The Ishvegro | Free 5e and PF2e Encounter
Written by Hana the Lorekeeper
Cartography by Sir Vicke
Trekking through the world’s icy regions brings its own innate set of dangers, but that danger is multiplied when you consider the creatures (and secrets) that lay in wait in some of the area’s bleakest places. For a chilling encounter that you can drop easily into your 5e or Pathfinder 2 adventure, consider this dark mausoleum: The Ishvegro.
If you're looking for other 5e and PF2e resources, check out our entire collection of Lair Magazine issues. This particular encounter came from the January 2024 issue of Lair Magazine, Tundra & Terror, where you can find even more to add to your campaign!
The Ishvegro - 5e
Level. This encounter is designed for a group of four to six level-three characters.
Creatures. This encounter features the following creatures: frost zombie, iceglass doppelganger.
Location. Reverent silence as biting as the engulfing cold air drapes this domed mausoleum. The walls inside and out are of a reflective black, mirror-like substance. In the room’s center, four sealed stone coffins surround a flight of stairs that rise to a second platform. Inscribed on each coffin is Celestial text that beseeches Polarnox to protect their lands. The second platform’s floor is a giant snowflake crafted with minuscule blue and white tiles. Also at the room’s center, a miniature aurora dances above an altar, filling the room with light.
Loot. Each frost zombie wears ceremonial robes and jewelry worth 50 gp. Within each coffin is a ceremonial dagger made of solid ice. It melts under intense heat, but if preserved and presented to an aurorian shaman or aurorian chieftain, it can be exchanged for one favor—though they will question the characters as to how they received such an item.
Encounter Description
Publicly, Ishvegro (ish-veh-gro) is a religious site where one can come to honor the dead and offer sacrifices for the local gods. Protecting it are a silent guardian and four slumbering priests (frost zombies) who are not as dead as everyone believes. The party comes across this location randomly or is directed here by locals to make offerings.
Alternatively, a malicious force may have sent the party here to destroy the mausoleum, tricking them into doing so with lies if they are good-aligned or encouraging them to do so if they are evil-aligned.
Roleplaying Notes.
- The iceglass doppelganger that guards Ishvegro has no name; outsiders know it as “The Guardian.” It tends to mimic the appearance of Ishvegro visitors, especially those who show it kindness, but rarely speaks aloud. It believes actions speak louder than words.
- The Guardian has stood at this location for many years, deterring thieves and preserving the mausoleum. The Guardian knows all four priests must not be destroyed, for a great disaster will happen if their rest is disturbed. It does not share this knowledge with anyone, lest it attract evil forces to desecrate this place.
- The frozen priests have lost much of their Intelligence and Wisdom during their long slumber, but they instinctively know that Ishvegro is important and must be protected.
Encounter Notes.
- If the party is sufficiently stealthy in approaching, the Guardian is sitting on the steps to the altar with its eyes closed in its iceglass appearance. If the party members do not conceal their presence, the Guardian is standing on the second platform, watching their arrival in the guise of someone it has seen before.
- If there are locals in the party, the Guardian will be more passive and simply observe. If the party consists of non-locals, the Guardian will be more defensive and cautious but not show aggression.
- If the party makes any motion to disturb the coffins, the Guardian will demand that the party leave. If the party remains or attacks the Guardian, it will respond with violence.
- When attacking, the Guardian will take on the characters’ appearances, albeit in a much bloodier fashion, to warn them of misfortune should they not leave.
- At the start of the second round of combat, all the coffins will slide open, and the priests will emerge, entering the fight. Exiting their coffins takes no extra movement on their part.
Mirrored Walls. Due to the walls’ reflective nature, line spells that hit the wall reflect toward the caster.
Secret. Every time a frost zombie dies, the aurora above the altar dims. If all four frozen priests die, the aurora fades entirely, leaving the mausoleum cloaked in darkness. The four priests act as seals for locking away something powerful, but the Game Master determines what this entails.
The Ishvegro - Pf2e [Moderate 3]
Level. This encounter is designed for a group of four level-three characters.
Creatures. This encounter features the following creatures: frost zombie, iceglass doppelganger.
Location. Reverent silence as biting as the engulfing cold air drapes this domed mausoleum. The walls inside and out are of a reflective black, mirror-like substance. In the room’s center, four sealed stone coffins surround a flight of stairs that rise to a second platform. Inscribed on each coffin is Celestial text that beseeches Polarnox to protect their lands. The second platform’s floor is a giant snowflake crafted with minuscule blue and white tiles. Also at the room’s center, a miniature aurora dances above an altar, filling the room with light.
Loot. Each frost zombie wears ceremonial robes and jewelry worth 50 gp. Within each coffin is a ceremonial dagger made of solid ice. It melts under intense heat, but if preserved and presented to an aurorian shaman or aurorian chieftain, it can be exchanged for one favor—though they will question the characters as to how they received such an item.
Encounter Description
Publicly, Ishvegro (ish-veh-gro) is a religious site where one can come to honor the dead and offer sacrifices for the local gods. Protecting it are a silent guardian and four slumbering priests (frost zombies) who are not as dead as everyone believes. The party comes across this location randomly or is directed here by locals to make offerings.
Alternatively, a malicious force may have sent the party here to destroy the mausoleum, tricking them into doing so with lies if they are good-aligned or encouraging them to do so if they are evil-aligned.
Roleplaying Notes.
- The iceglass doppelganger that guards Ishvegro has no name; outsiders know it as “The Guardian.” It tends to mimic the appearance of Ishvegro visitors, especially those who show it kindness, but rarely speaks aloud. It believes actions speak louder than words.
- The Guardian has stood at this location for many years, deterring thieves and preserving the mausoleum. The Guardian knows all four priests must not be destroyed, for a great disaster will happen if their rest is disturbed. It does not share this knowledge with anyone, lest it attract evil forces to desecrate this place.
- The frozen priests have lost much of their Intelligence and Wisdom during their long slumber, but they instinctively know that Ishvegro is important and must be protected.
Encounter Notes.
- If the party is sufficiently stealthy in approaching, the Guardian is sitting on the steps to the altar with its eyes closed in its iceglass appearance. If the party members do not conceal their presence, the Guardian is standing on the second platform, watching their arrival in the guise of someone it has seen before.
- If there are locals in the party, the Guardian will be more passive and simply observe. If the party consists of non-locals, the Guardian will be more defensive and cautious but not show aggression.
- If the party makes any motion to disturb the coffins, the Guardian will demand that the party leave. If the party remains or attacks the Guardian, it will respond with violence.
- When attacking, the Guardian will take on the characters’ appearances, albeit in a much bloodier fashion, to warn them of misfortune should they not leave.
- At the start of the second round of combat, all the coffins will slide open, and the priests will emerge, entering the fight. Exiting their coffins takes no extra movement on their part.
Mirrored Walls. Due to the walls’ reflective nature, line spells that hit the wall reflect toward the caster.
Secret. Every time a frost zombie dies, the aurora above the altar dims. If all four frozen priests die, the aurora fades entirely, leaving the mausoleum cloaked in darkness. The four priests act as seals for locking away something powerful, but the Game Master determines what this entails.
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