Lost in Crystalrise
Can players find a missing person in the forest before the blizzard arrives?
A Search & Rescue Adventure Designed for Daggerheart
Written by: Joseph (Joey) Mullins. Maps designed in Dungeon Draft. The adventure can also be found on my Substack: https://joeysjourneysttrpg.substack.com/p/lost-in-crystalrise-a-winter-search
Quest Hook
A mother is missing her son and pet Tigerlynx in the frigid Crystalrise Forest. Can players find George and Tabby and return them home before the blizzard arrives?
Features
Easy-to-follow Daggerheart adventure for new Game Masters with bullet points and short paragraphs
Maps are included for a visual aid and/or your chosen virtual tabletop (VTT)
Features all pillars of play, including NPCs, exploration, combat + a climactic boss encounter
Links to Premade Encounters - all managed with free software at https://freshcutgrass.app
Scaling guides included: Easily scale the adventure up or down for more/fewer players or for Tier 2 play (originally designed for Tier/Level 1).
FREE original adventure or pay what you want (much appreciated)
Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Kidnapping
Introduction
Map - See Bridgespell for Intro/Part 1 (Bridgespell: Winter TTRPG Town Map. Dimensions 22x25)
Read Aloud: “Get yer arse in here, lad, it’s supper!”
You hear the voice of a stern dwarven woman yell into the woods covered in blankets of snow. You’re in the portside town of Bridgespell. People are bundling up, carrying handfuls of firewood inside and shutting their windows tight.
The Woman Says: “Yer a capable-lookin ’ bunch... Say, can you find my boy George and our Tigerlynx? Look, I don’t have much, but I can offer you my BEST seafood chowder every day ‘til winter’s up and a bit of coin.”
A cold storm approaches. However, Brasa’s son George is missing, along with Tabby, their family Tigerlynx. She looks to you and your group. You’ve only got 3 hours to find the boy ‘til the blizzard hits. It’s about time you saddle up.
Part 1: A Worried Mother in Bridgespell
Brasa
The dwarf mother is shouting outside into the woods (For George & Tabby). George is a 12-year-old boy, and Tabby is a striped grey/black Tigerlynx. A storm is approaching at night.
Rewards/Resources:
Reward: 6 Handfuls of Gold (2 up front, 4 after they’re home) and as much Seafood chowder as you can eat whenever you’re in Bridgespell.
She’ll lend you her sled and horse to help carry her boy back home.
Brasa’s Knowledge:
She always tells George to NEVER go past the lake (Frost Pond).
He never misses dinner when he’s out, even though he absolutely loves exploring.
He’s befriended the Ranger, Dirk Frostjaw, who lives in a cabin by Frost Pond. You should check around there.
A blizzard is arriving in a few hours. Finding George & Tabby is urgent! (Players cannot succeed if they take a Long Rest).
Part 2: On the Trail - Frozen River Crossing
Map - See Frozen River Part 2 (Frozen River TTRPG Map. Dimensions 20x25)
Read Aloud: The Crystalrise forest is vast and dense with towering pines. Sometimes it’s difficult to discern if the trees are covered in snow and ice or if they are made of it!
Player Worldbuilding Prompt: You’ve heard of the Crystalrise before. How do you think it lives up to its name?
Read Aloud: The trail is narrow yet easy enough to follow. As you progress, you feel the freezing rain begin to pitter-patter upon your clothes and armour. It’s only about half an hour until you hear a rushing river in the woods. Ice and snow chunks float down the centre of the river. The sides of the river appear frozen. Remnants of a wooden bridge have buckled under the stress of recent heavy snowfall.
Encounter Link (Raging, frigid river)
Hidden Opportunists (Glass Snakes): Ensure you summon at least 1 Glass Snake per player. They are hidden in the ice, waiting for a chance to strike! Flavour the creature as an “icicle snake”, made of life-like icicle shards pieced together.
Player Goal: follow the trail and cross the frigid river (about 20-30 ft wide).
Ice and snow chunks float down the centre of the river. The sides of the river appear frozen.
A snowstorm has taken out a large portion of the bridge here; the weight from piles of snow has caused it to break.
The party must make Action Rolls to cross the river - but the ice is very thin! The ice will break by simply stepping on it.
Part 3: Meeting Dirk Frostjaw
Read Aloud: Another 20-30 minutes past the river and uphill, you see a small frozen lake. On the far side is a modest log cabin. You smell burning firewood as smoke rises from a stone chimney. Outside is quiet, save for the occasional bird call and whistle. You then see an orange light moving and bobbing in the woods ahead of you.
Dirk Frostjaw is out looking for George. You hear an occasional bird call and see a globe of warm lantern light in the distance.
Dirk’s a quiet but respected dwarf fur trapper, hunter and marksman.
Wears practical furs to stay warm. He lives in a modest cabin with his adopted son.
If befriended, he will accompany the party to ensure George’s safety. Otherwise, he'll recklessly go on his own.
Personality: Believes "most talk is cheap". He's gruff, straightforward and emotionally distant, but has a warm heart and is a bit reckless sometimes. Respects fellows who can hold their own in the wilderness.
Dirk’s Knowledge: (Will share openly if befriended)
He saw the boy and his giant Tigerlynx today, just a few hours ago. He warned him of the storm.
George seemed particularly interested in making it to the Crystalrise Ruins to the North. Dirk told him about the ruins weeks before, but advised him “not to go alone”.
Dirk believes old rumours of Turtleback Prison that used to be on the mountains. The worst of the worst were held there - both monsters and people. Decades ago, it shut down - but nobody has found it. People say many monstrosities have been set loose into the world since then - hence why the surface frontier on this world (Phendria) is so dangerous.
Short Rest Opportunity: Dirk's Cabin and the area around Frost Pond is relatively safe. Inform players that they may take a short rest here if needed.
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Part 4: The Frozen Body
Read Aloud: The trail becomes darker and harder to follow… This trail seems seldom used by hunters and foragers. But there’s no mistaking a set of large cat-like paw tracks fresh in the snow.
As you progress, you see an occasional stone structure. First, a stone foundation, then a wall.
Body in the Snow
Reaction Roll: Have players make a Difficulty 13 Instinct Reaction Roll or bump into the body! Have them mark a stress if they fail.
Here are some descriptors for the unfortunate victim.
Frozen with Slash marks.
Human man, adult, middle-aged (definitely not George).
A chunk is ripped out of his back.
Didn’t wear armour, only a warm jacket.
Satchel contains 2 handfuls of gold, winter forage berries, leaves, etc.
A Difficulty 13 Knowledge Roll or higher will tell players:
Slashes appear mostly on his shoulders.
The body looks to have been lifted up by something strong and thrown, based on the odd posture.
Must be 3-7days old, covered in snow and ice.
Possible Profession: Perhaps a forager. He has berries (cranberries, crabapples), roots, garlic and hardy winter leaves. Doesn’t appear that a person attacked the man, as he had most of his goods on him still, and the slash marks are too large/uneven.
Part 5: Creatures at Crystalrise Ruins (Boss Encounter)
Map - See Crystalrise Ruins, Part 5. (Crystalrise Ruins Tower Map. Dimensions 35x32)
Read Aloud: After only a few minutes of seeing the body, you immediately see a clearing with scattered ruins. The largest ruin is a 40ft-high tower, perhaps from an old temple. Then you see a large feline creature resembling a tiger and a lynx (at the base of the tower).
The Tigerlynx circles the building and growls up at the tower, then somewhere else in the sky. Claw marks are visible on the tower's sides. Tabby looks to have a bad limp, but is still very feisty as they growl.
Setting up the Scene:
Ask Players what they’d like to do. Do they hide and wait? Do they scan the area? Do they try to interact with Tabby? Do they charge ahead?
Enemies: 2 Wyverns are flying around the building. They’re hunting and actively looking for prey before the storm fully comes in.
George has been taken to the nest atop Crystalrise Tower, appearing to be an old temple/church. He’s knocked unconscious amongst the Wyrmlings, who are all sleeping at the moment.
The Wyrmlings are tired, so they haven’t taken an interest in George… yet.
The Wyrmlings and George will awaken if combat ensues (if the adult Wyverns roar).
GM Combat Setup: Wyverns at Crystalrise Tower
Encounter Balancing: Use the following information to scale the encounter based on party size:
3 Players = 2 Wyverns, 1 Wyrmling Swarm
4 Players = 2 Wyverns, 2 Wyrmling Swarms
5 Players = 2 Wyverns, 4 Wyrmling Swarms
6 Players = 3 Wyverns, 3 Wyrmling Swarms
Important Note: Make sure to downscale Wyverns to Tier 1 (or the appropriate tier). Rat Swarm stats are reflavoured for the Wyrmlings (they can fly).
Strategy: The Wyverns are your main threats that fly in/fly out; the Wyrmlings get in the players’ faces and distract them. Wyverns should use Deadly Dive followed by Crushing Bite to deal blows to both HP and Armour slots. The Wyrmlings have the In Your Face ability, which grants disadvantage to players attacking the Wyverns. Put these on players that deal a lot of damage!
(Optional) If Players Befriended Dirk: Give him stats as an Archer Guard - Ally. He will prioritize George’s safety - even putting himself at risk to help the boy. Players may control Dirk if they wish. They must use a D20 to attack. He does not generate hope or fear.
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Part 6: Conclusion - Home Sweet Home
Read Aloud if players are successful:
You all hurry back to Bridgespell as the storm hammers down upon you. Arriving late at night, you smell the savoury seafood chowder prepared by Brasa. Her worried/stern expression fades as tears of relief take over. “Oh my boy George!” She runs and embraces her son - cold, but alive!
George’s face shows signs of guilt. Looking down, he says: “I.. I won’t go far on my own. Not again. I’m… I’m sorry, Mom.”
Brasa thanks you for everything. She hands you the remaining gold coins and invites you all in for some seafood chowder. The broth is thick, hearty and full of flavour. You all sit around the wooden table by the well-lit fire and share laughs and stories about the adventure.
Follow-up Quests/Prompts
If you and your players liked this game, here are some follow-up adventure hooks you can use for another game:
George may have brought back a relic from Crystalrise. What is this relic? How could it be dangerous or pose a future threat?
Word spreads of the group’s deeds around town. Who may be interested in hiring the group next, and for what purpose?
Dirk spoke of this place called "Turtleback Prison". Are the rumours true? Does it exist? And is something nefarious occurring there?
PS: Thank You For Reading!
I sincerely hope this adventure brings you and your table joy.
Please check out my Substack + social media profiles linked below.
Whether you roll with hope or fear, always keep rolling!
~ Joey
https://joeysjourneysttrpg.substack.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@joeys.journeys.ttrpg
https://www.youtube.com/@JoeysJourneysTTRPG