A location, character, and magical items for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. Battle map and tokens included!
A towering pillar stands at the frozen edge of the world. Enormous chains hold it in place, slowing its inevitable fall into the sea as the ice around it melts. Their origin, and that of the forge within, only one person knows: Stalvus Weissbjorn, the Frozen Forgemaster.
In ages long past, a forge was erected in the coastal glaciers of the frigid, northern wasteland, a place so cold that regular flames are choked of life. It was heated through its base; a column of stone that descended through the ice below and pierced the lair of an ancient and powerful white dragon. Yet, by whatever bargain or chance of fate, the dragon did not destroy the builders. It instead granted them its breath to forge an enchanted and unique ‘rime-forged steel’.
Sometime after the tower’s establishment, the dragon was slain by would-be heroes. Its death brought an end to its control of the region, causing the ice to slowly melt away. The forge could not function without the dragon’s breath. But the dragon did leave behind a sole hatchling. This child aided the forgemen one final time by warning them of the tower’s eventual fate and helping them forge chains to hold the structure in place. It then left.
Over time and without fire for the forge, its masters left too, until the forge was abandoned. The ice receded until its base was exposed and its stone bridge crumbled as it tipped towards the waves. The chains were all that was left to support it.
That was until some decades ago and the appearance of Stalvus Weissbjorn, a secretive dwarf who made his way to the lost forge. And though he lacks the power to create the steel as the dragon once did, there have been rumors of smoke rising over the snowy hills.
The snow comes to an end at the edge of rocky cliffs that drop several dozen feet into icy water. At the bottom, waves splash against the base of a monolithic stone pillar, sending salty, frigid sea spray up to chill your exposed skin. The structure itself, rectangular and hewn of solid stone, is broken at its based. It leans precariously in the direction of the sea, held up by a colossal, metal chain that connects to the cliffs that circle on either side. A dim orange light illuminates its flat top and gives off wisps of smoke.
A slope descends into a lower ledge, where the grey stone is decorated with remnants of masonry. The beginnings of a bridge remain, though most of it has broken and fallen away.
The forge is operational, despite its damage, though it requires a forgemaster with the blood and abilities of the original dragon to do so. While Stalvus Weissbjorn has inherited a small amount of this blood, it is only enough to manipulate the metal, not create it. This leaves the only source of it being the forge’s supporting chains. Harvesting the metal to create weapons or armor poses an enormous, exponential, and permanent risk to the forge itself.
You can find the Frozen Forge this encounter and creature were designed around, as well as others that might fit, below…
With a token by the talented David Wilson.
Fiery red hair flows from beneath the pelt of a polar bear, its head positioned as a hood for its wearer. Amongst the strands and overgrown beard is the pale-skinned face of a dwarven man with crystal-blue eyes. He looks you over, shifting his shoulders to adjust his thick cloak and dark leathers and hides.
Stalvus Weissbjorn is the current forgemaster and the only resident for miles around. The few villages and outposts in the area know him as the ‘Frozen Forgemaster’, though none can attest to his origin. He simply appeared one day to claim the forge.
The truth is that Stalvus is a sorcerer, partially descended from the very dragon that once lit the forge. This grants him the ability to manipulate the steel, though he cannot create it. He is aware of his heritage from family stories passed down, as well as his own research. This is what prompted him to train as a blacksmith. He eventually traveled to the forge, unsure of what he might find, and took residence in a cave nearby.
Stalvus is proud of his inheritance and seeks a way to repair the forge. He is solitary, preferring to rely only on himself and rarely willing to compromise. This, combined with the risk of extracting the chains’ metal, will make it difficult to convince Stalvus to use the rime-forged steel. One would need to offer something that might help him or the forge itself.
The metal is a dark grey, almost like stone, with a natural pattern that resembles the surface of crystal formations. It is icy cold to the touch and reflects light with a noticeably blue-tinted sheen.
Stalvus Weissbjorn will not sacrifice the chain’s metal without good reason. To earn a portion of the rime-forged steel, a visitor must prove themselves to the dwarf by aiding him in a way that might make the risk worth it. The more steel required, the more convincing it will take.
Rime-forged Coating
A weapon or piece of ammunition coated in rime-forged steel counts as silvered and magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. On a hit, it deals an extra 1d4 cold damage.
Rime-forged Weapon
Weapon, rare (requires attunement)
When you hit with an attack using this weapon, the target takes an extra 1d4 cold damage. Additionally, this weapon cannot be affected by the heat metal spell or similar effects.
You can use a bonus action to speak this weapon’s command word, causing frost to gather along its steel. While the weapon is frozen, its extra cold damage increases to 2d4 and it extinguishes all nonmagical flames within 5 feet of you. The frost lasts for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to speak the command word again.
Rime-forged Armor
Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), rare
While wearing this armor, you have resistance to fire damage and can tolerate extremely hot temperatures without any additional protection.
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