The Witches of Lonelywood

A side-quest adventure for Icewind Dale: Rime of the

Frostmaiden
Introduction: The witches of Lonelywood are loyal servants of the Frostmaiden. The witches helped
bring about the everlasting rime and punish the people of Icewind Dale who have enjoyed warm
beds for too long. Auril’s glorious reign of bitter cold has come, but some of these Ten Towners
simply will not submit. The witches won’t have that… no no.

This adventure can easily be slotted into the adventure as a one of the adventuring locations in
chapter 2. It can be also used as a follow up quest to the attack on Ten Towns by the chardalyn
dragon in chapter 4. In that scenario, the adventurers may want some downtime as the locals rebuild
and this short adventure can fill in before they journey north to Auril’s island in chapter 5.

A 4-6 hour adventure for 5th-6th level characters

Written & Designed by Bobby Swanson

Cover art by Cody Walker (@codleecoart)

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The Witches of Lonelywood 1

Witches of Lonelywood Here is the situation:
People are going missing in Lonelywood, and the • In the last month, 5 people have gone missing
normally friendly townsfolk are turning on each other. from Lonelywood. Everyone knows everyone
After a teenage boy is blamed for the latest here, which means that right now nobody
disappearance, his parents seek the characters for help trusts anyone.
before their son is sacrificed to Auril. • In the woods around town, animals have
gotten more skittish and aggressive. Hunters
have had to travel further away to find food.
Adventure Background • Two days ago, a 6th person went missing. This
An ancient witch, Vivix, has made a home in Icewind time it was 16-year-old Jorren Pulgar (LN male
Dale. She likes to keep to herself, often spending her human scout).
time corrupting small animals, finding old books to read, • Jorren’s kidnapping was the most brazen yet.
or sacrificing lost travelers for the sake of a dark spell. He was taken from his family’s cabin while his
You know… the usual. However, several years ago her mother was out hunting.
divinations revealed that the goddess Auril, The • The townsfolk are paranoid, many are having
Frostmaiden, was desperate to gain worshippers. Her nightmares, and accusations are flying. The
divine standing is weak, and lowly mortals must be town speaker, Nimsy Huddle (LG female
reminded of her power. If she can make an example of halfling commoner), saw Tristan Tammelbint
Icewind Dale, then all the people of the north will pay (CG male deep gnome) cast disguise self on
homage when the winds of winter come. himself the day of Jorren’s kidnapping. Tristan
Vivix knew an opportunity when she saw one and is now the prime suspect for the
took it upon herself to form a new coven and serve the disappearances, and the town elders are
goddess of winter. She and the other witches used their preparing for a trial.
combined magic to help bring about the everlasting
rime and win Auril’s favor. The Tammelbint family work at the Happy Scrimshander
shop in Lonelywood and the owner, Iriskree Harrowhill
(N female human assassin) is prepared to offer the
Adventure Overview characters jewelry worth 1700gp to find the source of
This adventure is divided into 4 parts. the disappearances. All this chaos is ruining her
Part 1. The characters are asked to help discover the business.
source of the missing people in Lonelywood.
Part 2. The characters investigate the situation in
Lonelywood and speak with the townsfolk. Part 2: Wolf Among Sheep
Part 3. The characters follow the trail of clues into When the characters arrive in Lonelywood they will find
the woods north of Maer Dualdon. the locals boarded up in their homes and the town
Part 4. The characters confront the witches and can militia is making constant patrols. Upon arrival, the
learn about Auril and the origin of the everlasting rime. Tammelbints will take the characters to Speaker Nimsy.
She is skeptical of the outsiders, but desperate times call
for desperate measures and the town can’t stand to lose
Part 1: Pointing Fingers anyone else. Nimsy takes the group to Jorren’s cabin
An exhausted deep gnome couple, Calby and Mavis and lets them have a look around. If they need a place
Tammelbint, approach the characters and ask for help: to stay for the night Nimsy offers them her spare room.
The clues available in town:
We traveled through the night to find you lot. • As the characters arrive in town and
You see, people have gone missing in investigate, they are guided around by Speaker
Lonelywood and they’re blaming our son Nimsy and her friend, one of the local militia,
Tristan. They’re calling him a killer, a witch! Charles Gunderson II (NE human werewolf).
The townsfolk are threatening to sacrifice him Charles secretly works for the witches.
to Auril, like Easthaven did with Dzaan! • There are no signs of forced entry into Jorren’s
cabin.

The Witches of Lonelywood 2

 • It appears that there was a scuffle in the main After the characters investigate the situation, Speaker
room. There is broken furniture and belongings Nimsy and Charles invite the characters back to the
are strewn about the home. speaker’s home to get out of the cold and eat dinner.
• The back door to the house is broken, but As soon as he can, Charles leaves to inform the
strangely it was damaged from the inside. witches of the outsiders who could threaten their work.
• Faint marks in the snow show that something Charles will leave politely after dinner, but if the
dragged a body north into the woods. But the characters insist on him staying then he will try to sneak
path is hard to track after heavy snowfall. away in the middle of the night.
Nimsy and Charles explain that similar tracks
were found near every disappearance.
• Some brave townsfolk have gone out in search What is really going on?
parties, but they always turned back due to Charles and 2 other werewolves have been kidnapping
blizzards or dangerous wandering monsters. townspeople to bring to their witch mothers. After the
first few kidnappings it has gotten more difficult to take
If the characters want to interview Tristan Tammelbint, people without getting caught. Capable adventurers are
the speaker takes them to the basement of The Lucky a serious threat to them and their masters.
Liar tavern, where Tristan is kept under lock and key.
Here is Tristan’s explanation for what happened:
• Tristan is adamant that he did not hurt Jorren
and he doesn’t know where he is. Part 3: On the Prowl
• Jorren used to be his best friend, but they The characters have decided they have enough
aren’t close anymore. information and head out looking for the kidnapper(s).
• He did use magic to change his appearance but
that is because he is an aspiring wizard, and it If they follow the tracks
is the first spell he has learned. The faint set of tracks leading away from Jorren’s cabin
• He also argues that Jorren is bigger than him point north, but recent snowfall leaves only small
and he could never drag him away. indentations in the surface of the snowpack. A
successful DC 20 Wisdom (Survival) check allows the
If the characters succeed on a DC 16 Charisma characters to follow the path precisely and skip the
(Persuasion or Intimidation) check, they will convince encounter with the coldlight walker (described below).
Tristan to share more information. If the characters are not able to follow the tracks near
• Tristan is hopeless about the endless winter. Jorren’s home, they should still know to head north
Motivated by fear, he made bedtime prayers to because other sets of tracks have gone that direction
a mysterious onyx totem he found. Tristan has too. As they head north, they will eventually spot a lone
clumsily made a warlock pact. A successful DC traveler with its back to them. This person is bundled up
13 Intelligence (Religion) check identifies the in heavy clothes and walks at a steady pace guided by
image on the totem as Deep Duerra. what appears to be lantern light. As the characters get
• He hasn’t explained this to anyone because he closer, they may see that the figure is not carrying a
feared he would get in trouble, and he didn’t lantern at all. This figure is a coldlight walker, elemental
want to confirm the town’s suspicion that he is servant of the Frostmaiden, and will attack immediately
a witch. if the characters make their presence known.
Tristan Tammelbint uses the same stats as a deep The sounds of battle with the coldlight walker will
gnome (svirfneblin) with the following changes: draw the attention of the 2 werewolves passing through
- His charisma score is 13 (+1). the woods nearby. After 2 minutes, the werewolf pack
- He has Pact Magic instead of Innate will arrive and attack.
Spellcasting. The characters can sneak past the coldlight walker
- His spellcasting ability is Charisma instead of with a successful DC 11 Dexterity (Stealth) check as a
Intelligence. group. If the group does not continue to travel
- He uses a handaxe instead of a war pick. stealthily, they will likely be found and hunted by the
werewolves roving the woods.

The Witches of Lonelywood 3

If they follow Charles Part 4: Where it All Began
The party may be suspicious of Charles or perhaps one Vivix has made her lair in a cave beneath a long dead
of them hears him sneak away from Speaker Nimsy’s tree. She hosts her coven within the caverns here and
home in the middle of the night. Regardless, if they the witches are not expecting visitors unless their
follow him, they will find his coat and boots left neatly werewolf guard dogs come to warn them.
behind an old tree. A few feet away his 2 footprints
turn into 4 pawprints. If they are close enough to stay
within sight, they will watch Charles calmly hide his The Coven
clothes and then transform into his werewolf form. He • Vivix (bheur hag) is the leader. She is very curious to
hurries back to the witches’ lair to inform them of the learn new things and enjoys nothing more than
adventurers who have come to town. schemes that end with extreme cruelty.
If the characters confront him, Charles will howl for
his 2 werewolf brothers to join him and then dash into • Grunna (sea hag) is the bully. She is the sister of Maud
the woods. He will flee until he sees his pack, and then Chiselbone, the hag who lives near Easthaven. Grunna
all 3 werewolves will attack the characters as a unit. is strong, impulsive, and she adores making big men
How werewolves fight: feel weak and helpless.
• They use stealth to surround their prey. • Tha’lani (sea hag) is the young one. She is a deceiver
• The pack attacks as a unit and they pick off the and loves tricking people into ruining their own lives.
weakest target first. Her new hobby is pretending to be a mermaid and
• Silvered weapons and spells get their attention luring fishermen to their death.
quickly, as those ignore their natural immunity.

If the werewolves are reduced to half of their HP total, As the characters approach, they will see Tha’lani
they will retreat to lick their wounds and warn the outside of the cave disguised as a mermaid. She is
witches. After a short rest, the pack will return with a mischievous and prefers to wear a disguise most of the
vengeance. time. Tha’lani is busy crafting more creepy twig dolls. Ice
clings to her skin as she has just gotten out of the lake
Finding the Witches’ Lair after a swim. A dozen mirrors of various sizes clutter the
In the aftermath of these encounters, characters will see clearing around her. If the characters manage to sneak
fresh tracks near the northern shore of Maer Dualdon. up on her, they will hear her talking to herself:
In this area they will also see piles of stones painted
with blood, tree trunks with strange runes scratched Those druids think they’re so special teaching
into them, and dozens of dolls made of twigs hanging a moose to talk. I can’t wait until they see our
from trees. The characters can follow these ominous puppies. None of those crones can do that.
signs west to the witches’ lair (noted on the map). Mother likes us more than them anyway…

If the characters wish to talk with her, she would love

to chat. But as soon as she gets bored with the
conversation or if she is ever insulted, she will use any
means to lure the adventurers into area 2 of the cavern.
If she thinks she cannot handle the situation, she will
run to find the other witch-sisters.
If Vivix and Grunna hear the sounds of intruders, or
Tha’lani cries for help then they will come to her aid. If
the characters manage to get past Tha’lani, and listen in
on the conversation within the cave they will hear:

The Witches of Lonelywood 4

 Grunna be patient! Mother needs our help, The adventurers can return to town with an
she is weak. Nearly all her magic is spent explanation for the disappearances and save Tristan’s
keeping the Dale under the claw of darkness. life. The characters will have learned that Auril is
We must do our part… your time will come. perhaps more vulnerable than they thought, and Ten
Towners will finally be out from under the thumb of
the Witches of Lonelywood.
If the witches were warned by their werewolves, they
will all hide in the cave as a coven. Vivix will command If the characters flee…
her lycanthrope minions to continue ambushing the The witches of Lonelywood now have the corpses of
characters and howl when they are close to the lair. powerful adventurers as toys to play with. Any
surviving characters might face the gruesome task of
Confronting the Coven fighting undead versions of their fallen friends if they
If Tha’lani is able to join her companions in area 2 of seek out revenge on the coven.
the cave, the witches gain coven spellcasting (see However, this time around, the characters will have
Appendix C). As soon as any of the hags are killed, they the citizens of Lonelywood united to face a common
all lose access the coven spell list. This means that they enemy.
will fiercely protect each other to keep the upper hand.
If the characters manage to talk with the witches and If the characters are killed…
delay combat, they could learn the following: The Frostmaiden will continue delivering her freezing
• The coven has been creating lycanthropes and wrath upon the people of Icewind Dale and hopefully
summoning blizzards to make the everlasting another group of adventurers has the grit and
rime even more brutal. cleverness to end this god-forsaken winter.
• The purpose of the endless winter is to remind
mortals to revere the winter goddess.

The characters are more valuable to the coven as allies,

so if there is any chance to work together Vivix will
eagerly offer them a deal. If no agreement can be
reached, they will try to intimidate the characters and
threaten to bring a merciless gale to Ten Towns.
If a fight breaks out, the witches will not hesitate to
kill the adventurers with cruelty and delight. The hags
will call out to their ‘guard dogs’ for help. If any
werewolves are still alive, they will arrive to protect the
witches after 1d6 rounds of combat.
The walls in the cave are crowded with illustrations
of Auril’s island and her massive palace. There is a
painting of Vivix casting a spell to awaken a sleeping
Auril, and there are images of the witches journeying
to the island and kneeling before the Frostmaiden.

Aftermath
If the characters succeed…
The characters will find the coven’s magical cauldron
which functions as an alchemy jug.
Treasure in the coven’s lair:
1200gp, 4,000sp, 3 diamonds worth 100gp each, 1
potion of resistance (lightning), 2 potions of healing,
two handaxes, and Vivix’s graystaff which functions as
a broom of flying.

The Witches of Lonelywood 5

Appendix A. Cave map Actions
Multiattack. The werewolf makes two attacks: one
with its bite and one with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one

target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is
a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution
saving throw or be cursed with werewolf lycanthropy.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one

creature. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage.

Coldlight Walker
Medium humanoid, any alignment
-----
AC 13 (natural armor)
HP 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed: 30 ft.
-----
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA
Appendix B. Monster stats 15 10 17 8 10 8
(+2) (+0) (+3) (-1) (+0) (-1)
-----
Werewolf Saving Throws: Int +2, Wis +3
Medium humanoid, any alignment Damage Immunities: cold
----- Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, exhaustion,
AC 12 (natural armor) paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
HP 58 (9d8 + 18) Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
Speed: 30 ft., (40 ft. in wolf form) Languages: --
----- CR 5 Prof. bonus +3
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA -----
15 13 14 10 11 10 Blinding Light. The walker sheds bright light in a 20-
(+2) (+1) (+2) (+0) (+0) (+0) foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. As a
----- bonus action, the walker can target one creature it can
Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +3 see and force it to succeed on a DC 14 Constitution
Senses: passive perception 14 saving throw or be blinded until the start of the
Languages: Common walker’s next turn.
CR 3 Prof. bonus +2
----- Icy Doom. Any creature killed by the walker freezes for
Shapechanger. The werewolf can use its action to 9 days, during which time it can’t be thawed, harmed
polymorph into a wolf-humanoid hybrid or into a wolf, by fire, animated, or raised from the dead.
or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its
statistics, other than its AC, are the same in each form. Unusual Nature. The walker doesn’t require air, food,
Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't drink, or sleep.
transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Actions
Keen Hearing and Smell. The werewolf has advantage Multiattack. The walker makes two attacks.
on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or
smell.

The Witches of Lonelywood 6

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Illusory Appearance. The hag covers herself and
target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage plus 14 anything she is wearing or carrying with a magical
(4d6) cold damage. illusion that makes her look like an ugly creature of her
general size and humanoid shape. The effect ends if
Cold Ray. Ranged Spell Attack: +3 to hit, range 60 ft., the hag takes a bonus action to end it or if she dies.
one target. Hit: 25 (4d10 + 3) cold damage.
The changes wrought by this effect fail to hold up to
physical inspection. For example, the hag could appear
Sea Hag to have no claws, but someone touching her hand
Medium fey, chaotic evil might feel the claws. Otherwise, a creature must take
----- an action to visually inspect the illusion and succeed on
AC 14 (natural armor) a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern
HP 52 (7d8 + 21) that the hag is disguised.
Speed: 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
-----
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA Bheur Hag
16 13 16 12 12 13 Medium fey, chaotic evil
(+3) (+1) (+3) (+1) (+1) (+1) -----
----- AC 17 (natural armor)
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 11 HP 91 (14d8 + 28)
Languages: Aquan, Common, Giant Speed: 30 ft.
CR 2 Prof. bonus +2 -----
----- STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA
Amphibious. The hag can breathe air and water. 13 16 14 12 13 16
(+1) (+3) (+2) (+1) (+1) (+3)
Horrific Appearance. Any humanoid that starts its turn -----
within 30 feet of the hag and can see the hag's true Saving Throws: Wis +4
form must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw. On a Skills: Nature +4, Perception +4, Stealth, +6, Survival +4
failed save, the creature is frightened for 1 minute. A Damage Immunities: cold
creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 11
each of its turns, with disadvantage if the hag is within Languages: Aquan, Common, Giant
line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If CR 7 Prof. bonus +3
a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect -----
ends for it, the creature is immune to the hag's Horrific Graystaff Magic. The hag carries a graystaff, a length
Appearance for the next 24 hours. of gray wood that is a focus for her inner power. She
can ride the staff as if it were a broom of flying. While
Unless the target is surprised or the revelation of the holding the staff, she can cast additional spells with her
hag's true form is sudden, the target can avert its eyes Innate Spellcasting trait (these spells are marked with
and avoid making the initial saving throw. Until the an asterisk). If the staff is lost or destroyed, the hag
start of its next turn, a creature that averts its eyes has must craft another, which takes a year and a day.
disadvantage on attack rolls against the hag.
Ice Walk. The hag can move across and climb icy
Actions surfaces without needing to make an ability check.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow
target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. doesn’t cost her extra movement.

Death Glare. The hag targets one frightened creature Innate Spellcasting. The hag’s innate spellcasting
she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell
the hag, it must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving attacks). She can innately cast the following spells,
throw against this magic or drop to 0 hit points. requiring no material components:

The Witches of Lonelywood 7

At will: hold person,* ray of frost
3/day each: cone of cold,* ice storm,* wall of ice*
1/day each: control weather

Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 10 (2d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage plus 3
(1d6) cold damage.

Maddening Feast. The hag feasts on the corpse of one

enemy within 5 feet of her that died within the past
minute. Each creature of the hag’s choice that is within
60 feet of her and able to see her must succeed on a
DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of her for
1 minute. While frightened in this way, a creature is
incapacitated, can’t understand what others say, can’t
read, and speaks only in gibberish; the DM controls the
creature’s movement, which is erratic. A creature can
repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns,
ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the
creature is immune to the hag’s Maddening Feast for
the next 24 hours.

Appendix C. Coven
Spellcasting
Shared Spellcasting (Coven Only). While all three
members of a hag coven are within 30 feet of one
another, they can each cast the following spells, but
they must share the spell slots among the group:

1st level (4 slots): identify, ray of sickness

2nd level (3 slots): hold person, locate object

3rd level (3 slots): bestow curse, counterspell, lightning

bolt

4th level (3 slots): phantasmal killer, polymorph

5th level (2 slots): contact other plane, raise dead

6th level (1 slot): eyebite

The Witches of Lonelywood 8