The Winters Crest

T
he night is dark, the snow thick about. The
storm is coming and winter is creeping in The Adventure
through every creak and crack. The adventure itself is split into several stages, some to be
In the darkness, a scream rings out... run in order, some to be run at your discretion, based on what
the players do.
1 - The Quiet Before
Adventure Overview The first part of the story takes place in peace, in The High
The players are staying the night in a remote inn, high in Inn, with your players getting to know each other, as well as
the forested mountains, sent there to investigate rumours of the NPCs there - seeking to unravel the mystery they have
poachers as night falls and a snow storm comes with it. But been sent to investigate.
the ale is good and the fire warm with good company and hot
food.
And then the Winter Elves attack. The sun has dipped below the distant hills, night
has fallen and you all find youselves safe and snug
in the large taproom of The High Inn.
The heroes will need to use all their cunning, their skills
and magics to survive the night, and maybe see dawn... There have been swirling rumours of poachers and
gangs using the Inn to stash their ill-gotten gains
and you have been sent to investigate.

Notes To The DM Guildar, the industrious owner and barkeep is

bustling about, serving fresh mugs of ale and
The Winters Crest is a one-shot adventure for 3-5 steaming trays of hot food. A few other patrons are
characters of 5th level. It is meant to be played as an ever seated about the room, some eating, some reading,
intensifying siege, with the goal not victory, but survival. The some merely enjoying the warmth of the inn. In the
Winter King and his minions are here to kill, but only have corner a surly looking elf quietly strums a lyre and
until dawn. sings
The inciting mystery will resolve to be nothing of note,
Guildar having run the poachers out when he took over.
As the scene opens, several NPCs are about for the players
to interact with, and learn about. Where appropiate this guide
Text in quotes is to be read aloud, or adapted for will provide levels of history and knowledge that can be
your table gained by skill checks.
Guildar
The dwarven owner of the inn, he is hard working and
Bold text is for mechanic rules, skills checks and similar honest, doing his best to look after the inn and his guests. He
had a brief history as an adventurer and will respond very
badly to any attempts at intimidation. Successful rolls of
persuasion or investigation would reveal
Difficulty
5 He bought the inn a few years back, when it was
very run down. He poured his savings into it and
it's finally turning a profit
10 There are tales of travellers going missing on the
road in the winter, but most write it off as
wolves or other animals hunting
15 He has a heavy crossbow stashed under the bar
20 He has his adventuring sword (+1 Longsword)
stored under his bed

2
Furell & Luka At some point during this phase of the game, Dollis will
A father and son travelling north together. Both are aloof to perform in the inn, singing a song telling the tales of the
begin with, keeping themselves to themselves, but may myths and legends of these hills:
become stalwart allies when things start to break down. The tree spirits who seek vengegence on those who would
Furell is well built, with a sword over his back, short cropped fell them, hunting wood cutters to their homes
grey hair and beard. Luka is small and quiet.
The Winter King, who patrols these hills, seeking those he
Any attempts to make conversation with them will be deems unworthy, to punish and to kill with abandon
politely rebuffed by Furell. Urok, the sleeping giant who's body the mountain has
been built around, and will one day arise from his slumber

15 There appears to be no family resemblance Soft Hands

Investigation between the two of them at all An elderly Tabaxi, she is happily resting by the fire,
18 Luka is the crown prince of a local kingdom warming her old feet. Her heart is pure, but she is likely to be
History and Furell his royal guard more of a help than hindrance. She is full of old tales and
smiles, she is on the way to see her sons across the
mountains.
Dollis
A travelling bard. He is quick with a quip and always on the
lookout for a fast coin. He will be more than willing to sell out
anyone in the inn, either for gold or to save his own skin. He
is very talkative, and will offer any of the following with even
the most gentle of nudging or offers of ale
A whole family were lost on the roads last week, all that
remained was their cart, all luggage intact but bodies gone
Guildar has upset some local poachers who had been
using the inn previously to plan their crimes
2 - The First Attack Dollis can offer this knowledge too, if needed.
During this period, the motivations of the NPCs are likely
to come to the fore, to help or hinder the players.
The warm atmosphere is shattered by a shuddering Guildar will do all he can to help, but is mostly concerned
thump, as the main doors to the taproom are
kicked open. In the doorway stand three dark
with keeping his inn intact and personally surviving the night.
shapes, tall elves with ink black skin and red eyes,
He'll see the players as the best way of achiveing this.
their hair pulled back in red and green bandanas.
With wicked grins, they draw thin shining blades Furell will, unless already known, reveal his status as the
and launch into an attack... captain of the royal guard and Luka's identity as the prince.
He will assist the party in any way he can
Soft Hands will mostly be scared and unnerved, but will be
concerned mostly with looking after Luka. She is too old and
This is the first wave of the seige, with three Winter Elves frail to help out much with any physical labour or defense.
(any variation, but ideally one of each type) breaking in
through the front door. This should be a relatively easy fight Dollis is certainly not dying for some kid, least of all some
for your players to defend against, with the elves chosing to princely kid. He is going to try to find a way to talk the group
withdraw as soon as they feel the fight turning against them. around to turning him over.
Guildar would make all haste to reach the crossbow at the
bar to defend as well. Furell would draw his sword, but will At this point in the adventure, you are free to run any of the
stand guard over Luka rather than enter the fray themselves. following sections as you see fit, depending on the actions of
your Players, and the time left in your game.

As the elves draw back, nursing their wounds, you

The encounters can overlap, run concurrently or in a
all notice figures standing in the treeline, many
series, whatever works for your game.
more of these elves are waiting, watching.
Save for Time's Up, the goal of these encounters is to
As you tend to your wounds, a voice rings out from harry the players, to split them up and run down their
outside, a deep and boom voice, resources - the game should feel like a desperate struggle for
survival against mounting odds.
"Children, do not fight it, do not fight me. I have
come for the boy, and the boy alone. He has failed, he 4 - A Noise Above
has sinned in my eyes. And tonight, on Winters Crest,
his time is up.
As you take a moment to breathe, you hear a soft
You have an hour to surrender him to me or my elves, tinkle of glass and padded footsteps on the floor
else I shall submit you all unto my judgement." above...
Looking out the windows, you can all see a tall
broad figure, a pale white giant dressed in a robe of
red autmunal leaves, a staff in his hand, stood,
watching the inn with a solumn look. The Winter Two Winter Elf Archers and a Winter Elf Arcanist have
King has come calling scaled the back of the inn and broken in through the
windows.
They are going to attempt to surprise the party from above.

3 - The Siege Begins A DC 13 perception check (or passive perception) will

let a player hear the breaking of the glass above
With the number of elves in the trees, running is not an
option. The players may barricade, prepare for the seige, or The Elves are going to use the rooms as safe spaces as
do what they wish. they work their way along the corridor, popping out to shoot
at the players whenever they can.
A DC15 History check would let a player know about
the myth of The Winter King, that the tales say he travels
the hills on winter's longest night - The Winters Crest -
whisking off the bad and unruly children. It is mostly
thought to be a children's story, to scare bad kids into
being good. They know he is banished by dawnbreak,
sunrise will be their salvation.
5 - Betrayal from Within 6 - In and Under

From outside the inn, you hear a sharp and sudden

With a sudden movement, Dollis lunges for Luka, a crack, as if something heavy smashing through old
sharp blade digging into his neck as he pulls the and hardened wood. From beneath your feet, the
boy away from the party. Furell draws his sword, sounds of scrambling feet and drawn swords...
anger rising in his eyes.

Dollis' voice cracks with fear, "I'm not going to die

out here, for this kid. Someone has got to do the
smart thing here, yer all just being idiots. I'm 2 Winter Elf Archers, a Winter Elf Brute and a Winter
handing this kid over, and we're getting out of Elf Arcanist have found their way into the inn's cellar, and
here" are going to try to sneak their way in.
An optional DC15 perception check would let your
players hear them enter the cellar via the outside
Dollis is a simple commoner, but a venal and cowardly trapdoor. This check is entirely optional on your part, feel
one. He is going to do his best to drag Luka outside and hand free to run the encounter beginning with the elves already
him over to The Winter King. He will say he is doing it for the in the basement
whole party, but he is really only doing it for himself.
This encounter runs one of two ways:
Whilst this encounter might quickly end in violence, Dollis The elves are waiting in hiding for the players to
is at his heart a coward and it should be entirely possible to investigate the cellar, bows drawn and spells held. As soon
talk him down from his plan, threaten him into relenting or as the trapdoor inside the inn is opened, combat begins
even convince him to join the fight with the triggered attacks on the player to open it.
The players may well try to close the trapdoor again, but
the brutes below will contest that, as the archers and
arcanists attack through the gaps.
 Difficulty
The elves burst through the trapdoor, catching the players
by surprise. Using the bar as cover, the ranged elves attack 18 They hear the window being opened and can
reach the fire before it takes hold.
and hide, with the brutes ready and waiting if anyone is
fool-hardy enough to try to jump into melee. 14 They see the thin wisp of smoke curling up the
door. The fire has engulfed the furniture but the
7 - Smoke 'Em Out room might be salvagable.
12 They feel the heat coming through the wall, the
room is gone but the others might be saved.
10 They hear the crackle of the wood burning. The
Slowly, a thin wisp of smoke starts to creep into room is lost, and the fire has spread upwards
the room, then the unmistakable crackle of burning and outwards.
wood, then the heat - something is burning...

In addition, the Elves are likely to be lying in wait, to fire

upon anyone they see enter the burning room, or running out
The elves are going to try to burn the players out. of the Inn.
They have set fires and will try to use this to force the
players out the relative safety of the Inn, and out into the cold
of the night.
They will attempt to stealthily light a fire in one of the
ground floor bedrooms. I'd suggest using passive perceptions
to see how far the fire spreads before the players notice.
8 - One for One Making It Through The Night
The Winters Crest doesn't have a clear route to survival,
as an integral part of it's design. Depending on the
The elves burst in, arrows firing, spells blaring, encounters you have chosen to run and the actions of your
pushing you back into defensive positions, hiding
under tables and behind chairs.
players, different ideas may present themselves.
They grab hold of Soft Hands, being slower than This list is no way exhaustive or complete, but ideas to
the rest to hide, dragging her back outside, consider for your players:
struggling all the way back out. The players surviving long enough to cast Leomund's
Tiny Hut, to last until dawn.
"It seems you will not give up the child willingly, but
maybe this will help. You have 10 minutes until I kill
Using tunnel, as well as a distraction, to get behind the
this old crone, unless you bring him out"
lines of elves and making a run for it.
To injure The Winter King enough to make him rethink
his plan.
Using force to 'punch' a hole through the ring of elves
Hiding in the basement and/or tunnel until dawn
The Winter King is getting desperate and is trying to force Sacrifice themselves to give Luka and Furell a chance to
the players hand. He is serious - he will kill Soft Hands and it escape
is up to the players to either mount a rescue mission or
accept her as lost.
Ultimately, your players will find a plan for survival, and it
They are holding her in a small cluster by the well, south- will be up to you to decide if it works.
west of the Inn - 3 Winter Elf Brutes - but the other elves in
the trees are likely to open fire once they lay eyes on the
players, or take the opportunity to attack the inn.
If he still lives, Guildar will offer his knowledge of a secret
tunnel in the basement that runs to the bottom of the well,
with a hidden ladder reaching up to the lip.
9 - Time's Up

The Winter King's patience has run out. He's

coming himself to take the child, if you won't give
him over.

He rouses all the elves that still live and prepare for
an attack...

Thanks
He's coming in. This is the last stand. Whatever the players
have been planning, now is the time. My eternal thanks to Kyle, Coral, Rose, Ben, Sky and
Ells for playtesting, and Ben, Jake, Kym, Madi and
The elves will start the attack, rushing in the doors and any Ank for editing and proof-reading.
openings they can. They will break through unbarricaded
windows and climb the outside walls. If you like this adventure, please check out my
other work at Tib Winterfield on Twitter.
The Winter King himself is large enough and strong
enough to simply crash through a wall. His frustration has For S & M
grown with the party to a point where he will attack anyone Merry Christmas!
he can find, sacrificing elves if need be too.
Enemies
Winter Elves -

Winter Elf Brute Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the Winter Elf has
disadvantage on all rolls, as well as taking 1d4 fire
Medium humanoid (elf), neutral evil
damage per round
Armor Class 11 (leather armor) Pack Tactics. The winter elf has advantage on an attack
Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10) roll against a creature if at least one of the thug's allies
Speed 30 ft. is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't
incapacitated.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Winters Bane. If the Winter Elf Brute reduces a creature
to 0 hit points, it also causes them to fail a death
15 (+2) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) saving throw
Skills Intimidation +2 Actions
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Elvish, Undercommon Multiattack. The Winter Elf Brute makes two melee
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) attacks.
Winters Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5
Fey Ancestry. The winter elf has advantage on saving ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage.
throws against being charmed, and magic can't put the
drow to sleep.

Winter Elf Archer Fey Ancestry. The winter elf has advantage on saving
throws against being charmed, and magic can't put the
Medium humanoid (elf), neutral evil
drow to sleep.
Armor Class 13 (chain shirt)
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the Winter Elf has
Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
disadvantage on all rolls, as well as taking 1d4 fire
Speed 30 ft.
damage per round

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +2 Winters Bow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12 100/240 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 2) piercing
Languages Common, Elvish, Undercommon damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. If
the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is also
unconscious while poisoned in this way. The target
wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes
an action to shake it awake.
 Winter Elf Arcanist Fey Ancestry. The winter elf has advantage on saving
throws against being charmed, and magic can't put the
Medium humanoid (elf), neutral evil
drow to sleep.
Armor Class 10
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the Winter Elf has
Hit Points 9 (2d8)
disadvantage on all rolls, as well as taking 1d4 fire
Speed 30 ft. damage per round
Spellcasting. The acolyte is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to
10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) hit with spell attacks). The acolyte has following cleric
spells prepared:
Skills Medicine +4, Religion +2
At will: dancing lights, mending
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
1/day each: darkness, ice knife
Languages Common, Elvish, Undercommon
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Actions
Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

The Winter King

The Winter King Innate Spellcasting. The Winter Kings innate spellcasting
ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell
Large Mythical Being,
attacks). It can innately cast the following spells,
Armor Class 13 (studded leather) requiring no components:
Hit Points 161 (14d12 + 70)
Speed 30 ft. Cantrips (at will): _light, message, ray of frost, frostbite
1st level (4 slots): ice knife, frost fingers, command
2nd level (3 slots): _rime’s binding ice, darkness, see
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA invisibility
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fly, locate creature
20 (+5) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 14 (+2)
4th level (2 Slots): freedom of movement, ice storm
5th level (2 slots): animate objects, mass cure wounds
Saving Throws Str +9, Wis +8 6th level (1 slot): freezing sphere
Skills Arcana +6, Insight +12, Intimidation +6,
Perception +12 Actions
Damage Resistances cold
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing Winters Judgement (Recharge 5–6). The Winter King
from nonmagical attacks magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16
Senses darkvision 120 ft., truesight 30 ft., passive Wisdom saving throw or take 22 (4d8 + 4) psychic
Perception 22 damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A target can
Languages All repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns,
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) ending the effect on itself on a success.
Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
Immutable Form. The The Winter King is immune to any target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
spell or effect that would alter its form.
Shielded Mind. The The Winter King is immune to Legendary Actions
scrying and to any effect that would sense its The monster can take 2 legendary actions, choosing
emotions, read its thoughts, or detect its location. from the options below. Only one legendary action
Magic Resistance. The Winter King has advantage on option can be used at a time and only at the end of
saving throws against spells and other magical effects. another creature's turn. The monster regains spent
legendary actions at the start of its turn.
The First Frost. A freezing frost emits from The Winter
King's staff, covering every surface with ice. Every
creature within 15ft of The Winter King takes 10 cold
damage.
Elven Commander. The Winter King directs his elves to
attack. Two Winter Elves that The Winter King can see
within 30ft may use their reaction to make an attack.