sleeper remains unknown—sealed, but not destroyed.
DM Notes
This is a wrap-up scene allowing for character moments and reward distribution. Aldous and the council members offer profuse thanks and payment. The townspeople are grateful but wary. Some will harbor resentment if the party was reckless in the final confrontation. Allow the party to ask questions and piece together the full narrative. Emphasize that while they have prevented an awakening, the conspiracy is larger than Frostholm. This sets up hooks for future sessions. If the party failed to seal the arch (moved to Encounter 3), this scene changes significantly—focus instead on evacuation and survival, with the understanding that the party may need to return with reinforcements.
Monsters
Tactics
Eldrich Coldborn acts as the primary threat and will use ranged spellcasting (Ray of Sickness, Eldritch Blast) from a position of cover near the ritual arch. He will attempt to reactivate the entranced council members (requiring an action and a DC 13 WIS save from each) if the party seems likely to defeat him, attempting to create additional combatants. Grim and Volta are corrupted melee combatants (treat as thugs with corrupted resilience—AC 12, HP 27 each, attacks with crude mauls dealing 1d8+2 bludgeoning damage). They act primarily to protect Eldrich and harass the party, using hit-and-run tactics around the cavern's ore stacks and mining equipment. All three cultists are resistant to necrotic damage and vulnerable to radiant damage. Eldrich may attempt to flee into the darkness beyond the arch if severely wounded, triggering a pursuit sequence that leads to Scene 5.
Terrain
The cavern is approximately 90 feet wide and 60 feet tall. Ore stacks (3/4 cover) are positioned throughout, along with mining equipment (carts, rails, tool racks). The ritual arch dominates the far wall. The floor is uneven, with a central depression where ore was extracted. The six entranced figures kneel in a ritual circle marked by candles and carved stones; they are initially neutral but can be awakened or controlled depending on party actions. The air carries a palpable magical charge that imposes disadvantage on Perception checks related to sound. Visibility extends approximately 40 feet before becoming obscured by shadow and distance.
Monsters
Tactics
This encounter is non-traditional—it is a skill challenge where combat is a secondary concern. The Sleeper itself does not fully manifest but reaches through the destabilizing seal in the form of shadowy tendrils and alien appendages. Each round, the party faces mounting pressure: (Round 1) The doorway widens 5 feet, and shadowy tendrils emerge, requiring a DC 13 DEX save to avoid 2d6 psychic damage. (Round 2) A larger tendril attempts to grasp the party (requires a DC 14 STR save or be restrained for 1 round). (Round 3) The entity partially manifests its eye, imposing disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks within 30 feet (magical compulsion). The party's goal is to place the nine stone tokens in the ritual circle in reverse order and perform the counter-ritual before the Sleeper fully emerges. This requires three successful Arcana checks (DC 15 total, one per phase: gathering tokens, arranging them, completing the verbal ritual). Each failed check advances the manifestation and deals 1d6 psychic damage to all party members. The challenge can be completed in 3 rounds if executed perfectly, but typically takes 4-5 rounds. If the Sleeper fully manifests (party fails to seal the arch after 6 rounds), transition to Encounter 3.
Terrain
The cavern is collapsing as magical forces destabilize. Portions of the ceiling occasionally drop (requiring DC 12 DEX saves to avoid 1d6 bludgeoning damage). The ritual circle is surrounded by the nine stone tokens scattered in a pattern corresponding to the arch's rune structure. The blueprint detailing the counter-ritual is physically present in a stone alcove, requiring an action to retrieve and study (Arcana DC 14 to understand). The arch itself spans 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide, its surface crackling with unstable magical energy. The doorway in its center is a void of absolute darkness—looking directly into it requires a DC 13 WIS save to avoid the Compulsion condition (disadvantage on all actions, compelled to approach the doorway). The cavern floor is stable enough for movement but is slick with condensation and ice from the magical destabilization.
Monsters
Tactics
This encounter occurs ONLY if the party fails to seal the arch during Encounter 2. The Sleeper partially manifests as a 12-foot tall mass of writhing tentacles, mouths, and eyes that defy consistent description. Its behavior is alien and unpredictable. It attacks with multiple tentacle strikes (3 attacks per round, each dealing 2d6+4 bludgeoning or piercing damage and requiring a DC 14 STR save to avoid being grappled). It can cast Confusion (DC 14 INT save, affecting up to a 10-foot radius) and produces an aura of psychic dread that deals 1d4 psychic damage to any creature that ends its turn within 10 feet of it. The creature is partially phased between planes—attacks against it have disadvantage unless made with magical weapons or radiant energy. It regenerates 5 HP per round unless struck with radiant damage or psychic damage. The chamber is fully collapsing at this point; the party must make combat checks while also managing falling debris (DC 13 DEX saves for 1d8 bludgeoning damage every other round). The goal in this scenario is to survive and escape rather than to defeat the creature. Knocking the creature back through the arch (using spells or Shove actions) or collapsing the arch itself onto it will seal both the creature and the chamber. This is an emergency encounter designed to feel desperate and hopeless—it serves as a "fail state" that teaches the party the value of thorough preparation and careful decision-making.
Terrain
The cavern is in full collapse. Massive blocks of stone rain down from above (every round, 1d4 creatures must make DC 13 DEX saves or take 1d8 bludgeoning damage). The ritual arch is cracking apart, and the doorway is now fully open, revealing an impossible void beyond. The floor is buckling and uneven, imposing disadvantage on Athletics and Acrobatics checks. Visibility is reduced to 20 feet due to dust and debris. The only exit is the mine shaft entrance, approximately 200 feet up a gradually ascending slope—a difficult climb under normal circumstances and nearly impossible while being pursued by the Sleeper. NPCs present (if any survived) will attempt to flee. Aldous and the council members will try to help the party reach the exit.
Nine carved obsidian discs inscribed with eldritch runes. When arranged in a specific pattern, they form a powerful magical lock that can seal dimensional rifts and contain planar entities. Each token is worth 100 gp individually as an art object, but the complete set is valued at 1,500 gp by scholars of the arcane. The set grants advantage on saving throws against effects that would pull the user into another plane of existence. A spellcaster can use the tokens as a focus for sealing rituals, gaining +2 to the DC of saving throws for containment spells cast using the tokens (costs an hour to attune per ritual).
A collection of sealed letters addressed to Eldrich Coldborn and a hand-drawn map marking seven locations across the region where similar seals are suspected to exist. The letters discuss ritual procedures, timelines, and references to 'the Awakening Movement' and a higher authority to whom Vess reports. The map indicates sites in: Ironpeak Fortress (mountain), Whistling Hollow (forest cave system), The Submerged Temple (lakeside ruins), The Singing Stones (ancient stone circle), Blackwood Keep (old castle ruins), The Writhing Caves (marshland cavern), and Ash Cathedral (volcanic crater). This map is not encrypted but is written in archaic Dwarvish script, requiring an Arcana check (DC 13) or assistance from a dwarf to fully decipher. The letters contain coded instructions that may lead to future adventures if the party tracks down Vess.
A crystalline structure roughly the size of a fist, glowing with faint purple light from within. It can be destroyed to permanently end Eldrich's connection to the dark forces that controlled him, allowing his soul to pass on to the afterlife in peace. Alternatively, it can be used as a component in necromantic rituals or housed in a secure location as insurance against Eldrich's resurrection should he somehow return. It is worth 500 gp as a rare arcane component but is priceless to Eldrich's potential redemption. A cleric or paladin can use this as a focus for a Greater Restoration (components still required) to cleanse Eldrich's corruption, though the process is painful and dangerous.
Aldous Frostheim's meticulous documentation of disappearances, ritual observations, and corrupted townspeople. The ledger provides evidence that can be presented to regional authorities or other settlements to warn them of Vess Blacktongue and her network. It is worth minimal gold (50 gp) but provides exceptional narrative value. A spellcaster can use the ledger as a reference guide for recognizing the symptoms of eldritch corruption, granting advantage on Arcana checks to detect such corruption in future encounters.
Gareth Stonepeak, Ilsa Wintergrip, and Kastor Vale each reward the party with 250 gp from the town's treasury (total 750 gp) for their rescue and the resolution of the crisis. Kastor Vale additionally gifts a fine merchant's scale (worth 25 gp) and a voucher for 100 gp worth of trade goods from his trading post, valid for one year. Ilsa Wintergrip provides a vial of Clarity of Mind potion (as a Lesser Restoration in potion form, worth 150 gp individually but given freely).
A single obsidian stone the size of a child's fist, recovered from the base of the sealed arch. It is indestructible and radiates moderate divination magic. It can serve as a powerful focus for scrying, granting +2 to scrying spell save DC and allowing the caster to see through illusions during scrying checks. Alternatively, placing it in a secure location serves as an early-warning system against planar breaches—it will glow red if an active planar tear forms within 5 miles. It is not for sale and cannot be destroyed, but it can be repurposed by a skilled artificer or wizard. Worth 1,000 gp if appraised, but its true value lies in its utility against future supernatural threats.
Story Hooks
The recovered map opens the door to a larger conspiracy spanning multiple regions and settlements. Vess Blacktongue's escape suggests she is operating under orders from a higher power—possibly an extraplanar entity or an organized cult with resources and reach. The party is now aware that the Sleeper is not unique and that similar entities may be awakening across the land. This positions future sessions around investigating the other marked sites, preventing additional awakenings, and potentially tracking down Vess and her employers. The ledger serves as proof that the party can present to authorities, potentially earning them an official mandate to hunt down the conspiracy. Eldrich's phylactery can be a recurring plot element—if preserved, it might become a bargaining chip, a focus for future rituals, or the core of a quest for Eldrich's redemption. The complete ritual tokens form a set that will be crucial for sealing any future breaches, making them a precious resource and a potential plot hook if one is ever lost or stolen.
Conclusion
Wrap Up
With the arch sealed and the chamber stabilized, the immediate threat has passed. The town of Frostholm begins the long process of recovery and reconstruction. The council members awaken from their compulsion, traumatized but alive. The townspeople emerge from hiding, and grief mingles with gratitude. Gareth Stonepeak quickly establishes order, securing the mine entrance and posting guards to ensure no further investigation occurs without proper authority. The party is publicly thanked at a town gathering, and word spreads rapidly through the region that the mystery of Frostholm has been solved by a capable band of adventurers. Aldous presents the full documentation of the conspiracy, and the party receives substantial payment and supplies. Offers of safe lodging and information flow freely from grateful townspeople. By the session's end, the party should feel a sense of closure regarding Frostholm's immediate crisis, coupled with awareness that the larger conspiracy remains unsolved.
Cliffhanger
As the party rests in the Miner's Hall the following evening, a hooded messenger arrives with an unsigned letter. The envelope bears Vess Blacktongue's seal—a nine-pointed star. Inside is a single sentence, written in an elegant hand: "Frostholm was merely the first seal to break. The Awakening has already begun at six other sites, and you lack the time or resources to prevent all of them. Choose carefully which tragedy you will witness next." Attached to the letter is a torn portion of the full map, showing three highlighted sites: Whistling Hollow, Ironpeak Fortress, and The Singing Stones. Each is marked with a date. Ironpeak is marked for three days hence. The implication is clear: the party has been noticed by the conspiracy, they are being taunted, and they must make a choice about which threat to pursue.
Next Session Hooks
- Investigate Vess Blacktongue's network: The letters and maps recovered from Eldrich's quarters contain encoded references to other cult members and resource caches. The party can pursue leads to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and track down Vess herself, potentially learning who or what she serves.
- Race against time to Ironpeak Fortress: With the knowledge that another awakening is scheduled in three days, the party must decide whether to attempt to prevent it or pursue Vess. This creates tension and moral dilemma—do they split their efforts, or do they commit fully to one goal at the cost of another?
- Uncover the identity of Vess Blacktongue's employer: The letters hint at a higher power directing the conspiracy. The party may learn of an organization or entity that is actively awakening sealed planar entities as part of a larger plan. This becomes the overarching antagonist for a longer campaign arc.
Want to create your own?
Create your own session