Quest 13: The Frozen Spire

Act II 2 Encounters

Quest 13: The Frozen Spire

Introduction

Baron Greigory's scouts have located the farmer. "Zachareth's goblins have carried him away to the Frozen Spire," Greigory told you. "There's no telling what horrors they're subjecting that poor man to, and no telling how great an asset he could be against the current threat."

And so here you are, climbing up the mountain slopes toward the Frozen Spire. You can see it glittering in the autumn light above you now, but the way is blocked by a deep canyon with only a single bridge. Suddenly, it seems as if dark clouds swallow the sky and a creature of shadow and flame plummets to the earth. A dragon has landed athwart the bridge, and vile minions of the Overlord spring from hiding ahead of you.

"Keep the interlopers back," bellows the dragon, and with a loud CRACK you see that he is dismantling the bridge brick by brick! "This won't take but a minute." If you want to reach the Frozen Spire before nightfall, you must defeat the dragon before he destroys the bridge!

Monsters

Shadow dragons
2 open groups

Setup

Place 1 open monster group on the River's Edge. Place 1 open monster group on the Stream.

Place the shadow dragons on the Stone Bridge. The Overlord chooses 1 shadow dragon. This is Ruin. Ruin has 2 additional Health per hero. Place Ruin as indicated on the map. Ruin does not follow normal rules for monsters. See "Special Rules" for more information.

Place search tokens based on the number of heroes.

Place the green objective token faceup as indicated. This is the Dragonheart.

Special Rules

Ruin

Ruin's Speed is 1; when activated he can only move directly forward across the bridge, destroying it as he goes (he is always oriented across the bridge to block it completely). Ruin can perform only 1 move action per turn; he cannot be affected by "Dash" or be moved in any other way except to move 1 space per turn along the Stone Bridge (or to move backwards by destroying the Dragonheart, see below).

If there is a hero blocking Ruin's forward movement, that hero may test [Strength] when Ruin attempts to move forward. If the hero passes, Ruin stays where he is and the move is wasted. If the hero fails, any hero adjacent to Ruin is pushed back 1 space (or into the closest available empty space of the Overlord's choice) and Ruin moves forward. If there are multiple heroes blocking Ruin, only 1 hero (of the heroes' choice) makes the test.

Dragonheart

The objective token is the Dragonheart. A character may attack the Dragonheart as if it were a monster figure (with no defense dice rolled). As long as the attack is not a miss, Ruin suffers 2 [damage] per hero and moves back 1 space. The Dragonheart is then destroyed and removed from the map.

Reinforcements

At the start of each Overlord turn, he may place 1 monster from 1 of his open groups on the Entrance, respecting group limits.

Victory

Hero Victory

If the heroes kill Ruin, read the following aloud:

"Impossible!" the dragon bellows. "You are only..." The creature never finishes its sentence, but tumbles into the canyon, the walls too close to let it spread its wings. The Overlord's other servants flee into the hills—the way forward is clear.

The heroes win this encounter!

Overlord Victory

If Ruin enters the three unique spaces indicated at the edge of the Bridge, read the following aloud:

"Too late, you soft-skinned fools!" With a groan, the bridge collapses into the inky blackness of the canyon. The dragon spreads its wings and leaps into the air. "You will never have the Shadow Binder back!" You'll have to go hours out of your way to reach the Spire now... and by then, night will have fallen.

The Overlord wins this encounter!

Introduction

"You've reached the Frozen Spire at last. Now all I have to do is find Frederick and escape with him. Simple, right?

As you enter the Spire, a blast of freezing air nearly knocks you to your knees and threatens to slam the massive, heavy door shut behind you. Perhaps not so simple.

Monsters

3 open groups

Setup

Place 1 monster group on the Frozen Cave. Place 1 monster group on the Ritual Chamber or in the closest available empty space(s). The 3rd group is not placed during setup (see "Reinforcements").

Heroes place their figures on the Hallway in the spaces marked with an "X."

Place search tokens based on the number of heroes.

Place the villager token as indicated. This is Frederick.

Special Rules

Heavy Doors

The locked doors are heavy doors. Each time a hero performs an action to open or close a heavy door, he must test [Strength]. If he passes, the door is opened or closed normally. If he fails, there is no effect.

Monsters may only open or close the heavy doors if both of the spaces adjacent to one side of the door are occupied by a monster. Monsters cannot open or close the door to the Prison.

Frederick

When a hero opens the door to the Prison, read the following aloud:

You see the bedraggled figure of Frederick bunched against one wall. As you step forward and call his name, the farmer turns and, screaming, attacks you! He must have been driven mad by his captivity. You'll have to knock him out before you can rescue him.

When the door to the Prison is opened, replace the villager token with a zombie figure. This zombie is now Frederick. Frederick immediately moves his Speed and performs 1 attack, then the hero turn resumes. Frederick behaves exactly like a monster figure until he is defeated. The Overlord may activate Frederick as if he was his own monster group. The Overlord cannot activate Frederick until the door to the Prison is opened.

Frederick Stats:

Health: 10
Speed: 4
Defense: 1 black
Attack: 1 red
Recover: 1 [Stamina]

After Frederick is defeated, replace his zombie figure with the villager token. As an action, a hero in an adjacent space may pick Frederick up. As an action, a hero may give Frederick to an adjacent hero.

Nighttime

If the Overlord won Encounter 1, then it is nighttime in the Frozen Spire. During the night, the temperature within the spire plummets to a bitterly frigid degree. At the start of each hero turn, that hero must test [Willpower] or [Strength] (hero's choice). If he passes, there is no effect. If he fails, he suffers 1 [damage].

Reinforcements

When the door to the Prison is opened or the last monster is defeated (whichever comes first), the Overlord's reinforcements become available. At the start of the first Overlord turn after this occurs, he may place his entire reinforcement group (the 3rd monster group) on the Entrance. Thereafter, he may place 1 monster from that group on the Entrance at the start of each Overlord turn, respecting group limits.

Victory

Hero Victory

If a hero moves off the map through the Exit while carrying Frederick, read the following aloud:

Once you get Frederick to safety, he gradually comes back to himself. "Thank you, heroes," he says. "I wasn't quite meself. Now, take me to Baron Greigory... there are one or two things he needs to know about Gryvorn."

The heroes win.

Overlord Victory

If, at the start of the Overlord turn, there is a monster occupying both of the unique spaces on the Exit, read the following aloud:

The sound of the door slamming shut is a thunderous crash, followed by darkness and a silence so complete you momentarily fear you've died. When light returns, it's a cold, pale light, and it reveals the spectral image of Baron Zachareth himself. "Don't worry, heroes!" he chuckles. "I have no intention of killing you... not before I've learned all your secrets!"

You do not escape for many days.

The Overlord wins!

Rewards

Win or lose, each player receives 1 XP.

If the heroes win, each hero receives 1 additional XP.

If the Overlord wins, he receives 2 additional XP.

Map Tiles

Encounter 1:

Stone Bridge
River's Edge
Stream
Entrance

Encounter 2:

Hallway
Frozen Cave
Ritual Chamber
Prison
Entrance
Exit