The Frozen Fingers of Midnight

The Frozen Fingers of Midnight, a Pathfinder Society scenario written by Craig Shackleton for tier 1-5, was released in August 2008.

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Skelg the Ripper, envoy from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, lies wasting in his villa on the outskirts of Absalom. A frigid curse followed Skelg from his northern homeland and grips his bearish heart in its frosty embrace. As the bizarre freezing ailment pushes Skelg to the brink of death, the Society dispatches you and your fellow Pathfinders to uncover the secrets of the freezing curse before Absalom falls to its icy grip.

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Scenario overview

Level	1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Type	Urban
Location(s)	Absalom Ivy District Docks (Absalom)

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Background

In the spring or early summer of 4708 AR, the Ulfen warrior Skelg the Ripper—secretly a member of the Pathfinder Society—raided the funerary ship of his recently deceased enemy Haldyr Bjornsson. He made off with Bjornsson's loot, including a magical lantern known as the Beacon of the North. He also saved the life of Bjornsson's wife, a White Witch named Natalya Yagevna, who would otherwise have been burned on the ship alongside her husband. He "gifted" the funerary ship to Natalya and left her aboard it when he departed.

Shortly afterward, Skelg travelled to Absalom to enter service with the Longaxes, a regiment of the Taldan emperor's royal guard. He used some of his stolen loot to purchase Greydog Manor in Absalom's Ivy District.

Not long after that, Bengeirr Haldyrsson, son of Haldyr Bjornsson, came to Absalom seeking to avenge the raid on his father's ship and recover the stolen funerary items. Along with his men, Haldyrsson stormed Greydog Manor and slew Skelg's guards, but in the process of recovering the stolen loot, he accidentally activated the Beacon of the North. A ray of freezing light struck Skelg, opening a portal to the frozen north inside his body that began to slowly freeze him to death. Another light struck a tapestry and opened a portal to the funerary ship to which the beacon was attuned, although that portal closed again soon afterward. The activation of the lantern also caused the funerary ship in the distant north to freeze within a magical iceberg, trapping Natalya within it.

Haldyrsson fled with the treasure rather than slaying Skelg, content to let Skelg die a dishonourable death of cold in bed, and left some of his warriors to watch over the mansion to make sure no aid arrived.

Bedridden, Skelg managed to pen a brief letter to his old friend Venture-Captain Adril Hestram asking for help and smuggled it out of the mansion with the help of his servant Tyros.

Adventure

Venture-Captain Hestram assembles a group of Pathfinders and shares the content of the letter he has received from Skelg. He charges them to investigate Skelg's condition, find a way to lift the freezing curse, and ensure the Beacon of the North ends up in the Pathfinder Society's hands.

The Pathfinders travel to Greydog Manor, where they are challenged by two of Bengeirr's Ulfen warriors posing as Taldan guards. Upon defeating the Ulfen warriors, they speak with Skelg, who relates the full story.

The Pathfinders search for Haldyrsson at Absalom's Docks and find him in a rented warehouse near the Rosy Fingers Tavern. They overcome Haldyrsson and his crew and recover the Beacon of the North.

Using the Beacon, they open a portal to the distant funerary ship and navigate through tunnels in the ice that encase it. They discover that Bjornsson and his crew have risen as frozen zombies.

Upon defeating them, they find Natalya, who longs for companionship, the return of the Beacon of the North, and a way home to Irrisen. She is impressed by Skelg's prowess as a warrior, so the Pathfinders set up Natalya and Skelg as a couple and gift them the Beacon, thus placing it in the hands of a Pathfinder. Natalya attaches the Beacon to the prow of the funerary ship and uses it to open a portal home to Irrisen, which ends the Beacon's other effects, cures Skelg, and frees the funerary ship.

Recurring characters, concepts, and locations

The following characters, concepts, or locations can be found in this scenario, but also significantly appear in the publications listed below:

Map support

The Frozen Fingers of Midnight uses two custom maps.