Scene 6a -Optional-: On the Iceberg

GM Information

When the recruits drift out to sea on the broken-off iceberg, they have no idea if or how they will be rescued — and certainly not when. Players, however, usually assume that rescue will come sooner or later. This expectation is difficult to counter, and long stretches of repeated daily routines quickly lose tension. For that reason, the players should eventually be given opportunities to save themselves — but only after they have spent at least one night on the iceberg.

First, the recruits must build a shelter. With daggers and knives they can cut blocks of ice, though only small ones, as the blades are too short. Building an igloo requires a Survival check from the character handling the construction, and a Constitution check from the person or people gathering the ice. Once the igloo is built, the entrance dug out, and the equipment stored, each inhabitant must make a Survival check against DC 14 — provided they forgot to create air holes. If all air holes were forgotten and no one notices, the igloo will collapse during the night.

Read-Aloud Text: Morning After the First Night

After waking up, you quickly remember where you are. You crawl out of the igloo — or what remains of it — and let your gaze sweep across the vast sheet of ice. The coast of Nyrian is no longer visible. You drifted farther during the night than you expected. The iceberg seems to be following a current, as many smaller icebergs and floes are drifting in the same direction. Since you don’t know how long it will take before you are rescued, you must try to find food. You gather what you still have: a few emergency rations that might last two days if you are careful. Resigned, you stare at the meager pile before you.

GM Information

The recruits should explore the iceberg in hopes of finding food. However, the iceberg offers almost nothing. A Nature check against DC 18 may reveal an old den of an ice stalker. Inside are bone fragments and a bit of meat — likely from a fox. Enough for three meager portions. Additional checks in Nature, Perception, or Survival are possible, but all lead to the realization that the iceberg is largely barren. The few animals that once lived here sensed the impending calving and fled to solid ice.

Improvised fishing is impossible, as the cliff is unstable and drops more than eight meters straight down. When the recruits regroup and report that they found nothing, each may make an Investigation check against DC 15. On success, the character realizes that the chance of being found decreases with each passing day. The farther the iceberg drifts, the larger the search area becomes. They must draw attention to themselves or find a way to leave the iceberg.

No solution will present itself on this day. A new igloo may need to be built, injuries treated, or equipment reorganized. The night passes quietly — nothing happens. The second day brings a new opportunity.

Read-Aloud Text: Second Morning

You rise and eat. Your eyes meet, then drift once more across the expanse of the iceberg. But then you pause. The iceberg has grown a “mountain” — as if the ice had been compressed and pushed upward.

If the heroes approach, they realize: The iceberg has not been compressed. Another iceberg is drifting past almost parallel to yours. It seems to be moving much more slowly — or not at all. It is jagged and looks like a piece of ice that fell from a ceiling with its stalactites still attached, now standing upright in the water.

GM Information

This is an opportunity to escape the iceberg. If the recruits act quickly, they can try to throw a rope across and wedge it in place — for example, using a knife as an anchor. Then everyone except the last person can climb across. The last must jump from the iceberg and be pulled over by the others. Ideally, the strongest jumps last, since they held the rope for everyone else.

The equipment must also be transported. It is best if everyone carries their share so nothing is left behind or lost. Throwing the “rope-knife” requires a Dexterity check against DC 15. Crossing the rope requires Athletics checks against DC 15, or alternatively sliding and landing safely (Athletics 12, Acrobatics 13). The jump from the cliff is not difficult, but pulling the drifting character in depends on weight — the drifting character’s Constitution score serves as the DC. The drifting character may assist with an Athletics check against DC 14.

On the small ice island, improvised fishing is possible (Survival 13, if materials are available). The recruits should also consider how to signal for help should a ship pass by. A shelter must be built here as well.

This ice island is actually anchored — it has run aground on an underwater mountain peak. It may break free in the coming decades and continue its journey, but for now it remains stable.

After the recruits settle in — they may carve a cave into the ice instead of building an igloo — at least two days pass without incident. They must continue to take care of themselves and improvise, but water is plentiful thanks to the ice, and hunger can be endured for a while.

Let these days pass without many rolls. A few routine tasks are enough, including maintaining a lookout. If the group forgets to rotate the lookout and someone becomes exhausted, they may still spot a ship on the evening of the second day, far out on the small iceberg’s horizon.

The ship will not notice the recruits unless they find a way to signal it. If they succeed, they can be rescued that same evening. If not, the ship sails past — and only two days later does it return. This time it comes even closer, and the recruits are spotted at the last moment when a sailor happens to look in the right direction.

Read-Aloud Text: Arrival of Raskab’s Fist

The large warship approaches your island almost ominously. It is Raskab’s Fist, the flagship of the Sea Rune Warriors — the very first warship ever built. It looks far more martial than the newer models and moves heavily through the water. Even so, it makes a gentle turn a few hundred meters from the island and begins to tack along the coast.

Boats are released from the bow, sliding down a large chute into the water with moderate speed. It doesn’t take long before a young rune warrior reaches the island in her scouting boat. She leaps skillfully onto the ice and approaches you.

“We stand firm together!” she calls — a ritualized phrase that sounds slightly strange, almost archaic. When she reaches you, she offers her hand to the one in front.

“Frostblade Neris Dawnlight. I heard you needed help. A small unit followed me and will bring you safely to the Fist. Do you have any severely injured who need immediate transport?”

GM Information

If there are severely injured recruits, Neris will take them into her boat. She has a companion waiting aboard. Otherwise, she will briefly scout the island and ask a few questions, such as: “Is this everyone?” “Is anyone missing?” “Any unusual sightings?”

Once all recruits are loaded, they will be sailed to the Fist. There, they are lifted aboard at the stern using a winch and ramp, returning them to the belly of the great warship. On board, they are taken directly to the medical station.