The Survivor’s Journal: Day 64
The cold here isn’t just weather; it’s a living thing that tries to steal your breath. They call it Qaasuitsup Nunaat. We found the lake today. It’s a solid slab of blue glass, but if you press your ear to the ice, you can hear it—a low, rhythmic weeping. The ‘Lake Spirit,’ the locals whispered about. My hands are too numb to hold a sword properly, which is a problem, because we aren’t alone. We saw them near the metallic structure to the north: giants with skin sewn together like old sacks, grunting in the blizzards. They don’t feel the cold. They don’t feel anything.
The Land of Polar Darkness
On the Frozen Wastelands takes the FAS series into sub-zero territory. This module centers on a tragic imbalance: the imprisonment of the Lake Spirit (Imeq-inua). Once a fertile paradise, the region has been plunged into a permanent freeze by the “Scholars” to fuel their horrific experiments.
The Frozen Lake: A massive landmark where the Spirit is trapped. Freeing it is the only way to restore the ecosystem, but it requires a delicate ritual involving a rare plant and a spectral guardian.
The Longhouse: Home to shipwrecked criminals who have turned to cannibalism to survive. They are as desperate as they are dangerous.
The Permafrost Caves & Experiments Base
The module features two distinct “dungeons.” The Experiments Base is a sterile, metallic rectangle where the Scholars conduct their sewing of human flesh. In contrast, the Permafrost Caves are a natural, crystalline maze.
- Permafrost Caves: A 25-foot high cavern filled with toxic blue ice fungi and a frozen waterfall. It is the lair of a reclusive Frost Giant.
- The Pedestal: Deep in the caves lies a rare plant—the key to breaking the region’s curse
The Ice-Blooded Mutants
The “Scholars”—Varessi and his apprentices—have created a loyal guard of Ice-Blooded Mutants. These hulking, sewn-together horrors communicating in grunts are immune to the cold and possess the terrifying “Frostburn” ability.
Referee’s Briefing
On the Frozen Wastelands is a high-atmosphere adventure for Levels 1–3. It combines moral choices (interacting with the criminals and the Wraith) with a clear “world-fix” objective.
- Key Features: Wraith Guardian interactions, a Frost Giant encounter, and the “Lake Spirit’s Wish.”
- Visual Aids: Includes Dungeon Scrawl maps and 3D mockups for environment visualization.
- Compatibility: Old School Essentials / B/X.
Brave the Cold – Purchase Issue #2 Here
