Winter of the Witch.pdf - Property Is Theft!

Winter of the WitchPART TWO:RETURN TO THE KEEPON THE SHADOWFELLEventually the PCs might want to go talk with SirKeegan about his cryptic letter. It doesn’t take themlong to reach the ruined keep, and, when they do, afigure steps out from the shadows.Outside the KeepWhen the PCs approach the keep’s ruins, theyare greeted by a skeletal knight in plate armor.From the ruined tower that serves as the main entranceto the keep’s lower works, a skeletal knight in plate armorsteps out of the shadows. He calls out in a raspy voice,“Old friends, I am glad you have heeded my call. Timesare dire and I find that I need your help again.”This creature masquerading as Keegan is a deathknight named Sir Dzrak—an undead servant ofOrcus, and part of a group of the demon prince’sservants sent here to gain intelligence about theSun’s Sliver from the skeletal knight who hauntsthe keep.Dzrak’s plan is simple—pretend to be Sir Keeganand lead the PCs astray. He does so by telling themthe following.This long and strange winter is the work of a madwizard named Veira Rimefire, who is even now hidingin Gloomwrought, which is a port in the Shadowfell. Shehas stolen a seal that once locked a portal connectingthe mountains of the north to the frozen tundra of theFeywild. Only by recovering the seal and using it tolock the portal can this winter finally end.I beseech you to go to Gloomwrought, findVeira, recover the seal, and bring it backhere. Once you do, I’ll guide you toward thenext challenge of this quest.If the PCs ask him about Koliadathe Winter Witch, he tells them thefollowing:Veira is a tricky and powerful mage. I wouldnot be surprised if this Winter Witch is aguise she uses to wreak havoc on the worldor a strange fey that she has bound to herwicked cause.The false Sir Keegan takes any furtherquestions with a calm ease. Theconversation with him is actually a skillchallenge. If they succeed, the tacticalencounter begins. A failure probablyresults in the PCs heading to Gloomwrought(page 33).Skill Challenge: SC1: PiercingDzrak’s Ruse (page 36).Tactical Encounter: K1:Duplicitous Death Knight (page 37).Sir Keegan’s TombIf the PCs uncover Dzrak’s ruse andmove deeper into the ruins of the keep,they find that the death knight isn’t theonly minion of Orcus in the lower works.Though they have already received key informationfrom the cursed curator of the Keep on the Shadowfell,a flameskull and two demons are still interrogatingSir Keegan in his old tomb. See the tactical encounter.Tactical Encounter: K2 Harsh Interrogation(page 39).January 2009 | DUNGEON 16232