Demon's Rest

# Rolled Prompt
Age:After the curse had held the land in its grip for many a hundred years, about 500 to 2,500 years ago

Size: A gigantic cave, it spans 4 rooms (these caves often consist of one gigantic chamber with a few smaller antechambers).

Creator:Wolfkin created it as a grave out of curiosity.

Current Inhabitants: Demon.

Entrance:The outlet of a river

Peculiarities: Wurda has assumed the shape of a wise woman who calls herself Hilda and follows the PCs, providing them with cryptic clues about what the ice cave holds. She mysteriously disappears after 10 rooms have been explored.

# The Demon's Rest
## Location Overview
> The river's mouth yawns wide in the glacier's face, dark water rushing forth from beneath countless tons of ancient ice. Massive icicles frame the entrance like jagged teeth, their crystalline surfaces stained rusty brown. The constant thunder of flowing water echoes from within, but there's something else carried on the frigid air - a low, mournful sound, like distant singing.

### BACKGROUND
The Demon's Rest was not carved by water or time, but by the claws and magic of the wolfkin nearly seven centuries ago. In their wanderings across the Bitter Reach, they discovered an ancient demon trapped within the ice - one of Ferenblaud's failed experiments from before Blaudewedd's curse. Rather than destroy or free it, the wolfkin were fascinated by the creature and chose to build a tomb around it, believing they could learn from its dreams as it slumbered.

For centuries they maintained vigil here, conducting strange rituals and listening to the demon's whispered secrets. But fifty years ago, something changed. The wolfkin guardians vanished without trace, leaving behind only cryptic warnings carved into the ice. Now the river has carved its way through their sacred chambers, and the demon stirs in its frozen prison.

### GETTING HERE
The Demon's Rest lies where the River Ised emerges from the Morma Glacier. While the entrance is easily spotted, reaching it requires either:
- Climbing down the treacherous ice cliffs (Hard -2 MOVE roll)
- Following the riverbank through a narrow ravine (requires winter climbing gear)
- Finding the old wolfkin path that winds down from the glacier top (requires a successful SCOUT roll to locate)

During winter, the river partially freezes, making access easier but increasing the risk of thin ice.

### LEGEND: THE WOLFKIN'S FOLLY
> In days long past, the wolfkin found something ancient sleeping in the ice. Enchanted by its dreams of power, they built it a temple-tomb and listened to its whispers. But the creature's dreams grew darker, and the wolfkin's minds began to fracture. They carved warnings in blood and vanished into the wastes. Now their temple lies empty, save for the thing that dreams beneath the ice.

### SPECIAL RULES

#### The Demon's Song
The demon's presence affects the minds of all who enter. At the start of each hour spent in the cave, characters must make a FEAR roll (Base Dice equal to hours spent inside). Failure means they begin hearing a haunting melody that only they can hear. This grants +1 to all magic rolls but -1 to INSIGHT and SCOUTING rolls as the song distracts them.

### Unstable Ice
The river's warmth has weakened parts of the cave. Any loud noises or significant impacts may trigger ice falls. When this happens, everyone in the affected area must make an AGILITY roll to avoid taking D6 damage.

### LOCATIONS

#### 1. THE RIVER GATE
> The entrance chamber is vast, its ceiling lost in darkness above. The river claims half the floor, its black waters rushing past ancient stone pillars carved with wolfkin runes. A narrow ice ledge follows the left wall, leading deeper into the glacier. Across the chamber, a crude stone bridge spans the waters.

The runes tell fragments of the wolfkin's story and warn of the "dreaming one" deeper within. A successful LORE roll reveals their meaning. The bridge is treacherous - crossing requires an AGILITY roll or falling into the frigid water.

#### 2. HALL OF WHISPERS
> Countless small niches line the walls of this long chamber, each holding a carved stone face. Their open mouths seem to whisper secrets into the cold air. Ice crystals coat every surface, creating phantom shapes in the darkness.

This was where wolfkin would come to listen to the demon's dreams. The faces are recording devices of sorts - a successful INSIGHT roll while touching one reveals fragmentary visions from the past. However, each vision risks drawing the demon's attention (FEAR roll).

#### 3. THE SUNDERED SANCTUM
> A massive crack splits this circular chamber in two, plunging into darkness below. Pieces of shattered stone artifacts litter the floor. On the far side, an ornate archway leads to a final chamber, but the gap seems too wide to jump.

This was once the main ritual chamber, but something violent occurred here. The crack is 15 feet wide and drops into the river below. Clever players might:
- Use magic to cross
- Find handholds in the ice walls
- Create a makeshift bridge
- Find the secret wolfkin passage around the side (requires SCOUT roll)

#### 4. THE DREAMING HEART
> Blue-white ice fills most of this domed chamber, shot through with veins of darker material. In the center, a vaguely humanoid shape can be seen suspended in the ice. Around it, the wolfkin built a circle of standing stones, each carved with complex binding runes.

This is where the demon lies trapped. The ice has an Armor Rating of 8 and can withstand 30 points of damage before cracking. If freed, the demon is initially disoriented but quickly becomes hostile. The standing stones help maintain its imprisonment - destroying them weakens the ice's Armor Rating by 2 each.

### TREASURES
* Wolfkin ritual items (VALUABLE FINDS)
* Ancient demon-touched artifacts (PRECIOUS FINDS)
* Recording stones containing lost knowledge (ARTIFACTS)
* The demon itself, if someone is foolish enough to try binding it

### MAPS AND LAYOUT
The cave follows a roughly linear arrangement:
1. River Gate (entrance)
2. Hall of Whispers (north)
3. Sundered Sanctum (northeast)
4. Dreaming Heart (east)

Side passages and ledges connect some rooms, offering alternate routes. The river runs through or alongside most chambers, eventually disappearing into a crack too small to follow.

## Key Players

# THE DEMON'S REST: KEY PLAYERS

## HILDA THE WANDERER (WURDA IN DISGUISE)
> An elderly woman wrapped in thick furs sits by a small fire near the cave entrance. Her eyes reflect the flames with an unnatural brightness as she stirs a pot of strong-smelling tea. "Ah, seekers of secrets," she calls out. "Come, warm yourselves and hear what the ice whispers..."

### DESCRIPTION
Wurda has assumed the form of a weathered old woman with long silver hair braided with bones and beads. She maintains a grandmotherly demeanor but occasionally lets slip hints of her true nature - her shadow sometimes shows wings or horns, and her laugh can sound more like a growl.

### OVERT GOALS
- Offers to guide adventurers through the cave's dangers
- Shares cryptic warnings and hints about valuable treasures
- Provides warm tea and shelter from the cold
- Claims to be a historian studying wolfkin ruins

### SECRET GOALS
- Manipulate adventurers into freeing the imprisoned demon
- Study how the wolfkin managed to bind a demon
- Create chaos by setting both demons against each other
- Test potential pawns for future schemes

### SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Can vanish into shadows when unobserved
- Knows secret passages throughout the cave
- Can sense the demon's influence on others
- Remembers the cave from its early days

### STATS
Use Wurda's stats from page 80 of the GM's Guide while in human form.

## NARAKASH THE FROZEN (THE IMPRISONED DEMON)
> Through the ice, you see a towering figure with too many limbs, its form constantly shifting between states. Though imprisoned, its presence weighs on your mind like a half-remembered nightmare.

### DESCRIPTION
Narakash appears different to each viewer, but always as something unsettlingly wrong - a beautiful face with far too many eyes, a perfectly proportioned body with limbs bent the wrong way, or a simple shadow that moves against the light.

### OVERT GOALS
- Break free from imprisonment
- Take revenge on the descendants of those who bound it
- Reclaim its place in Ferenblaud's court

### SECRET GOALS
- Use its influence to corrupt visitors
- Learn what has happened during its imprisonment
- Find and destroy the wolfkin binding stones
- Gather power to challenge other demons

### SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Mental influence through dreams and whispers
- Can possess weakened minds (requires INSIGHT roll to resist)
- Partially exists in multiple planes, making it hard to harm
- Controls ice and cold within its chamber

### STATS
**ATTRIBUTES:** STRENGTH 12, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 1

**SKILLS:** Insight 5, Manipulation 4, Lore 3

**SPECIAL:** Takes half damage from physical attacks, immune to cold

**ARMOR:** 4 (demon hide)

### MONSTER ATTACKS
| D6 | ATTACK |
|:--:|:-------|
| 1 | **DREAM LASH!** The demon sends a bolt of twisted dreams at its target. The victim suffers a fear attack with eight Base Dice and must make an INSIGHT roll or become CONFUSED. |
| 2 | **FROST CLAWS!** Razor-sharp ice forms into claws that slash at all targets within ARM'S LENGTH. Each victim suffers an attack with six Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (slash). |
| 3 | **SHADOW STRIKE!** The demon's form becomes fluid, striking through solid objects. The attack uses eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (blunt). Cannot be PARRIED. |
| 4 | **MIND SHATTER!** One target within SHORT range must resist a fear attack with ten Base Dice or temporarily gain a DARK SECRET. |
| 5 | **FREEZING GRASP!** The demon attempts to grab a victim. Attack with seven Base Dice, if successful the target is GRAPPLED and takes 1 cold damage per round until freed. |
| 6 | **NIGHTMARE SURGE!** Everyone within NEAR range must make a fear attack with six Base Dice or suffer their worst fears manifesting as illusions for D6 rounds. |

## THE WOLFKIN REMNANTS
While the original wolfkin guardians are long gone, their spirits linger in the recording stones. These are not true NPCs but rather echoes that can:
- Share fragments of historical knowledge
- Warn of the demon's abilities and weaknesses
- Provide guidance on using the binding stones
- Reveal the location of hidden treasures

These echoes speak in riddles and broken memories, requiring successful INSIGHT or LORE rolls to interpret clearly.

## RELATIONSHIPS AND CONFLICTS

### WURDA & NARAKASH
- Wurda sees Narakash as a potential tool but also a rival
- Narakash can sense Wurda's true nature but cannot communicate this
- Both seek to manipulate mortals against each other
- Their powers interfere with each other in unpredictable ways

### THE WOLFKIN ECHOES
- Try to prevent Narakash's freedom
- Recognize Wurda's nature but cannot directly reveal it
- Seek to guide worthy adventurers
- Want their binding magic preserved

### POWER DYNAMICS
- Narakash is physically constrained but mentally powerful
- Wurda has freedom of movement but limited direct power
- The wolfkin echoes have knowledge but little agency
- Players can align with any faction or play them against each other


# Events Structure
# THE DEMON'S REST: EVENTS & SCENES

## INITIAL SITUATION

The PCs arrive at the River Ised's emergence from the glacier to find an old woman, Hilda, tending a fire near the cave mouth. The weather is deteriorating rapidly - a bitter wind carries stinging ice crystals, and the temperature is dropping dangerously. Unless the PCs have excellent shelter prepared, they'll need to seek refuge in the cave or risk exposure.

> The storm hits like a hammer of ice. Wind howls down from the glacier, carrying particles of ice that sting like needles against any exposed skin. Through the growing whiteout, you spot a small fire flickering near the river's emergence from the ice wall. A hunched figure wrapped in furs tends the flames, seemingly untroubled by the growing tempest.

Hilda welcomes them to her fire and offers hot tea that provides surprising warmth (and makes them more susceptible to the demon's influence, though they won't know this initially). She shares the legend of the caves but frames it as a story of valuable artifacts and knowledge left behind by the wolfkin, rather than emphasizing the demon's presence.

## ACT 1: ENTERING THE DEPTHS

### Scene: The Warning Signs
As the PCs proceed into the River Gate, they'll encounter their first hints that something is wrong. The wolfkin runes along the walls can be read with a successful LORE roll:

> The ice-slick walls bear line after line of carved symbols, their edges softened by centuries of flowing water. Some seem to have been carved with desperate haste, others with ritualistic precision. Many appear to be warnings, though of what isn't immediately clear.

If someone reads the runes, share this text:
> "The dreamer must not wake. Its whispers are lies. We were fools to listen. The binding stones must remain. Our minds are fragments now, but still we maintain the vigil. Do not trust what you hear in the dark."

### Scene: First Contact
In the Hall of Whispers, the demon makes its first subtle contact. Each PC experiences this differently based on their character's fears and desires.

> The carved faces that line the walls seem to watch your progress. Each mouth is open in an eternal whisper, and in the shadows cast by your lights, they almost seem to move. A cold deeper than the surrounding ice seeps into your bones, and with it comes... something else. A voice? A thought? A memory that isn't yours?

Each PC should make an INSIGHT roll. Success means they realize these thoughts aren't their own. Failure means they begin to trust the whispers, gaining both benefits and drawbacks:
- +1 to all magic rolls
- -1 to resistance rolls against future demon influence
- A growing certainty that something valuable lies deeper in the caves

## ACT 2: DESCENT INTO MADNESS

### Scene: The Sundered Chamber
When the PCs reach the split chamber, they face their first major choice. Three options present themselves for crossing the gap:

1. The Treacherous Leap
> The crack in the chamber floor plunges into darkness, the sound of rushing water echoing up from far below. The gap looks barely jumpable - perhaps fifteen feet across slick ice. The air currents pulling down into the depths make judging the distance even harder.

2. The Hidden Path
With a successful SCOUT roll, they can find:
> A narrow ledge, barely six inches wide, curves along the left wall. Crude handholds have been carved into the ice, but they're slick with frost. It would be slow going, but possibly safer than jumping.

3. The Ritual Bridge
A successful LORE roll reveals another option:
> The wolfkin runes mention a ritual that could temporarily bridge such gaps using ice magic. It requires three people chanting in harmony while a fourth shapes the ice - dangerous with the demon's influence so near, but potentially effective.

Each choice has its consequences:
- The jump requires an AGILITY roll at -2. Failure means a long fall and D6 damage.
- The ledge requires three successive MOVE rolls. Failure on any means a fall but with a chance to catch the ledge.
- The ritual works but draws the demon's attention, requiring a group FEAR roll.

### Scene: Hilda's Revelation
At this point, Hilda (Wurda) makes her move. If the PCs haven't been sufficiently affected by the demon's influence, she stages a "sacrifice" to gain their trust:

> A shadow suddenly looms behind Hilda as she helps prepare another crossing attempt. A twisted figure of ice and darkness reaches for her with clawed hands. She screams - but in the instant before the shadow strikes, she speaks a word of power that shatters it into crystalline dust.
>
> Shaken, she turns to you. "Now you see the true danger. The binding weakens. If we don't reach the heart soon, that thing will break free on its own terms rather than ours. Better to control its release than face it unprepared, don't you think?"

## ACT 3: THE AWAKENING

### Scene: The Final Chamber
The Dreaming Heart presents the final moral choice. The demon is visible but obviously contained. Three major approaches are possible:

1. Reinforcing the Binding
> The standing stones pulse with a dim light, their runes barely visible beneath centuries of ice. They form a perfect circle around the frozen demon, and you can see how they connect to channel and contain its power. With the right knowledge, they could be strengthened.

This requires:
- Deciphering the wolfkin's original binding ritual (LORE roll)
- Gathering power from the recording stones (INSIGHT roll)
- Performing a complex ritual (three successive WP expenditures)
Success means the demon remains bound but grateful, potentially serving as a future source of information.

2. Controlled Release
> The demon's prison is a complex layering of ice and magic. The binding stones don't just imprison it - they regulate and control the energies involved. A careful study suggests they could be adjusted rather than destroyed.

This requires:
- Understanding the stone circle's structure (CRAFT roll)
- Carefully removing specific stones (MOVE roll)
- Negotiating with the demon (opposed MANIPULATION vs INSIGHT)
Success means a dangerous but potentially valuable ally.

3. Destruction
> The binding stones could be shattered, the ice broken, the demon freed or destroyed entirely. But such an act would release centuries of contained power all at once.

This triggers the final battle sequence:
1. The chamber begins to collapse
2. The demon breaks free
3. Wurda reveals her true form
4. The PCs must escape while two demons battle

### Resolution Scenes

#### The Binding Holds
If the PCs reinforce the binding:
> The stones flare with renewed power, their light burning away centuries of ice. The demon writhes in its prison but can't break free. Its influence fades from your minds, leaving behind only scattered fragments of its ancient knowledge.

#### A New Allegiance
If they negotiate a controlled release:
> The demon coalesces into a more defined form as the binding stones shift from imprisonment to containment. Its voice, when it finally speaks aloud, carries both power and pain: "Freedom... of a sort. Speak your terms, mortals."

#### Chaos Unleashed
If they choose destruction or fail catastrophically:
> The chamber tears itself apart as two primal forces clash in the confined space. The demon towers over you, its form finally fully manifest, while the creature you knew as Hilda reveals her true shape. The glacier itself groans as their power tears through the ancient ice.

## EPILOGUE

The adventure concludes with implications for the larger campaign:
- A bound demon can warn about the rising power of the Winter King
- A freed demon becomes a new power player in the region
- A destroyed demon leaves behind valuable artifacts in the ruins
- Wurda's involvement becomes known to other factions

The wolfkin may also return to reclaim their ancient holding, especially if word spreads about what happened there.

### Rewards
Beyond standard treasures, successful PCs might gain:
- Ancient wolfkin ritual knowledge
- A demon's favor (or enmity)
- Insight into the larger conflicts brewing in the Bitter Reach
- Artifacts touched by centuries of demon dreams

### Campaign Integration
The demon's dreams can provide clues about:
- The locations of other Seals
- The true nature of Ferenblaud's curse
- The original fall of the winter elves
- Other threats sleeping beneath the ice

## RUNNING THE ADVENTURE

### Pacing Notes
- Let the demon's influence build slowly
- Give players time to interact with different factions
- Allow tension to build naturally through exploration
- Don't rush the final confrontation

### Scaling Difficulty
The adventure can be adjusted by:
- Modifying the demon's power level
- Adding or removing hostile elements
- Changing the complexity of rituals
- Adjusting environmental hazards

### Alternative Approaches
Be prepared for PCs to:
- Try communicating with the demon remotely
- Attempt to turn Wurda and the demon against each other
- Seek help from nearby wolfkin
- Try to profit from both sides